Largest Employer by State 2026

Knowing a state’s major employers can provide useful context about its labor market. The largest employer does not necessarily employ most of the state’s workers, and important employers can vary significantly from region to region.

Since about 2018, Amazon and Walmart have continued to battle for the number one position as the largest employer in the United States. Currently, Amazon sits behind Walmart as the second-largest private employer in the nation.

Largest Employers by State

The profiles below include private companies and public institutions. Their sources may use different reporting years, workforce definitions, and geographic scopes, so the descriptions should not be treated as a comprehensive same-year ranking. Walmart associate counts attributed to its location-facts pages are dated July 25, 2025. Retail-unit figures from those pages are dated January 19, 2026. Being headquartered in a state does not, by itself, establish how many people an organization employs there.

While each company, no matter how large, has to have a home, listing those didn’t actually answer the question of what employers most people work for in Wyoming or New Hampshire or whichever state you are curious about.

Below the descriptions of each state’s largest employers is a table that includes the state’s top three largest employers and the state’s government employment for reference.

Alabama

Walmart reports 42,661 associates in Alabama as of July 25, 2025. Other major employers in the Yellowhammer State include Redstone Arsenal, with roughly 45,800 employees, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, with over 26,000 employees.

Alaska

Major employers cited for Alaska include Providence Health & Services, with over 4,000 employees, and AES Marine Support Services, an oil and gas field services company, with 1,812 employees. Walmart reports 2,825 associates in Alaska as of July 25, 2025.

Arizona

Other organizations cited for Arizona include Banner Health, with over 50,000 employees and 30 hospitals, and Wok Parent LLC, the parent company of P.F. Changs, with over 26,000 employees. These organizational figures can cover different geographic scopes. Walmart reports 37,856 associates in Arizona as of July 25, 2025, and 84 Supercenters as of January 19, 2026.

Arkansas

Walmart reports 60,383 associates in Arkansas as of July 25, 2025, and 128 retail units as of January 19, 2026. Other major employers cited for the state include Tyson Foods Inc, with over 25,000 employees, and JB Hunt Transport, with over 16,000 employees.

California

Major employers cited for California include the University of California, with over 190,000 employees, and Amazon, with 170,000 employees. Walmart reports 102,909 associates in California as of July 25, 2025.

Colorado

Other major employers cited for Colorado include the University of Colorado, with over 36,500 faculty and staff, and Denver International Airport, with 35,000 employees. Walmart reports 29,576 associates in Colorado as of July 25, 2025.

Connecticut

Even in a small state like Connecticut, there are some big employers. For example, there is Yale New Haven Health with about 22,193 employees. Then, there is General Dynamic Electric Boat, a submarine builder, with over 13,000 people in their employ. An aircraft manufacturer named Lockheed Martin with Sikorsky follows at 7,000 employees.

Delaware

With over 11,100 employees, ChristianaCare, a network of non-profit hospitals, is the largest employer in Delaware. The second largest employer is the pesticide and agricultural chemical company, Dupont Company, which employs approximately 21,000 Delaware residents. The third largest is Amazon, with over 7,000 employees in the First State.

Florida

Major employers cited for Florida include Publix, with over 160,000 employees in 843 stores, and The Walt Disney Company, with 77,000 employees. Walmart reports 120,498 associates in Florida as of July 25, 2025.

Georgia

Walmart reports 65,369 associates in Georgia as of July 25, 2025, and 209 retail units as of January 19, 2026. Other major employers cited for the Peach State include Delta Airlines, with over 33,000 employees, and Home Depot, with over 30,000 employees.

Hawaii

Major employers cited for Hawaii include the University of Hawaii, with over 10,000 employees, and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, with 7,100 employees. Walmart reports 4,498 associates in Hawaii as of July 25, 2025.

Idaho

According to the Idaho Department of Labor, the largest employer in the state is St. Lukes Health System with over 15,000 employees, followed by Walmart at 9,000, and Micron with 5,000.

Illinois

Walmart reports 58,326 associates in Illinois as of July 25, 2025. Other major employers cited for the state include Northwest Medicine, with over 30,000 employees, and Advocate Aurora Health, with over 26,000 employees.

Indiana

Walmart reports 44,731 associates in Indiana as of July 25, 2025. Other major employers cited for the Hoosier State include Indiana University Health, with over 36,000 employees, and Eli Lily and Company, with roughly 25,000 employees.

