What do two mortgage companies, two insurance companies, and a certified public accountant have in common? All of these will be among the top five best places to work in the United States in 2026, according to U.S. employees.
The sixth annual national survey, a collaboration between Energage and USA TODAY, recognizes medium and large organizations with 150 or more employees that exceed national benchmarks for employee satisfaction.
Energage surveyed 2,375 organizations throughout 2025 and rated 1,661 organizations thanks to outstanding employee feedback on factors such as pay and benefits, direction and leadership, meaning and appreciation.
The top large employer winners of the USA TODAY Top Workplaces award are:
- Fannie Mae is a mortgage company based in Washington, DC.
- Fairway Home Mortgage Corp. is a mortgage company based in Madison, Wisconsin.
- Plante Moran is a certified public accounting and consulting firm located in Southfield, Michigan.
- Progressive Insurance is a general insurance company based in Mayfield Village, Ohio.
- The Baldwin Group is a property and casualty insurance company based in Tampa, Florida.
Fannie Mae, Fairway Home Mortgage, Plante Moran and Progressive Insurance also ranked among the top five workplaces of 2025.
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The study identified winners in four size categories: companies with 2,500 or more employees, companies with 1,000 to 2,499 employees, companies with 500 to 999 employees, and companies with fewer than 499 employees. Energage ranks the top 100 employers in each of these categories and lists the remaining winners alphabetically.
“Winning the Top Workplaces award is a celebration of excellence,” said Energage CEO Eric Rubino. “This is a reminder that a human-first workplace experience plays a critical role in achieving success.”
Here’s how USA TODAY’s top workplaces are determined
Employee research company Energage has once again partnered with USA TODAY to recognize the nation’s top workplaces.
This award is verified and earned through an employee survey process. Workplaces where employees provide positive feedback about their experience rank on the winners list. Energage, an employee research company based in suburban Philadelphia, analyzes feedback based on responses to 26 questions. The survey asked employees for feedback on factors such as pay and benefits, direction, leadership, meaning, and appreciation. Energage scores companies based on their responses.
Prizes cannot be bought. That’s what you get. There is no cost for an employer to investigate an employee. If desired, organizations can purchase survey data from Energage. Winner has no obligation to purchase any product or service.
For the 2026 winners list, thousands of organizations were asked to survey their employees and 2,375 companies agreed to the survey. Based on survey feedback, 1,661 employers were recognized as USA TODAY Top Workplaces.
To be eligible for Top Workplaces certification, an employer must have at least 150 workers in the United States. Employers are grouped by overall organizational size and number of employees invited to participate in the survey. Employers are grouped into similar sizes to best compare similar employee experiences. The top 100 participants in each size group are ranked within the group based on the strength of their survey feedback. Other winners will be ranked alphabetically.
Employers are recognized as a “Top Workplace” when their aggregated employee feedback scores exceed national benchmarks. Energage established these benchmarks based on feedback from approximately 30 million employees over 20 years. Survey results are only valid if at least 35% of employees respond. Why isn’t a particular employer on the list? Perhaps they chose not to participate, or perhaps they participated but didn’t have a high enough employee feedback score. Energage also tests survey feedback, which could potentially disqualify an organization if, for example, too many employees say they feel pressured to respond positively.
To enter the 2027 Top Workplaces Award or for more information, visit our nominations page.
