Forbes named the best employers in the U.S. Here are 54 from Illinois on the list

The state of Illinois is home to more than 50 of the best employers in the United States, according to annual rankings released recently by Forbes.

Here is a look at how the list was made and which Illinois businesses made the cut.

How did Forbes make the list of best employers?

Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to survey over 217,000 employees nationwide. Respondents rated employers based on salary, advancement opportunities, work environment and training programs.

After tallying and analyzing the data, Forbes gave each employer a score and placed a total of 1,199 organizations on either a Best Large Employers 2025 list or a Best Midsized Employer 2025 list. The Best Large Employers list consisted of 701 companies nationwide, and the Best Midsized Employers list named 498 businesses.

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Which Illinois businesses made the rankings?

The financial magazine listed the best large and midsized employers in the United States. The results show that 31 Illinois-based businesses are among the top country’s top large employees, while 23 Illinois businesses earned national recognition as mid-sized employers.

The Peoria Journal Star has listed the top Illinois employers in each category. The lists include national rank, business, industry, employee count and headquarters location.

Forbes list: Illinois’ Best Large Employers

• 62. Hyatt Hotels | travel and leisure | 51,000 | Chicago
• 113. Caterpillar | manufacturing, engineering | 113,000 | Deerfield
• 139. Grainger | retail and wholesale | 22,100 | Lake Forest
• 159. Northwestern Medicine | healthcare and social services | 30,000 | Chicago
• 162. Levy | restaurants | 10,001 | Chicago
• 215. AbbVie | drugs and biotechnology | 50,000 | North Chicago
• 242. Health Care Service Corporation | insurance | 28,000 | Chicago
• 267. CDW | IT software and services | 11,700 | Vernon Hills
• 298. State Farm | insurance | 67,000 | Bloomington
• 328. Gallagher Bassett | insurance | 5,000 | Rolling Meadows
• 338. Ace Hardware | retail and wholesale | 5,583 | Oak Brook
• 339. Motorola Solutions | telecommunications services, cable supplier | 11,130 | Chicago
• 350. Discover Financial Services | banking and financial services | 21,100 | Riverwoods
• 363. United Airlines | transportation and logistics | 103,300 | Chicago
• 367. ALDI | retail and wholesale | 25,000 | Batavia
• 419. Abbott Laboratories | healthcare equipment and services | 35,340 | Chicago
• 484. Zurich North America | insurance | 9,000 | Schaumburg
• 521. CAN Financial | insurance | 6,300 | Chicago
• 535. Baker Tilly | professional services | 44,000 | Chicago
• 563. RSM US | professional services | 16,600 | Chicago
• 572. Exelon | utilities | 19,962 | Chicago
• 578. Crowe | professional services | 5,001 | Chicago
• 590. JLL | business services and supplies | 35,366 | Chicago
• 600. John Deere | engineering, manufacturing | 83,000 | Moline
• 601. Walsh Group | construction, chemicals, raw materials | 8,000 | Chicago
• 613. Dover | engineering, manufacturing | 25,000 | Downers Grove
• 628. US Foods | food, soft beverages, alcohol and tobacco | 30,000 | Rosemont
• 652. Medline Industries | healthcare equipment and services | 30,000 | Northfield
• 671. Great Wolf Resorts | travel and leisure | 10,000 | Chicago
• 691. Kraft Heinz Company | food, soft beverages, alcohol and tobacco | 36,000 | Chicago

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Forbes List: Illinois’ Best Midsized Employers

• 7. Morningstar | business services and supplies | 3,400 | Chicago
• 10. Silver Cross Hospital | healthcare and social services | 3,800 | New Lenox
• 26. Alzheimer’s Association | healthcare and social services | 2,000 | Chicago
• 34. Harper College | education | 1,316 | Palatine
• 41. Southern Illinois Healthcare | healthcare and social services | 4,000 | Carbondale
• 74. Argonne National Laboratory | drugs and biotechnology | 3,400 | Lemont
• 90. Eversana | drugs and biotechnology | 6,000 | Chicago
• 106. Ronald McDonald House Charities | healthcare and social services | 5,000 | Chicago
• 120. Illinois Institute of Technology | education | 1,450 | Chicago
• 159. Kirkland and Ellis | professional services | 6,500 | Chicago
• 162. Echo Global Logistics | transportation and logistics | 2,600 | Chicago
• 165. Illinois Bone and Joint Institute | healthcare and social services | 1,100 | Des Plaines
• 222. Ed Napleton Automotive Group | automotive | 3,500 | Oakbrook Terrace
• 252. Wintrust | banking and financial services | 5,521 | Rosemont
• 298. Beltone | health care equipment and services | 1,093 | Chicago
• 304. Zebra Technologies | semiconductors, electronics, electrical engineering | 9,750 | Lincolnshire
• 318. AAR | aerospace and defense | 4,125 | Wood Dale
• 330. Hub Group | transportation and logistics | 5,950 | Oak Brook
• 390. Sargent and Lundy | professional services | 3,500 | Chicago
• 392. Fresh Thyme | retail and wholesale | 1,657 | Downers Grove
• 411. AIT Worldwide Logistics | transportation and logistics | 3,700 | Itasca
• 450. Alera Group | insurance | 3,500 | Deerfield
• 493. Hollister | healthcare equipment and services | 3,200 | Libertyville