Iowa

Hy-vee, a very common grocery store throughout the Midwest, is the largest employer in Iowa, with over 48,000 employees at more than 100 locations. The second largest employer is the University of Iowa with over 24,000 employees, followed by the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics with 16,500 employees.

Kansas

Walmart reports 23,249 associates in Kansas as of July 25, 2025. Other major employers cited for the state include Spirit AeroSystems, with over 12,000 employees, and the University of Kansas, with over 10,000 employees.

Kentucky

Walmart reports 31,175 associates in Kentucky as of July 25, 2025. Other major employers cited for the Bluegrass State include Catholic Health Initiatives - St. Joseph Branch, with over 27,000 employees, and the University of Kentucky, with 24,000 employees.

Louisiana

Walmart reports 37,465 associates in Louisiana as of July 25, 2025. Other organizations cited for the state include Ochsner Health, with 36,000 employees, and Acadia Healthcare, with over 22,500 employees. Organizational totals may use different geographic scopes.

Maine

Major employers cited for Maine include Maine Medical Center, with 9,600 employees, and Hannafords Brother Company, with 8,500 employees. Walmart reports 8,125 associates in Maine as of July 25, 2025.

Maryland

The Baltimore Sun reports the top employers in Maryland as 1) Giant Food with 27,000 employees, 2) John Hopkins Medical Institutions with 22,000, and 3) Medstar Health with 22,000 employees.

Massachusetts

By far, the largest employer is Mass General Brigham with over 70,000 employees across the state. The second largest employer is the University of Massachusetts, with 23,000 employees. The third largest employer is Austin Holdco, with over 22,830 employees.

Michigan

In Michigan, the largest employer is General Motors, with over 52,000 employees. The University of Michigan is the second-largest employer with 48,000 employees, followed by Ford Motor Company, which employs 46,000 people.

Minnesota

The state of Minnesota keeps track of employment and created a report of the top employers in the state. The first is Mayo Clinic with 48,000+ employees, followed by Allina Health System with 40,000+ and Fairview Health with 31,000 employees.

Mississippi

Walmart reports 26,441 associates in Mississippi as of July 25, 2025. Other major employers cited for the state include Sanderson Farms, with 17,000 employees, and Mississippi State, with 10,000 employees.

Missouri

Walmart reports 47,812 associates in Missouri as of July 25, 2025. Other major employers cited for the state include BJC Healthcare and Washington University, with 29,500 and 19,000 employees, respectively.

Montana

Talen Montana is a coal-fired power plant located in southwestern Montana, and they are the state’s largest employer with over 12,000 employees. Fringe Benefit Resources, which provides insurance brokerage services, is the second largest employer in Monatan with around 12,000 employees. Walmart reports 5,221 associates in Montana as of July 25, 2025, and 16 retail units as of January 19, 2026.

Nebraska

The University of Nebraska System is a major public employer. Its economic impact report recorded 29,129 direct jobs in fiscal year 2024, including faculty, staff, and student employees; this is distinct from the larger total of jobs supported indirectly through economic activity. Walmart reports 13,537 associates in Nebraska as of July 25, 2025. Berkshire Hathaway is also headquartered in Nebraska, but a company’s worldwide workforce should not be treated as its in-state employment count.

Nevada

Walmart reports 16,077 associates in Nevada as of July 25, 2025, and 50 retail units as of January 19, 2026. Other employers cited for the state include Wynn Las Vegas, with over 10,000 employees, and The Bellagio, with over 8,000 employees at the 77-acre resort.

New Hampshire

Walmart reports 8,297 associates in New Hampshire as of July 25, 2025, and 28 retail units as of January 19, 2026. Other employers cited for the state include Dartmouth-Hitchcock and Keene State College, with 6,000 and 5,700 employees, respectively.

New Jersey

Walmart reports 25,436 associates in New Jersey as of July 25, 2025, and 71 retail units as of January 19, 2026. A 2022 report about Amazon cited over 49,000 employees in the state. The linked 1996 report about AT&T described 48,000 statewide employees at that time; it is a historical figure, not a current employment ranking.

New Mexico

Walmart reports 15,141 associates in New Mexico as of July 25, 2025, and 52 retail units as of January 19, 2026. Other employers cited for the state include the University of New Mexico, with over 15,000 employees, and Presbyterian Healthcare Services, whose LinkedIn profile cites nearly 14,000 employees. These differently sourced figures do not establish a same-year ranking.

