The largest employment sectors in the U.S. are professional services, business services, health care, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing.
In 1990, the manufacturing industry was the largest employer before automation.
As of 2013, retail, health care, and food services are the three industry sectors leading U.S. employment.
Following behind the Federal Government, the three largest employers in the U.S. are the retail conglomerates Walmart and Amazon and the fast-food entity, Yum! Brands.
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What Company Is the Largest Employer in the U.S.?
Walmart is the largest employer in the U.S., with 2.2 million employees and 1.6 out of its 2.2 employees being U.S. workers.
The Largest American Employers Globally by Number of Employees
Based on each company’s number of employees, let’s look at 18 of the most prominent American employers worldwide.
American Airlines
Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, American Airlines employs 130,529 employees as of 2020.
Compared to other airlines, it leads the industry in the total number of employees.
American Airlines is a cargo and passenger transport service.
The company’s hub is at the Fort Worth International Airport. It operates roughly 150 planes and 700 flights a day.
According to Macro Trends, the company’s net worth is $10.57 billion.
General Motors
General Motors is a multinational advanced manufacturing corporation specializing in automobile manufacturing.
The manufacturing company employs around 155,000 employees from its 122 facilities nationwide.
According to the company website, in 2020, General Motors’ annual revenue was $122.5 billion.
Lowes
Lowes is a hardware retail store in the home improvement sector, selling hardware materials and tools, appliances, flooring, and lumber.
Its headquarters are located in Mooresville, North Carolina, and it employs 300,000 employees in the U.S.
According to Macro Trends, as of March 2022, Lowes has a reported net worth of $149.24 billion.
UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group is an insurance company with headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
As one of the largest companies in the healthcare industry sector, it has a workforce of 330,000 employees, according to Statista.
This North American insurance company has a net worth of $448.1 billion.
IBM
IBM is a multinational tech corporation in the United States that produces innovative technology.
Its products focus on artificial intelligence, consulting, cybersecurity, and computing trades.
The company’s headquarters reside in Armonk, New York, with hundreds of offices across 97 countries.
According to Forbes, the corporation is one of the largest entities in the information technology and software industry sector, with 345,000 employees.
However, the company’s net worth has significantly declined.
For example, it had a peak net worth of $239.36 billion in 2012.
Its current net worth is $109.13 billion, according to Macro Trends.
Berkshire Hathaway
Warren Buffet, an investor mogul and business leader, is Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO.
Berkshire Hathaway is a real-estate insurance company and multinational conglomerate.
It owns over 60 companies, like Geico and Dairy Queen.
Berkshire Hathaway has 360,174 total employees and reached its highest net worth of $700 billion in 2022.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is an agency of the Federal Government.
It provides benefits, rehabilitation, and opportunities for U.S. veterans.
The government services sector employs 424,353 employees, making it the second-largest government service agency employee-wise.
Employee-wise, the largest government agency is the U.S. Department of Defense, employing 2,910,000 employees.
Kroger
Kroger is one of the largest American retailers in the United States, with roughly 2,800 stores nationwide.
This corporation has 465,000 total employees and a net worth of $35.55 billion, competing in the e-commerce grocery sector with Walmart and Amazon.
The e-commerce market demand grew exponentially in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which guided Kroger to automate its distribution services to compete in the online grocery delivery services sector.
The Home Depot
The Home Depot is an enormous home improvement, retail, and wholesale business in the U.S. It has 500,000 employees.
According to Macro Trends, in 2021, the corporation had a net worth of $344.42 billion and a revenue of $12.9 billion.
There are 2,298 Home Depot stores nationwide and more in New Mexico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Express Employment Professionals
Express Employment Professionals is a staff provider operating in the US, Canada, South Africa, and New Zealand.
The company helps workers find employment opportunities based on their qualifications.
The company is one of the largest private employers, with 526,000 employees working from its 825 centers nationwide.
According to GlassDoor, express Employment Professional revenue is $2 to $5 billion.
United Parcel Service (UPS)
The United Parcel Service is a global shipping and postal service provider.
It operates in North America, Africa, Asia, India, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Oceania regions.
UPS’ headquarters are in the state of Georgia.
The shipping company employs 540,000 employees.
According to Macro Trends, the parcel shipping company has a net worth of $178.68 billion.
FedEx
FedEx is another international shipping and postal service provider headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. FedEx operates from all 50 U.S. states.
According to Forbes, the shipping, transportation, and logistics conglomerate employs 570,000 employees.
According to Macro Trends, FedEx has a net worth of $56.95 billion and, according to Forbes, had a revenue of $78.7 billion in sales in 2021
United States Postal Service (USPS)
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is a postal agency of the U.S. federal government, headquartered in the District of Columbia.
The USPS provides driver, mechanic, sales, service, delivery, and handling jobs to 630,000 employees nationwide.
According to a news release by the federal postal agency, its operating revenue for 2021 was $77 billion and a net loss of $4.9 billion.
Accenture
Accenture is a foreign company based in Dublin, Ireland. It is a professional services company operating in over 120 countries.
The company involves itself in various industries, including the financial, health, public service, products, technology services, business services, and marketing sectors.
Accenture has 674,000 employees worldwide, and according to Macro Trends, the company’s net worth is $196.82 billion.
Amazon.com
Amazon is the leader in the e-commerce retailer industry.
It is the largest company and largest employer worldwide, with a total number of employees reaching 1,298,000.
According to NBC, one million of Amazon’s employees are U.S. workers, meaning “1 in 169 people” in America is an Amazon worker.
Amazon’s brand is widely considered a powerful cultural influence and transformer of economic development in America.
According to Macro Trends, the company’s net worth is $1538.16 billion.
Yum! Brands
Yum!
Brands is a fast-food conglomerate that operates popular fast-food chains like KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell.
The company employs 1.5 million employees and associates worldwide.
It has a net worth of $0.9 billion, according to Statista.
Walmart
Walmart is a multinational retail and wholesale corporation.
It has 2.2 million employees, 1.6 million of which reside in the U.S.
This corporation operates 10,500 retail stores nationwide, including its subsidiary, Sam’s Club.
According to Macro Trends, the corporation’s net worth is $377.22 billion.
The U.S. Federal Government
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Federal Government is the largest employer in America, employing 2.874 million employees.
Federal Government workers include postal, lawyers, financial analysts, scientists, blue-collar, politicians, judges, and other unspecified employees, like FBI agents and police officers.
The Nature of the Companies That Employ the Most
The U.S. Government is the largest employer.
But, the top nature of companies that employ the most are industries within the professional services, business services, health care, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing sectors.
Meanwhile, construction and manufacturing continue to experience employment declines.
However, according to Forbes, the top three employer companies of 2022, based on employees’ willingness to recommend their work to others, are The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Southern Company, and NASA.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few of the most common questions regarding the largest employers in the U.S.
Is the government the largest employer in the U.S.?
Yes, the Government is the largest employer in the U.S., employing 2.874 million employees.
Which sector is the largest employer?
The professional and business services are the largest employers compared to all others.
According to Statista, roughly 21.9 million people work within the professional and business services sector.
Final Thoughts
Walmart is the top retail conglomerate in the U.S. and is the leading company employer-wise.
However, the Federal Government is the largest employer in the U.S.
The rise of retail, health care, and professional and business service employment reflects these industries’ overall wage and salary growth.
