COLUMBIA, S.C. — Forbes has released its annual list of top employers across the country - and in each state - which reveals some interesting data about South Carolina.
One of the bigger surprises for South Carolina, to some, might be that the top spot on the list didn't go to a company based in South Carolina. And of the top 10, half are actually companies based elsewhere in the country.
The top spot on the list went to Honeywell International, which employs about 34,000 people in all and has a home base in Morris Plains, New Jersey. Forbes describes the company as a software-industrial company that offers solutions to aerospace and automotive products and services.
Number two, however, goes to a company that's a bit more familiar to South Carolinians in the Lowcountry. Roper St. Francis employs about 6,000 people and, while considerably smaller than the top spot, has been around in the healthcare industry for a few years shy of 200 years, having been founded in 1829.
However, another outside company takes the third spot on the list and is actually pretty recognizable to anyone in the Southeast. Publix Super Markets has several locations in South Carolina. The Lakeland, Florida-based grocery store chain employs about 230,000 people company-wide.
Another Charleston-based company takes the fourth spot but has locations in other parts of the state as well. The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), another healthcare industry giant in South Carolina, employs about 25,000 people and, like the previous healthcare provider on the list, has been around for nearly 200 years having been founded in 1824.
A Greenville-based company, Michelin Group, is the fifth-best place to work according to Forbes. The automotive supplier employs 124,000 people.
But a Maryland company takes number six. Mariott International employs 97,000 people and is based in Bethesda. Despite being an out-of-towner, it's ranked high on the Forbes list for South Carolina.
READ FORBES' LIST: America's Best Employers By State
Florence-based McLeod Health, however, brings the list back to South Carolina companies and also continues the ongoing trend of healthcare companies in the Palmetto State being considered top employers according to Forbes. In seventh place, it currently has about 8,500 employees.
Number eight goes to an upstate school system. The Fort Mill School District employs 2,500 people in the city of the same name.
Verizon adds another out-of-state company to the South Carolina list at ninth. The New York-based telecommunications and cable provider employs 105,376 people across the country.
And 10 goes to Caterpillar, the 107,700-employee company known for its construction equipment. The Deerfield, Illinois company rounds out South Carolina's top companies to work for.
The list continues with a total of 55 rankings for companies operating in South Carolina that have good reviewers in terms of employment.
So, how did Forbes come up with the list? The company partnered with market research company Statista to compile a list for each state and the District of Columbia. Rankings came from surveys of 70,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 500 employees.
Overall, 1,382 employers were ranked across the U.S. To see more about how the list was created, check the methodology page.
