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.
Last updated: May 12, 2021
25. Merck
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
Read More: Popular Brands That Could Disappear in 2021
24. Walt Disney
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
Did You Know: Disney’s 27 Biggest Controversies
23. Oracle
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
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22. Home Depot
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
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21. Amazon
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
Discover: 23 Secret Ways To Save Money on Amazon
20. Cisco
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
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19. Visa
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
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18. Comcast NBCUniversal
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
Read: Cinnamon Toast Crunch and 9 More Big Brands Who Stumbled During Huge PR Scandals
17. UnitedHealth Group
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
See: Coke Joins Other Consumer Brands in Raising Prices to Offset Higher Costs
16. AT&T
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
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15. Fannie Mae
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
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14. Exxon Mobil
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
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13. Walmart
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
Read: 10 Retail Stocks That Could Rally in 2021
12. Johnson & Johnson
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
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11. Pfizer
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
Read: Biggest Product Flops From 20 Major Companies
10. Facebook
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
Related: 17 Companies Facebook Famously Purchased and How They’re Doing Now
9. Verizon Communications
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
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8. Citigroup
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
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7. Wells Fargo
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
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6. Intel
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
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5. Bank of America
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
Did You Know: How Much Is Bank of America Worth?
4. JPMorgan Chase
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
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3. Microsoft
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
Did You Know: How Much is CEO Satya Nadella Worth?
2. Apple
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
Read: Apple Pay and 4 Other Digital Wallets That Are COVID-Safe
1. Berkshire Hathaway
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.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The 25 Most Profitable Companies in the US