These 13 Triangle-based companies are among the best employers in America, Forbes says

Forbes published its 10th-annual lists of the best large and midsize employers in the country, and several companies based in North Carolina are included.

To make the list, the publication partnered with market research firm Statista to survey more than 217,000 employees working at U.S. companies that employ 1,000-5,000 people or more than 5,000 people, respectively, for midsize and large categories. The final lists came to 498 midsize employers and 701 large employers.

Employees were asked whether they would recommend their employer to others and rated it on criteria including salary, work environment, training programs and opportunities to advance. The ranking also included survey data from the last three years, with more recent data weighted more.

Best large employers in NC

Here’s how companies in North Carolina with more than 5,000 employers compared to other highly-rated businesses in the U.S.:

• No. 29: Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (also ranked No. 10 in Forbes’ September 2024 list of the best employers in North Carolina)
• No. 43: FirstHealth of the Carolinas
• No. 116: Lenovo
• No. 144: Duke University (also ranked No. 11 in Forbes’ September 2024 list of the best employers in North Carolina)
• No. 168: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• No. 169: Duke Energy (also ranked No. 1 in Forbes’ September 2024 list of the best employers in North Carolina)
• No. 206: Butterball

• No. 251: Bank of America
• No. 258: North Carolina State University
• No. 311: SASR Workforce Solutions
• No. 327: Volvo Group
• No. 332: House of Raeford Farms
• No. 341: Nucor
• No. 346: Old Dominion Freight Line
• No. 379: Labcorp
• No. 467: Trane Technologies
• No. 482: Dole Food
• No. 551: Honeywell International
• No. 580: Elior North America
• No. 655: Kimley-Horn and Associates
• No. 673: RTI International

Several of these employers are based in the Triangle:

• Cary: SASR Workforce Solutions
• Chapel Hill: UNC-Chapel Hill
• Durham: Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Duke University
• Garner: Butterball
• Morrisville: Lenovo
• Raleigh: NC State University, Kimley-Horn and Associates
• Research Triangle Park: RTI International

See the full list at forbes.com/lists/best-large-employers.

Best midsize employers in NC

• No. 3: Western Carolina University (also ranked No. 5 in Forbes’ September 2024 list of the best employers in North Carolina)
• No. 55: Wake Forest University (also ranked No. 15 in Forbes’ September 2024 list of the best employers in North Carolina)
• No. 72: Epic Games
• No. 141: Allen Tate Companies
• No. 207: City of Durham
• No. 210: Brighthouse Financial
• No. 213: Appalachian State University
• No. 365: Autobell Car Wash
• No. 398: Wake County Government
• No. 413: Firebirds Wood Fired Grill
• No. 464: Bell and Howell
• No. 473: Catawba County Government
• No. 495: Qorvo

Several are based in the Triangle:

• Cary: Epic Games
• Durham: City of Durham, Bell and Howell
• Raleigh: Wake County Government

See the full list at forbes.com/lists/best-midsize-employers.

This story was originally published February 12, 2025 at 4:15 PM with the headline "These 13 Triangle-based companies are among the best employers in America, Forbes says."

Renee Umsted

The News & Observer

202-383-6008

Renee Umsted is a service journalism reporter for The News & Observer. She has a degree in journalism from the Bob Schieffer College of Communication at TCU.