What Are The 10 Largest Companies in America?

 

 

Introduction

 

When it comes to the giants of American business, there are some companies that stand head and shoulders above the rest. From brick-and-mortar retailers to tech behemoths, these are the 10 largest publicly traded companies in the United States based on market capitalization. Figuring out what are the 10 largest companies in America requires looking at some hard numbers, but also understanding the impact that these corporate titans have on the economy and our daily lives.

 

The first thing to examine when looking at the largest companies is their market capitalization, also known as market cap. This metric refers to the total value of all of a company's outstanding shares of stock. It's calculated by multiplying the share price by the total number of outstanding shares. The larger the market cap, the more valuable the company.

 

For example, a company with 1 million outstanding shares trading at $50 per share would have a market cap of $50 million. However, a company with 100 million outstanding shares trading at $500 per share would be valued much higher, at $50 billion.

 

Out of all public US companies, the following businesses boast the highest market caps as of 2023:

 

1. Apple ($2.3 trillion)

2. Microsoft ($1.7 trillion)

3. Alphabet ($1.4 trillion)

4. Amazon ($1.3 trillion)

5. Tesla ($600 billion)

 

You're probably familiar with these tech titans and e-commerce giants. From iPhones to Azure cloud services, their products and innovations impact our digital lives. But being the largest companies in America involves more than just having the biggest valuations.

 

6. Berkshire Hathaway ($700 billion)

7. Meta Platforms ($600 billion)

8. NVIDIA ($500 billion)

9. JPMorgan Chase ($500 billion)

10. Johnson & Johnson ($450 billion)

 

This second group of top companies showcase America's strength in finance, healthcare, and holding conglomerates. For context, some of the other highly valuable public US firms include Visa ($420 billion), Procter & Gamble ($380 billion), Mastercard ($360 billion), and Home Depot ($310 billion).

 

In addition to examining companies by market cap to determine the 10 largest in America, we can look at their annual revenues.

 

This metric reflects overall sales performance rather than stock market value.

 

The top 10 revenue-generating American companies are:

 

1. Walmart ($572 billion)

2. Amazon ($485 billion)

3. Apple ($394 billion)

4. CVS Health ($292 billion)

5. UnitedHealth Group ($287 billion)

 

You'll notice retailers like Walmart and e-commerce king Amazon at the top. But also, healthcare giants like CVS and UnitedHealth with their pharmacy and insurance services.

 

6. Alphabet ($282 billion)

7. McKesson ($238 billion)

8. AmerisourceBergen ($214 billion)

9. AT&T ($168 billion)

10. Costco ($192 billion)

 

This second batch features tech advertisers Alphabet, telecom provider AT&T, and the wholesale distribution machines that are McKesson and AmerisourceBergen. Plus, who can forget the bulk buys of Costco!

 

Analyzing the 10 largest companies in America by market cap and revenues paints a picture of the corporations that help shape the nation's landscape. The likes of Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Walmart, CVS and UnitedHealth impact what we buy, how we get healthcare, and the technology we use. Their prominence demonstrates America's strength in nurturing titanic companies with history-changing ambitions.

 

However, size isn't everything. We can also evaluate the largest American companies by number of employees. Some of the biggest employers are restaurant chains and grocery stores with large retail footprints across the country.

 

The 10 companies with the most staffers within U.S. borders are:

 

1. Walmart (1.6 million)

2. Amazon (1.5 million) 

3. Kroger (465,000)

4. Home Depot (437,000)

5. UPS (364,000)

 

You’ll recognize retail giants Walmart and Amazon at the top. But grocer Kroger and home improvement warehouse Home Depot also employee nearly half a million Americans each.

 

6. Target (360,000)

7. McDonald’s (205,000)

8. Albertsons Companies (290,000)

9. Publix Super Markets (230,000)

10. HCA Healthcare (210,000)

 

Filling out the rest of the top 10 are more brick-and-mortar retailers like Target and Albertsons grocery stores, fast food icon McDonald’s, southeast grocer Publix, and hospital provider HCA Healthcare.

