Great Place To Work® determines the list using our proprietary For All™ methodology to evaluate and certify thousands of organizations in America’s largest ongoing annual workforce study, based on over 870,000 employee survey responses and data from companies representing more than 6.1 million employees, this year alone. 

Our survey enables employees to share confidential quantitative and qualitative feedback about their organization’s culture by responding to 60 statements on a 5-point scale and answering two open-ended questions. Collectively, these statements describe a great employee experience, defined by high levels of trust, respect, credibility, fairness, pride, and camaraderie. In addition, companies provide organizational data like size, location, industry, demographics, roles, and levels. 

Great Place To Work measures the differences in survey responses across demographic groups and roles within each organization to assess both the quality and consistency of the employee experience. Statements are weighted according to their relevance in describing the most important aspects of an equitable workplace. 

Each company also answers 6 essay questions that provide greater insight into how and why the organization is great for all people. Responses are rigorously evaluated and cross-reviewed according to Great Place To Work’s research-driven criteria.

Survey data analysis and essay evaluation results are then factored into a combined score to compare and rank the companies that create the most consistently positive experience for all employees.  Many companies survey every employee, far surpassing the minimum threshold of 5,000. While essay responses provide important context for rankings, only survey data can garner a list placement.

To be considered for the list, companies must be Great Place To Work-Certified™, have at least 1,000 US employees, and cannot be a government agency. We require statistically significant survey results, review anomalies in responses, news, and financial performance, and investigate any employee reports of company incompliance with strict surveying rules to validate the integrity of the results and findings. Data is also normalized to compare companies fairly across sizes and industries.