Pitt, PPG, American Eagle Among Nation's Best Employers, Forbes Says

Photo by Joey Gannon via Creative Commons.

PITTSBURGH, PA - The University of Pittsburgh had the highest local ranking in Forbes’ list of the nation’s best employers that was released Tuesday. But don’t expect people on campus to be chanting “We’re number 137!”

Employers in the region Pennsylvania didn’t fare well on the rankings of the best large- and mid-sized employers. Of the19 large employers in the Keystone State that made the top 500 list, only three are from western Pennsylvania. Pitt finished 137th, PPG ranked 350th and American Eagle Outfitters was 447th. The convenience store chain Sheetz, which has a ubiquitous Pittsburgh presence but is based in Altoona, finished 83rd.

The only western Pennsylvania company to make the mid-size rankings was 84 Lumber in Eighty-Four, which was ranked 227th.

Costco, the wholesale retailer, came in first nationally among large employers. As Forbes noted, the company has not fallen below third place over the past three years and a big perk offered by the company is health insurance for part-time employees.

Topping the list of America's best midsized employers was Lush, the indulgent retail cosmetics brand. Though the company is headquartered in the United Kingdom, it operates 200 locations in the United States - including stores at Ross Park Mall and South Hills Village.

"According to respondents, Lush employees were most taken with the company’s image, its diversity, and to a lesser extent its working conditions," says Forbes.

To compile the rankings, Forbes worked with research firm Statista. The firm surveyed 30,000 American workers to collect opinions on the companies they work for. The most important factor in determining the rankings were how likely employers were to recommend their company to friends and family. Employees were also asked to recommend other companies, which also factored into the rankings, but to a lesser degree.

According to Forbes, America's best large employers are:

1. Costco Wholesale, based in Issaquah, Washington
2. Google, based in Mountain View, California
3. REI, based in Kent, Washington
4. Memorial Hermann Health System, based in Houston, Texas
5. United Service Automobile Association, based in San Antonio Texas
6. MD Anderson Cancer Center, based in Houston, Texas
7. Penn Medicine, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
8. Mayo Clinic, based in Rochester, Minnesota
9. City of Austin, Austin, Texas
10. Wegmans Food Markets, based in Rochester, New York

>>>See the full list here.

According to Forbes, America's best midsized employers are:

1. LUSH
2. Rackspace Hosting, based in San Antonio, Texas
3. New Seasons Market, based in Portland, Oregon
4. Celgene, based in Summit, New Jersey
5. National Credit Union Administration, based in Alexandria, Virginia
6. Slalom Consulting, based in Stamford, Connecticut
7. Gartner, based in Seattle, Washington
8. Georgetown University, based in Washington D.C.
9. CDM Smith, based in Boston, Massachusetts
10. JM Family Enterprises, based in Deerfield Beach, Florida

>>>See the full list here.

Written by Feroze Dhanoa/Patch National Staff
Photo by Joey Gannon via Creative Commons.