Forbes Names 2021 Top Employers In Virginia, DC

VIRGINIA — The 2021 Forbes list of the best employers has been released, with specific rankings for Virginia, as well as the other 49 states and the District of Columbia.

To determine the rankings, market research firm Statista surveyed 80,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 500 employees. The respondents were asked to rate their employers on factors like work environment safety, compensation, opportunities for advancement and openness to telecommuting. Respondents were also asked how likely they would be to recommend their employers to others. Surveys were conducted from October 2020 to June 2021, accounting for some changes companies have made due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The best employer in Virginia is Lockheed Martin, according to Forbes' list issued recently. Microsoft, NASA, the Federal Reserve System and Wegmans Food Markets round out the top five in the rankings for Virginia.

Microsoft was ranked the top employer in DC.

These are the top employers in Virginia, according to Forbes:

1. Lockheed Martin
2. Microsoft
3. NASA
4. Federal Reserve System
5. Wegmans Food Markets
6. Markel
7. Oracle
8. FedEx
9. Raytheon Technologies
10. Apple
11. Boeing
12. Volvo Group
13. Starbucks
14. VCU Health
15. MITRE Corporation
16. General Dynamics
17. Hyatt Hotels
18. Loudoun County Public Schools
19. Henrico County Public Schools
20. Prince William County
21. Verizon Communications
22. J. Crew Group
23. Huntington Ingalls Industries
24. Navy Federal Credit Union
25. Fairfax County Public Schools
26. Chesapeake Public Schools
27. University of Virginia
28. Capital One
29. Wawa
30. UnitedHealth Group
31. Booz Allen Hamilton
32. State Farm
33. Costco Wholesale
34. Chesterfield County Public Schools
35. Hilton
36. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
37. STIHL
38. Department of State
39. Bank of America
40. Geico
41. Chick-fil-A
42. Anthem
43. Home Instead Senior Care
44. Virginia Commonwealth University
45. Carilion Clinic
46. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
47. Riverside Health System
48. Spotsylvania County Public Schools
49. Ferguson Enterprises
50. Accenture

The top employers in Washington, D.C., are:

1. Microsoft
2. Google
3. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
4. United States Department of Defense
5. Georgetown University
6. District of Columbia
7. Department of State
8. DOT - Department of Transportation
9. Fannie Mae
10. U.S. Department of Justice
11. Medstar Health
12. U.S. Department of Agriculture
13. Department of Education
14. DHS - Department of Homeland Security
15. George Washington University

Nationally, Target and the U.S. Postal Service appeared on the Forbes list of top employers in 32 states, tied for the most among any employers.

Bank of America, Home Depot and the U.S. Department of Defense are ranked in 29 states, Walmart in 27, FedEx in 26 and UPS in 25.

The full rankings are available online.

Although the pandemic hit the health care, education and retail industries among the hardest, employers in those fields dominated the rankings, according to Forbes. They combined to account for 41 percent of the full 2021 list, compared with 38 percent when the 2020 list came out.

Microsoft, for one, has moved to adopt a hybrid work model even after the pandemic ends, according to Forbes' report. The tech giant founded by Bill Gates had the No. 1 spot in four states on the lists. Costco Wholesale tied with Microsoft in states where it holds the top ranking.