New York

Major employers cited for New York include Northwell Health, formerly North Shore-LIJ Health System, with over 80,000 employees across 880 locations, and Mount Sinai, with over 42,000 employees. Walmart reports 39,410 associates in New York as of July 25, 2025.

North Carolina

In North Carolina, the state reports that the largest private employers are Walmart (61,000), Duke University (43,000), and Food Lion (82,000 total, roughly 20,000 within the state).

North Dakota

Major employers cited for North Dakota include Sanford Health, with over 15,000 employees at more than 155 locations, and Doosan Bobcat, with more than 3,500 employees. Walmart reports 5,195 associates in North Dakota as of July 25, 2025.

Ohio

Ohio’s Department of Development reported that the largest employers in the state in 2021 were Walmart (53,300 employees), Cleveland Clinic Foundation (52,600 employees), and Kroger (42,000). Separately, Walmart’s location facts report 58,293 associates in Ohio as of July 25, 2025, and 169 retail units as of January 19, 2026.

Oklahoma

Walmart reports 35,568 associates in Oklahoma as of July 25, 2025. Other employers cited for the state include Amazon, with 12,000 employees across three facilities, and Integris Health, with almost 10,000 employees.

Oregon

A publication called Greater Portland reports that the largest employers in Oregon, in order from first to third, are Intel (22,000 employees), Providence Health & Services (21,000 employees), and Oregon Health & Science University (18,000 employees).

Pennsylvania

ABC27 reported that the largest employers in Pennsylvania are Walmart (57,000), University of Pennsylvania (53,000), and Giant Food Stores LLC (30,000).

Rhode Island

Zippia and Lifespan’s website reports that the largest employers in Rhode Island are

• Lifespan hospital systems, with over 16,000 employees
• the University of Rhode Island, with 5,000 employees
• Brown University, with about 5,000 employees

South Carolina

Walmart reports 37,387 associates in South Carolina as of July 25, 2025. Other major employers cited for the state include Prisma Health and BMW, with 29,000 and 11,000 employees, respectively.

South Dakota

Other major employers cited for South Dakota include Sanford Health, with almost 17,000 employees, and Monument Health, with over 5,000 employees. Walmart reports 6,431 associates in South Dakota as of July 25, 2025.

Tennessee

Walmart reports 46,695 associates in Tennessee as of July 25, 2025. Other major employers cited for the state include FedEx, with over 30,000 employees, and HCA Tristar, whose LinkedIn profile cites over 17,000 employees.

Texas

Walmart reports 178,823 associates in Texas as of July 25, 2025, the largest reported Walmart state workforce in its location data. Other major employers cited for the state include Texas Medical Center, with more than 120,000 employees, and Amazon, with over 95,000 employees.

Utah

Utah’s Department of Workforce Services reports that the three largest employers are Intermountain Healthcare (42,000), University of Utah & Hospital (23,000), and Walmart (20,000).

Vermont

In the Green Mountain state, the largest employer, by far, is the University of Vermont Medical Center (9,000), followed by the Howe Library (5,000) and the Okemo Mountain Resort (3,000).

Virginia

A 2019 Virginia Business report profiled private companies based in the state, including Mars Inc., a food manufacturer and distributor, and Bechtel Corp., an engineering firm. Headquarters and company-wide employment figures should be distinguished from the number of people working within Virginia. Walmart reports 45,106 associates in Virginia as of July 25, 2025.

Washington

The Seattle Times reported in 2021 that the largest employer was Amazon (80,000+), with Boeing (59,000) and Microsoft(47,000) following behind.

West Virginia

Other major employers cited for West Virginia include West Virginia University Hospital, whose LinkedIn account cites 16,000 employees, and Charleston Area Medical Center, with over 8,000 employees. Walmart reports 12,928 associates in West Virginia as of July 25, 2025.

Wisconsin

Major employers cited for Wisconsin include the University of Wisconsin, with 40,000 employees, and Aurora Health Care, with over 17,000 employees. Walmart reports 33,718 associates in Wisconsin as of July 25, 2025.

Wyoming

Walmart reports 5,267 associates in Wyoming as of July 25, 2025. Zippia lists other employers, including the University of Wyoming with 4,500 employees and Sheridan College with 3,000 employees.