Six North Carolina Companies Earn Spots on Forbes 2026 Best Employers Lists

Six North Carolina firms landed on Forbes' 2026 rankings of the nation's top 100 workplaces. The publication unveiled its lists on Feb. 10. Forbes teamed up with researchers at Statista to run the online survey. 

“Survey respondents were asked if they would recommend their employer to others and to rate it based on a range of criteria, including wages, work-life balance, leadership training and opportunities to advance. Participants were also asked if they would recommend their previous employers” as well as other companies they know about, Forbes wrote in a Tuesday, Feb. 10 report, per the Charlotte Observer.

Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem ranked highest among North Carolina employers at No. 59. This private school has about 9,000 students. FirstHealth of the Carolinas in Pinehurst came in at No. 69. Bank of America in Charlotte secured No. 81.

The publication defined large employers as those with more than 5,000 workers. Bank of America has roughly 213,000 people on staff and plans to invest $10 billion in artificial intelligence and technology this year.

Forbes also ranked midsize employers. These have 1,000 to 5,000 workers. Epic Games in Cary earned the highest North Carolina spot in this category at No. 17.

The gaming studio developed Fortnite. That game had more than 800 million user accounts as of 2024. Two universities also made the midsize list: Appalachian State University in Boone at No. 31 and Western Carolina University in Cullowhee at No. 42.

The Charlotte area had nine companies across both lists. The Raleigh region had 14 spots.

Other Charlotte-area employers on the large company list included Duke Energy at No. 216, Honeywell International at No. 234, and Nucor at No. 339. Elior North America ranked No. 361. Trane Technologies in Davidson came in at No. 492.

For midsize firms in Charlotte, Brighthouse Financial placed at No. 236. The insurance provider was sold to a New York-based private equity firm this fall but will remain headquartered in Charlotte. Autobell Car Wash ranked No. 421. Rack Room Shoes came in at No. 469.

Forbes shared rankings for the top 700 large companies and the top 500 midsize companies nationwide. California-based Trader Joe's topped the large employer category. Pennsylvania home builder Toll Brothers led the midsize employer rankings.