Fortune 500
The 500 largest companies in the U.S. according to revenue
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What is the Fortune 500?
The Fortune 500 is an annual list of the top 500 United States companies by total revenues – public and private included. The list is compiled and published by Fortune Magazine, which is based in New York, USA.
History of Fortune Magazine
Founded in 1929 by Henry Robinson Luce, Fortune Magazine is an American publication that originally catered to the upper class. The magazine’s first issue was released in February 1930. Over the years, it saw contributions from the world’s great writers, editors, illustrators, and photographs, namely, Ansel Adams, James Agee, Constantin Alajalov, John Atherton, etc.
Today, Fortune Magazine is an internationally renowned business media brand with a multinational monthly magazine, a website, and a host of conference series featuring the world’s most influential individuals.
The 2019 Fortune 500 Companies
The top 10 2019 Fortune 500 companies are as follows:
The full list can be found here.
Statistics Regarding the 2019 Fortune 500 Companies
The following are key statistics regarding the 2019 Fortune 500 companies:
- The 2019 Fortune 500 companies generated aggregate revenues of $13.7 trillion (roughly two-thirds of the U.S. GDP).
- Each company on the list reported at least $5.6 billion in revenues.
- Walmart’s remained the top-ranking Fortune 500 company since 2013 and posted $514 billion in revenues in 2019.
- Amazon.com is the fastest-growing company on the Fortune 500 list with a revenue growth rate of 30.9%.
- Apple is the most profitable Fortune 500 company with profits of $59 billion.
- DCX Technology showed the highest rank jump, jumping 252 spots on the latest Fortune 500 list.
- Walmart reported the largest number of employees (2,200,000), followed by Amazon.com (647,500) and Kroger (453,000).
Additional Types of Lists Published by Fortune Magazine
In addition to the Fortune 500, Fortune Magazine publishes several different lists such as the:
- 40 Under 40: A list of influential young leaders.
- 100 Best Companies To Work For: A list of U.S. companies that are deemed (using data from analytics firm Great Place to Work) to be the best (in terms of happiness and perks) for employees to work at.
- Global 500: A list of companies that generated the highest revenues worldwide.
- Most Powerful Women: A list of female individuals who are the most powerful (influential). There are four criteria: (1) size and importance of the woman’s business in the global economy, (2) the direction and health of the business, (3) the woman’s career, and (4) cultural and social influence.
- World’s 50 Great Leaders: A list of individuals who are transforming business, government, philanthropy, etc.
- World’s Most Admired Companies: A list of companies that are the most admired (through data gathered from over 3,750 executives, analysts, directors, and experts).
More Resources
CFI is the official provider of the global Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA)™ certification program, designed to help anyone become a world-class financial analyst. To keep advancing your career, the additional resources below will be useful:
