The 25 Most Profitable Companies in the US

The pandemic rolled over America’s small businesses like an avalanche. Some were already struggling and COVID-19 was the final straw. Others were thriving, but thriving in industries like dining or hospitality that were hit first and worst. For other small businesses, the virus was a slow, steady grind that bled their balance sheets drip by drip over many long, hard months.

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Then there were America’s big corporations, which had a much different experience in 2020. For the biggest telecoms, pharmaceutical companies, retail giants, tech corporations and money movers, the pandemic was a gold mine — just another batch of dollars to be harvested. 

In order to find the companies that profited the most during the pandemic, GOBankingRates consulted the 2020 Fortune 500 list and ranked each winner by their profits, but also included data on things like revenue, market value, assets and the number of employees. 

Keep reading to find out which companies had the money and muscle not to survive 2020, but to thrive.

• Fortune 500 rank: 69
• Profits: $9,843,000,000
• Profits percent change: 58.2%
• Revenues: $46,840,000,000
• Assets: $84,397,000,000
• Market value: $195,140,500,000
• Employees: 71,000
• Profit per employee: $138,633.80

• Fortune 500 rank: 49
• Profits: $11,054,000,000
• Profits percent change: -12.3%
• Revenues: $69,570,000,000
• Assets: $193,984,000,000
• Market value: $174,405,400,000
• Employees: 223,000
• Profit per employee: $49,569.51

• Fortune 500 rank: 82
• Profits: $11,083,000,000
• Profits percent change: 189.8%
• Revenues: $39,506,000,000
• Assets: $108,709,000,000
• Market value: $152,412,700,000
• Employees: 136,000
• Profit per employee: $81,492.65

• Fortune 500 rank: 26
• Profits: $11,242,000,000
• Profits percent change: 1.1%
• Revenues: $110,225,000,000
• Assets: $51,236,000,000
• Market value: $200,665,000,000
• Employees: 415,700
• Profit per employee: $27,043.54

• Fortune 500 rank: 2
• Profits: $11,588,000,000
• Profits percent change: 15.0%
• Revenues: $280,522,000,000
• Assets: $225,248,000,000
• Market value: $970,680,100,000
• Employees: 798,000
• Profit per employee: $14,521.30

• Fortune 500 rank: 63
• Profits: $11,621,000,000
• Profits percent change: 10,464.5%
• Revenues: $51,904,000,000
• Assets: $97,793,000,000
• Market value: $166,709,000,000
• Employees: 75,900
• Profit per employee: $153,109.35

• Fortune 500 rank: 137
• Profits: $12,080,000,000
• Profits percent change: 17.3%
• Revenues: $22,977,000,000
• Assets: $72,574,000,000
• Market value: $316,199,100,000
• Employees: 19,500
• Profit per employee: $619,487.18

• Fortune 500 rank: 28
• Profits: $13,057,000,000
• Profits percent change: 11.3%
• Revenues: $108,942,000,000
• Assets: $263,414,000,000
• Market value: $156,533,300,000
• Employees: 190,000
• Profit per employee: $68,721.05

• Fortune 500 rank: 7
• Profits: $13,839,000,000
• Profits percent change: 15.5%
• Revenues: $242,155,000,000
• Assets: $173,889,000,000
• Market value: $236,555,200,000
• Employees: 325,000
• Profit per employee: $42,581.54

• Fortune 500 rank: 9
• Profits: $13,903,000,000
• Profits percent change: -28.2%
• Revenues: $181,193,000,000
• Assets: $551,669,000,000
• Market value: $209,387,500,000
• Employees: 247,800
• Profit per employee: $56,105.73

• Fortune 500 rank: 24
• Profits: $14,160,000,000
• Profits percent change: -11.3%
• Revenues: $120,304,000,000
• Assets: $3,503,319,000,000
• Market value: $1,841,400,000
• Employees: 7,500
• Profit per employee: $1,888,000.00

• Fortune 500 rank: 3
• Profits: $14,340,000,000
• Profits percent change: -31.2%
• Revenues: $264,938,000,000
• Assets: $362,597,000,000
• Market value: $160,696,300,000
• Employees: 74,900
• Profit per employee: $191,455.27

