TIME and Statista Unveil Inaugural Ranking of America's Best Private Companies

TIME and Statista have launched their first-ever ranking of "America's Best Private Companies 2026," identifying top-performing private enterprises across the nation.

The inaugural list focuses on two primary dimensions: Employee Satisfaction and Company Impact. To be eligible for consideration, companies must be privately held, meaning neither the company nor its parent organization is publicly traded. Non-profit organizations, hospitals, and universities were excluded from the evaluation.

Methodology

The assessment of Employee Satisfaction was based on survey data collected from approximately 217,000 employees of U.S. companies over the past three years. This evaluation considered recommendations from current and former employees, along with assessments of employers across image, atmosphere, working conditions, salary, and equality by verified employees.

For the Company Impact dimension, Statista collaborated with The Upright Project, a Helsinki-based technology firm that quantifies the holistic effects of companies and funds. This assessment centers on a company's Net Impact, defined as the net sum of societal costs and benefits generated. Net Impact is measured across 19 subcategories organized into four pillars: society, knowledge, health, and environment.

Following data collection and evaluation, scores from both dimensions were consolidated and weighted. The final ranking score, out of a maximum of 100 points, was determined by combining the scores from Employee Satisfaction and Company Impact on an equal percentage basis. The top 500 companies achieving the highest scores were recognized as 'America's Best Private Companies 2026'.