Multiple Illinois-headquartered companies were named to U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 “Best Companies to Work For” list, alongside a slew of other businesses from throughout the Midwest.
U.S. News & World Report released lists of the best publicly traded and private companies for employees. Between both lists, 22 companies with headquarters in Illinois made the cut.
According to U.S. News & World Report, the largest 5,000 publicly traded companies were considered. For private companies, the publication considered companies with at least 5,000 employees and $500 million in annual revenue. To be considered for either category, firms were required to have at least 75 recent reviews on Glassdoor, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Of the 22 Illinois companies, five fell under the finance and insurance category, and four were labeled as consumer products companies. Thirteen of the companies have headquarters in Chicago, and four of the Chicago firms were concentrated on finance and insurance.
Between the businesses located outside of Chicago, the two most common industries were consumer products and manufacturing and agriculture.
New this year, U.S. News also evaluated the best companies for internships. Six of the 126 companies named to this list are headquartered in Illinois.
Here are the Illinois companies highlighted by the 2025-2026 report.
Best publicly traded companies to work for
Byline Bank
- Industry: Finance and Insurance
- Headquarters: Chicago
CDW
- Industry: Information Technology
- Headquarters: Vernon Hills
CME Group
- Industry: Finance and Insurance
- Headquarters: Chicago
Exelon
- Industry: Energy and Resources
- Headquarters: Chicago
GE Healthcare
- Industry: Health Care and Research
- Headquarters: Chicago
Grainger
- Industry: Manufacturing and Agriculture
- Headquarters: Lake Forest
Knowles Corporation
- Industry: Manufacturing and Agriculture
- Headquarters: Itasca
Morningstar
- Industry: Finance and Insurance
- Headquarters: Chicago
Northern Trust
- Industry: Finance and Insurance
- Headquarters: Chicago
RLI
- Industry: Finance and Insurance
- Headquarters: Peoria
Sprout Social
- Industry: Information Technology
- Headquarters: Chicago
Telephone and Data Systems
- Industry: Media and Communications
- Headquarters: Chicago
Best private companies to work for
Ace Hardware
- Industry: Consumer Products
- Headquarters: Oak Brook
Addison Group
- Industry: Consulting and Human Resources
- Headquarters: Chicago
Baker Tilly
- Industry: Consulting and Human Resources
- Headquarters: Chicago
Breakthru Beverage Group
- Industry: Consumer Products
- Headquarters: Cicero
Dot Foods
- Industry: Consumer Products
- Headquarters: Sterling
Ferrara
- Industry: Consumer Products
- Headquarters: Chicago
HAVI
- Industry: Manufacturing and Agriculture
- Headquarters: Downers Grove
Healthfitness
- Industry: Health Care and Research
- Headquarters: Lake Forest
RSM
- Industry: Consulting and Human Resources
- Headquarters: Chicago
Sargent & Lundy
- Industry: Engineering and Construction
- Headquarters: Chicago
Best companies for internships
AbbVie
- Industry: Health Care and Research
- Headquarters: North Chicago
Abbott
- Industry: Health Care and Research
- Headquarters: Abbott Park
Exelon
- Industry: Energy and Resources
- Headquarters: Chicago
GE Healthcare
- Industry: Health Care and Research
- Headquarters: Chicago
JLL
- Industry: Real Estate and Facilities Management
- Headquarters: Chicago
RLI
- Industry: Finance and Insurance
- Headquarters: Peoria
Also named best companies to work for were several companies from the rest of the Midwest, including Michigan-based IT company Altair and Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis.
See U.S. News’ complete list here.