 

Stepping back and examining the 10 largest companies in America by market cap, revenues, and employee count reveals their profound economic influence.

 

Powerhouses like Walmart, Amazon, Apple, UnitedHealth, CVS and more directly impact hundreds of thousands of American jobs. And indirectly their supply chains, tech ecosystems, distribution models and more affect millions more livelihoods. 

 

Not to mention the abundance of products and services that these corporate behemoths provide daily to hundreds of millions of U.S. consumers. From iPhones to CVS prescriptions to McDonald’s Big Macs to Amazon Prime packages, these companies fulfill major needs across digital and physical channels.

 

So, when looking at the question "what are the 10 largest companies in America?", we have to examine it from multiple angles.

 

By market valuation, the giants leading the pack are:

 

1. Apple

2. Microsoft 

3. Alphabet (Google)

4. Amazon

5. Tesla

 

These tech innovators rule the world of stocks and indexes. Their ambitious leaders like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Larry Page, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk have carved out empires that structurally shift how we interact with technology and commerce. The meteoric growth in their market caps over the last decade cements their status as dominant American corporate titans.

 

Meanwhile by revenue:

 

1. Walmart

2. Amazon

3. Apple

4. CVS

5. UnitedHealth

 

This list reveals America’s strength as a nation of shopkeepers and megastores. Walmart that made its name on ultra-efficient supply chains tops everyone in sales. Next comes the e-commerce revolutionary Amazon, which Walmart competes against to win the consumer goods space.

 

Apple continues to dominate device sales and drive mobile technology. And healthcare giants CVS and UnitedHealth meet our pharmaceutical and insurance needs across the country.

 

The largest employers paint another picture:

 

1. Walmart

2. Amazon

3. Kroger

4. Home Depot

5. UPS

 

This demonstrates that while Apple and Microsoft have incredibly rich valuations, brick-and-mortar retailers and grocery chains like Walmart, Kroger, Home Depot, Albertsons and Publix still provide jobs at scale coast to coast. Amazon again appears as a champion job creator through its warehouses and delivery infrastructure to move e-commerce goods across the 50 states.

 

Analyzing America’s corporate landscape showcases our depth across technology, healthcare, consumer goods, and critical infrastructure. Our capitalist engine empowers companies to grow large enough to impact real change. But with such great power comes responsibility - namely to steward employees, environment and communities ethically beyond profits alone.

 

Conclusion 🔚

 

Determining the top 10 biggest companies demands analysis through multiple lenses 💡. America's corporate titans wield influence through soaring market valuations 💹, leading billion-dollar revenues 🤑, and providing hundreds of thousands of jobs across industries 👩‍🌾 👨‍🔬. Tech innovators like Apple 🍎, Microsoft 💻, Google ✉️, Amazon 📦, and Tesla ⚡ drive digital transformation. While retailers like warehouse giants Walmart 🛒 and Kroger plus pharmacies CVS 💊 shape how we shop and access healthcare. These and other titans impact the daily needs and decisions of countless consumers and communities coast to coast. Their ambitions advance progress but must balance ethical responsibility 🤝. For these giants stand on the shoulders of workers, suppliers and society whose livelihoods depend on corporate citizenship. In shouldering such weighty Mantles, may these leaders progress as conscious capitalists improving lives beyond quarterly profits.

 

FAQs ❓

 

How were companies ranked to determine the top 10 largest in America?

 

Companies were ranked using three key metrics - market capitalization (the total market value of their stock), annual revenue, and number of employees. Analyzing the top 10 lists across these areas provides a multi-dimensional look at the giants dominating the corporate landscape based on their wealth, earnings performance, and workforce scale. Comparing these lists reveals leading titans known for tech innovation, retail footprint, healthcare reach and as engines of job creation nationwide.

 

Who are the Big Tech leaders among the 10 largest companies?

