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The basics:

• Forbes, Statista survey 217,000 US employees for 2026 rankings
• 22 New Jersey companies make Best Large Employers list
• 15 New Jersey companies named Best Midsize Employers
• Novo Nordisk, Johnson & Johnson, NJIT among top NJ employers

To help jobseekers find “the right fit,” Forbes has once again released its annual America’s Best Midsize and Large Employers lists. 

Forbes and market research firm Statista released findings from the 11th iteration of the list Feb. 10. The partners surveyed 217,000 employees working at U.S. companies that employ more than 1,000 people. 

The survey asked anonymous participants if they would recommend their current employer to others. It also inquired about recent past employers and other organizations the have familiarity with through industry experience, friends or family. They were also asked to rate their company based on criteria such as salary, work environment, benefits and advancement opportunities. 

Researchers also took into account data from the past three years to determine the 2026 findings. 

Best of the best

Overall, the lists named the “best” 700 large organizations and 500 midsize companies across the nation. Forbes noted that companies cannot pay to participate or be selected. 

According to Forbes, it considered firms with more than 5,000 employees large employers. Those with 1,000 to 5,000 employees were categorized as midsize.

• America’s Best Large Employer overall: Trader Joe’s, based in California 
• America’s Best Midsize Employer overall: Toll Brothers, based in Pennsylvania 

NJ companies make the lists

Within New Jersey, 22 appeared on the large employer list, while another 15 landed on the midsize ranking. That’s a bump from last year’s results, which placed a total 31 companies on the lists.

Forbes America’s Best Large Employers 

• No. 42: Novo Nordisk, Plainsboro
  Industry: Drugs & Biotechnology
• No. 57: Merck & Co., Rahway (relocated from Kenilworth in June 2023)
  Industry: Drugs & Biotechnology
• No. 88: PSEG (Public Service Enterprise Group), Newark
  Industry: Utilities
• No. 114: Cooper University Health Care, Camden
  Industry: Healthcare & Social Services
• No. 137: TD Bank, Mount Laurel (relocated from Cherry Hill in September 2025)
  Industry: Banking and Financial Services
• No. 140: Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick
  Industry: Drugs & Biotechnology
• No. 191: BMW Group, Woodcliff Lake
  Industry: Automotive (Automotive and Suppliers)
• No. 236: Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Newark
  Industry: Insurance
• No. 248: Spencer Gifts, Egg Harbor Township
  Industry: Retail and Wholesale
• No. 285: Prudential Financial, Newark
  Industry: Banking and Financial Services
• No. 298: Holman, Mount Laurel
  Industry: Automotive (Automotive and Suppliers)
• No. 351: Automatic Data Processing, Roseland
  Industry: Business Services & Supplies
• No. 369: Student Transportation of America, Wall Township
  Industry: Transportation and Logistics
• No. 409: Cognizant, Teaneck
  Industry: IT Software & Services
• No. 433: Panasonic, Newark
  Industry: Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering
• No. 545: BASF, Florham Park
  Industry: Construction, Chemicals, Raw Materials
• No. 550: Compass International Holdings, Madison
  Industry: Business Services & Supplies
• No. 572: Sanofi, Bridgewater
  Industry: Drugs & Biotechnology
• No. 588: Quest Diagnostics, Secaucus
  Industry: Medical Equipment & Services
• No. 597: Bayer, Whippany
  Industry: Drugs & Biotechnology
• No. 651: Novartis, East Hanover
  Industry: Drugs & Biotechnology
• No. 697: Becton Dickinson (BD), Franklin Lakes
  Industry: Medical Equipment & Services

Forbes America’s Best Midsize Employers 

• No. 64: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark
  Industry: Education
• No. 98: Verisk Analytics, Jersey City
  Industry: Business Services & Supplies
• No. 118: University Hospital, Newark
  Industry: Healthcare & Social Services
• No. 126: LG Electronics, Englewood Cliffs
  Industry: Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering
• No. 194: B&G Foods, Parsippany
  Industry: Food, Soft Beverages, Alcohol & Tobacco
• No. 249: The Vitamin Shoppe, Secaucus
  Industry: Retail and Wholesale
• No. 253: Capital Health, Trenton
  Industry: Healthcare & Social Services
• No. 257: Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston
  Industry: Healthcare & Social Services
• No. 262: SHI International, Somerset
  Industry: IT Software & Services
• No. 273: The Michaels Organization, Camden
  Industry: Business Services & Supplies
• No. 305: NJM Insurance Group, West Trenton
  Industry: Insurance
• No. 357: Crestron Electronics, Rockleigh
  Industry: Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering
• No. 394: OSL Retail Services, Cherry Hill
  Industry: Retail and Wholesale
• No. 453: Church & Dwight, Ewing
  Industry: Packaged Goods
• No. 484: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Parsippany-Troy Hills
  Industry: Travel & Leisure

Forbes also listed two other Best Employers companies as having a New Jersey base. However, Chanel (No. 266, large employers list) is based in London, according to a more in-depth profile on Forbes, and maintains an office and distribution center in Piscataway. Chubb (No. 511, large employers list) moved its U.S. headquarters to Philadelphia; but still has a branch in Warren.