U.S. News & World Report Unveils the 2025-2026 Best Companies to Work For: Private Companies

The latest ratings spotlight private companies that meet employee needs best across 14 industries, including Aerospace and Defense, IT and Health Care.

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, today announced the 2025-2026 U.S. News Best Companies to Work For: Private Companies. The ratings evaluate the best privately owned companies with at least 5,000 employees across 14 industries to help employees and job seekers make decisions about workplaces that may be a good fit for them.

They offer an analysis of private businesses and nonprofit organizations that best meet consumer preferences across factors including quality of pay and benefits, work-life balance and flexibility, job and company stability, physical and psychological comfort, belongingness and esteem, and career opportunities and professional development.

"What job seekers consider 'best' in a company continually evolves based on their individual needs and considerations at a given time," said Carly Chase, vice president of Careers at U.S. News. "The Best Companies to Work For: Private ratings serve as a home base for employers interested in best-in-class practices and job seekers as they choose a company that meets their needs. Whether you're a new grad launching your career in the age of AI, a seasoned professional focusing on mission-driven opportunities or an HR executive researching organizational methods across public and private companies, these ratings provide a hub to see which businesses are supporting their employees best."

With support from a panel of experts, U.S. News' methodology analyzes publicly available employee sentiment of companies, incorporating editorial judgment and other data that informs how a company supports the everyday experience of its workers. The 277 companies recognized in the 2025-2026 ratings are grouped into 14 industry categories, highlighting the top 25% of 1,094 private businesses evaluated. Industries include finance and insurance, manufacturing and agriculture and consumer products.

To calculate the U.S. News Best Companies to Work For: Private Companies list, U.S. News only considered private companies that have at least 5,000 employees and more than $500 million in annual revenue, as defined by Crunchbase, and had at least 75 Glassdoor reviews written between 2021-2024.

Relevant data, including employee sentiment and regulatory enforcement data, was gathered from Revelio Labs and Good Jobs First to calculate the six metrics used in the list. For further details on how the metric scores were calculated, see the methodology.

For more information, including what makes a great company to work for, how to use the ratings for job seekings, and career advice in areas like customer service, aerospace and IT, visit Best Places to Work For and U.S. News' expanding Careers offerings, and share the ratings on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) using #BCTWF.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P.