• Fortune 500 rank: 1
• Profits: $14,881,000,000
• Profits percent change: 123.1%
• Revenues: $523,964,000,000
• Assets: $236,495,000,000
• Market value: $321,803,300,000
• Employees: 2,200,000
• Profit per employee: $6,764.09

• Fortune 500 rank: 35
• Profits: $15,119,000,000
• Profits percent change: -1.2%
• Revenues: $82,059,000,000
• Assets: $157,728,000,000
• Market value: $345,704,900,000
• Employees: 132,200
• Profit per employee: $114,364.60

• Fortune 500 rank: 64
• Profits: $16,273,000,000
• Profits percent change: 45.9%
• Revenues: $51,750,000,000
• Assets: $167,489,000,000
• Market value: $181,074,900,000
• Employees: 88,300
• Profit per employee: $184,292.19

• Fortune 500 rank: 46
• Profits: $18,485,000,000
• Profits percent change: -16.4%
• Revenues: $70,697,000,000
• Assets: $133,376,000,000
• Market value: $475,455,200,000
• Employees: 44,942
• Profit per employee: $411,307.91

• Fortune 500 rank: 20
• Profits: $19,265,000,000
• Profits percent change: 24.1%
• Revenues: $131,868,000,000
• Assets: $291,727,000,000
• Market value: $222,220,000,000
• Employees: 135,000
• Profit per employee: $142,703.70

• Fortune 500 rank: 31
• Profits: $19,401,000,000
• Profits percent change: 7.5%
• Revenues: $103,449,000,000
• Assets: $1,951,158,000,000
• Market value: $88,376,500,000
• Employees: 200,000
• Profit per employee: $97,005.00

• Fortune 500 rank: 30
• Profits: $19,549,000,000
• Profits percent change: -12.7%
• Revenues: $103,915,000,000
• Assets: $1,927,555,000,000
• Market value: $117,365,700,000
• Employees: 259,800
• Profit per employee: $75,246.34

• Fortune 500 rank: 45
• Profits: $21,048,000,000
• Profits percent change: N/A
• Revenues: $71,965,000,000
• Assets: $136,524,000,000
• Market value: $231,661,900,000
• Employees: 110,800
• Profit per employee: $189,963.90

• Fortune 500 rank: 25
• Profits: $27,430,000,000
• Profits percent change: -2.5%
• Revenues: $113,589,000,000
• Assets: $2,434,079,000,000
• Market value: $185,226,900,000
• Employees: 208,131
• Profit per employee: $131,792.00

• Fortune 500 rank: 17
• Profits: $36,431,000,000
• Profits percent change: 12.2%
• Revenues: $142,422,000,000
• Assets: $2,687,379,000,000
• Market value: $276,750,100,000
• Employees: 256,981
• Profit per employee: $141,765.34

• Fortune 500 rank: 21
• Profits: $39,240,000,000
• Profits percent change: 136.8%
• Revenues: $125,843,000,000
• Assets: $286,556,000,000
• Market value: $1,199,549,700,000
• Employees: 144,000
• Profit per employee: $272,500.00

• Fortune 500 rank: 4
• Profits: $55,256,000,000
• Profits percent change: -7.2%
• Revenues: $260,174,000,000
• Assets: $338,516,000,000
• Market value: $1,112,640,800,000
• Employees: 137,000
• Profit per employee: $403,328.47

• Fortune 500 rank: 6
• Profits: $81,417,000,000
• Profits percent change: 1,924.8%
• Revenues: $254,616,000,000
• Assets: $817,729,000,000
• Market value: $442,897,100,000
• Employees: 391,500
• Profit per employee: $207,961.69

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Methodology: In order to find the most profitable companies in the U.S., GOBankingRates looked at Fortune.com’s 2020 Fortune 500 data to source the 25 U.S.-based companies with the largest (1) profits in 2020. GOBankingRates also found for each company: (2) Fortune 500 2020 rank; (3) profits percent change from 2019; (4) revenues in 2020; (5) assets for 2020; (6) market value; (7) total employees; and (8) profit per employee. All data were collected and up to date as of May 3, 2021.