American companies continue to dominate global markets, but recent tariffs, export controls, and international backlash have raised questions about the future of U.S. economic influence. Despite these uncertainties, U.S. stocks have remained resilient, and domestic firms are expanding both at home and abroad. To identify the top-performing companies in the country, TIME partnered with Statista to evaluate and rank the most prominent firms based on employee satisfaction, financial performance, and sustainability transparency. The result is the 2026 list of America’s Best Companies, which includes both public and private entities that report their financial and sustainability data.
The methodology for this year’s ranking shifted focus from revenue growth to the strength of financial performance, a change that explains why Apple, ranked second on the list, did not appear on TIME’s World’s Best Companies list in 2025. According to Jonathan Vincent, a data analyst at Statista, Apple experienced a slight revenue decrease between 2022 and 2024, the study period for the global ranking, but has since resumed growth and is performing well. The list also values sustainability in growth, which helped companies like Adobe, ranked seventh, rise in the rankings due to their ability to post strong revenues while reducing carbon emissions.
One of the most notable trends in the 2026 ranking is the emergence of healthcare companies in the top 10. Eli Lilly, a weight-loss pill maker, secured the fifth spot, while Merck, a cancer treatment behemoth, ranked ninth. This shift reflects broader market dynamics, as the healthcare sector has consistently outperformed the S&P 500, according to a June 30 research note from investment firm UBS. The firm attributed this performance to expanded healthcare coverage and access for obesity drugs, including Medicare patients qualifying for them, oral pills attracting new users, and generics reaching markets outside the United States. UBS noted that the pharmaceutical industry, which makes up a third of healthcare, is predicted to grow rapidly, with the S&P 500 Pharma index posting a 7.1% year-to-date gain that has outperformed the Magnificent 7 tech stocks. The firm highlighted that GLP-1 drugs are shifting the paradigm in obesity treatment.
Led by positive clinical results from Eli Lilly, Roche, and AstraZeneca, the $100 billion market for GLP-1 drugs could expand into other medical areas, including cardiovascular, kidney, liver, arthritis, and sleep apnea disorders, as the drugs evolve to treat not just diabetes and obesity but a range of metabolic conditions. In the first quarter of 2026, Eli Lilly reported worldwide earnings of $19.8 billion, a 56% increase from the previous year, with its drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound together accounting for $12.9 billion. The company is also testing new therapies to maintain its lead in the metabolic health market, including a cholesterol-lowering treatment developed with Verve that has shown promising early efficacy. Merck reported first-quarter 2026 revenues of $16.3 billion, driven by its strong portfolio in oncology and animal health. CEO Robert Davis said on an April earnings call that the company is in the midst of initial launches of over 20 new products, almost all of which have blockbuster potential across a broad set of therapeutic areas. This diversification is timely, as Merck’s blockbuster cancer immunotherapy, Keytruda, which accounted for $8 billion of its first-quarter revenue, has patents set to expire in 2028.
The rise of healthcare in the rankings is also reflected in career trends. Separate analyses and surveys from Goldman Sachs, Glassdoor, and the National Society of High School Scholars in 2025 indicated that younger professionals are increasingly choosing jobs in healthcare over technology. This shift underscores the growing importance of the sector in the U.S. economy, as companies like Eli Lilly and Merck not only drive financial performance but also contribute to sustainability and innovation. The full list of America’s Best Companies of 2026 is available on TIME’s website, providing a comprehensive look at the top 1,000 firms that excel in employee satisfaction, financial strength, and environmental transparency.
