SurveyMonkey, in collaboration with Fortune, has released the third edition of its annual U.S. consumer rankings of Fortune 500 companies. Americans were asked to rank the top 75 companies from the list based on their employer appeal, impact on the country and innovation (willingness to change in pursuit of success), among other dimensions.
Tech companies lead the list of dream employers
Following a strong performance in 2017, tech companies occupy half of the top 10 spots in the ranking and continue to be some of the most appealing employers for Americans:
• Alphabet (Google) rose from #3 on the 2017 list and replaced Microsoft as the company that Americans would be most excited to work for—ranking highly overall with Americans, but also among millennials and people who value diversity the most in an employer.
• Apple was named the top choice for Americans who value diversity the most in an employer.
• Amazon tops the list of companies that care most about their customers. When asked for the one word that describes Amazon, “innovative” came up much more often than any other word.
• Boeing and Walt Disney Company repeat their appearances among top employers of choice for Americans, with General Electric (#22 in 2017) and Berkshire Hathaway (#27 in 2017) both making big jumps into this year’s top 10 ranking.
• Women were most excited to work for the Walt Disney Co., while men were most excited to work for Boeing. Mellennials preferred Microsoft. No. 10 on the list for companies women wanted to work for was a Texas firm, Dell. No. 5 on the list for men was Lockheed Martin.
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A focus on diversity and building trust pays off
Americans who value diversity most in a potential employer also predominantly name tech companies as their employers of choice, with Apple leading the pack. However, when it comes to trust, tech companies could learn a thing or two from other industries to start building lasting customer relationships.
Amazon leads the list of companies that care most about their customers, including the top 10 ranking from consumers who value trust the most when making their purchasing decisions. Apple is the only other tech brand in the top 10 companies that care most about their customers, rising to #8 on the list (up from #10 in 2017). Older brands, including Lowe’s and Walt Disney Company, lead a decidedly non-tech focused list of companies that are perceived to be the most caring about their customers.
Other key findings from the 2018 SurveyMonkey|Fortune 500 rankings of the top 75 companies, including full survey results of U.S. consumers can be found here.
Fortune released the Fortune 500, its annual list of the largest corporations in the United States ranked by revenue for the 2017 fiscal year, on Monday, May 21. Visit Fortune.com for additional coverage.