 

The Big Tech leaders among America’s largest companies based on market valuation include Apple ($2.3 trillion), Microsoft ($1.7 trillion), Google ($1.4 trillion) parent Alphabet, Amazon ($1.3 trillion), Meta Platforms like Facebook ($600 billion) and Nvidia ($500 billion). Their platforms, devices, cloud infrastructure, marketplaces and more enable transformation across business and consumer landscapes.

 

Which retailers have the most employees among the top companies?

 

The largest American retailers ranked by domestic employee count are giants like Walmart (1.6 million), Amazon (1.5 million), Kroger (465,000), Home Depot (437,000), Target (360,000), Albertsons (290,000) and Publix Super Markets (230,000). Their pharmacy, grocery and home improvement chains and warehouses employ at scale to meet customer needs across metropolitan and rural regions nationwide. 

 

What healthcare companies are among the 10 biggest in the US?

 

Leading American healthcare giants include CVS Health (292 billion revenue), UnitedHealth Group ($287 billion), McKesson (7 US revenue at $238 billion), and HCA Healthcare (10 largest US employer with 210,000). CVS and UnitedHealth help insure and provide pharmacy services to tens of millions. While McKesson and HCA play vital roles distributing medical supplies and operating vast hospital networks.

 

How have companies like Amazon, Apple and Microsoft grown so large?

 

Tech innovators like Amazon, Apple and Microsoft have skillfully built commercial empires aligned with transformational forces of technology. Amazon leveraged e-commerce and cloud computing to become an infrastructure titan. Apple’s iPhone and devices shaped mobile habits for billions globally. And Microsoft’s software, Xbox and acquisitions locked down tech real estate across PCs, cloud, gaming and productivity. Their ambitious leaders identified massive opportunities early and executed visions to capitalize for growth.

 

What older companies besides Walmart are among the largest in the US?

 

Walmart dates to 1962 in the era of postwar American boom. While retail titan it competes with 21st century disruptor Amazon. Other longstanding giants holding spots among the top 10 American companies include healthcare conglomerates like CVS (founded 1963), UnitedHealth (1977) and McKesson (1833), plus global beverage icon Coca-Cola (1886) valued at $280 billion. Their sustained market leadership shows reinvention over decades.

 

Which automotive companies made the top 10 list? 

 

While legacy American automakers have declined, electric vehicle upstart Tesla Motors led by Elon Musk cracked the top 5 largest public companies at over a $600 billion market cap. For perspective, General Motors is worth around $70 billion and Ford under $60 billion. Tesla’s meteoric rise on Wall Street reflects excitement over the future of battery-powered transport - even if yearly vehicle production remains dwarfed by decades-old rivals.

 

What metrics beyond market value judge a company’s size?

 

While market capitalization representing a company’s total stock value offers useful shorthand, other vital metrics include annual revenue reflecting sales, profit measuring earnings left after expenses, assets quantifying owned resources, and number of employees indicating workforce scale. Comparing these numbers against rivals better assesses corporate impact. Other subjective measures around innovation, ethics, governance, and leadership matter as well.

 

Do largest companies equal best investments?

 

Not necessarily! Just because dominant firms like Apple, Microsoft and Amazon rank among the highest market caps doesn’t automatically make them 'can't miss' investments. Transformative potential and current cash cows already carry premium valuations. Disciplined investors examine beyond size towards factors like reasonable valuation, total addressable market, durable moats, margins, growth runway and more. Smart stock pickers spot opportunities early before institutional money bids up startups as they scale.

 

Why do lists shift ranking America’s largest companies?

 

Company rankings keep changing because business and investing remain dynamic. Corporate titans that dominate one decade can topple under disruptive forces. Back in 2000, leaders by market cap included esteemed names like GE, Exxon, Pfizer, Citigroup, Walmart and Intel. Yet most surrendered share to hungry innovators since. The largest companies transform over time through consolidation, collapse or reinvention. Hungry startups rise to feast on complacent giants. While proactive management learns to acquire capabilities required for sustained leadership. Only through persistent excellence and evolution can modern enterprises retain their perch.