Best Employers In PA: See Which Companies Topped Forbes Ranking

PENNSYLVANIA — Dozens of companies, universities, and healthcare systems founded in Pennsylvania are among America’s Best Employers By State ranked by Forbes — as are a number of businesses with headquarters in other states, but a sizable workforce here.

“These aren’t the best large or midsize employers nationally, but a deeper look at which companies are closer-to-home options for every American worker,” Forbes said with the release of its fifth annual ranking Tuesday.

In total, the Keystone State had 97 companies on the list.

The top five Pennsylvania-based companies on the list are:

• Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine, a healthcare system founded in 1993 and now employing 44,254 people; CEO Kevin B. Mahoney.
• Harrisburg-based HHM, a business services and supplies company founded in 1984 and now employing 144 people; CEO Naveen P. Kakarla.
• Radnor Township-based Main Line Health, a healthcare system founded in 1985 and now employing 13,000 people; CEO John J. Lynch II.
• Malvern-based Vanguard, a banking and financial services company founded in 1975 and now employing 20,000 people; CEO Mortimer J. Buckley.
• The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, founded in 1740 and now employing 18,000 people; President M. Elizabeth Magill.

Businesses not headquartered in the Keystone State, but ranked highly with Pennsylvania workers, include: Amtrak, Cardinal Health, Wegmans, and Microsoft.

A full list of the 1,392 organizations that made the list is found on Forbes. To be considered, they had to have at least 500 employees nationwide. Forbes and its data partner Statista surveyed workers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The survey questions reflect a recent Pew Research Center survey that showed only about half of workers nationwide are extremely or very satisfied with their jobs. Work satisfaction and compensation are closely tied, and workers with higher incomes tended to like their jobs more than lower-income workers, the survey found.

“We found an interesting disconnect in terms of how workers are experiencing their jobs,” Kim Parker, Pew’s director of social trends research, told Forbes. “Most say they are highly satisfied with the human side of work — their relationships with their coworkers and supervisor. They are much less satisfied with their compensation and the opportunities they’re given for promotion or advancement.”

The anonymous survey asked workers if they would recommend their employer to friends and family, and to evaluate their employer on working conditions, diversity, compensation packages, the potential for development and company image. They were also asked about other employers in their states and were given the opportunity to rate employers anywhere within their respective industries.

Of the 1,392 organizations on the list, 1,123 of them were ranked in only one state. The others were ranked in more than one state.

This article contains reporting from Patch’s national desk.