A Rahway-headquartered pharmaceutical giant once again topped Newsweek‘s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies. 

For the sixth year, the publication partnered with data firm Statista to acknowledge the top 600 businesses in the nation “for their commitment to making a positive global impact,” the company said. 

Unveiled Dec. 5, the list puts Merck & Co. in the No. 1 spot. The company – which also recently made the inaugural NJBIZ New Jersey Businesses Power List – first claimed the top position in 2023, dethroning HP. That Palo Alto, Calif.-based tech company previously held the top spot for the first four years of the list’s publication. 

Overall, 21 New Jersey-based companies made the 2025 America’s Most Responsible Companies ranking. Last year, 18 Garden State firms landed on the list. 

How they were ranked 

To determine the findings, Newsweek and Statista looked at the 2,000 largest publicly traded companies headquartered in the U.S. Each company was scored based on their commitment to environmental, social and corporate governance concerns. 

Researchers studied data from 30 key performance indicators, such as energy usage and charitable donations, as well as a reputation survey of more than 26,000 U.S. consumers. 

In an analysis of its findings, Newsweek said it took “a holistic view of corporate responsibility by looking at companies’ social, environmental and leadership practices—including carbon emissions, board diversity and financial stability—to encourage more transparency and accountability in the corporate world.” 

The publication called Merck’s overall score of 97.83 “impressive” and noted its improvement from 91.98 last year.  

Rounding out the top five in the nation, along with home base and industry, were: 

No. 2: General Mills, Minneapolis, Minn.
Retail & Consumer Goods 

No. 3: Illumina, San Diego, Calif.
Health Care, Life Sciences & Pharmaceuticals 

No. 4: Applied Materials, Santa Clara
Technology 

No. 5: Tapestry, New York City
Retail & Consumer Goods 

The New Jersey-based companies named among Newsweek’s 2025 America’s Most Responsible Companies are: 

No. 1: Merck, Rahway
Health Care, Life Sciences & Pharmaceuticals 

No. 47: Organon, Jersey City
Health Care, Life Sciences & Pharmaceuticals 

No. 86: Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), Newark
Energy & Utilities 

No. 89: Cognizant, Teaneck
Professional Services 

No. 95: Church & Dwight, Ewing Township
Retail & Consumer Goods 

No. 104: Prudential, Newark
Financial 

No. 111: Zoetis, Parsippany
Health Care, Life Sciences & Pharmaceuticals 

No. 127: American Water, Camden
Energy & Utilities 

No. 154: AdvanSix, Parsippany
Materials & Chemicals 

No. 268: Burlington, Burlington
Retail & Consumer Goods 

No. 282: Avis Budget Group, Parsippany
Professional Services 

No. 334: Balchem, Montvale
Materials & Chemicals 

No. 379: Phibro Animal Health, Teaneck
Health Care, Life Sciences & Pharmaceuticals 

No. 468: Catalent, Somerset
Health Care, Life Sciences & Pharmaceuticals 

No. 489: Automatic Data Processing (ADP), Roseland
Technology 

No. 502: Movado Group, Paramus
Retail & Consumer Goods 

No. 538: Clearway Energy, Princeton
Energy & Utilities 

No. 540: Quest Diagnostics, Secaucus
Health Care, Life Sciences & Pharmaceuticals 

No. 569: The Children’s Place, Secaucus
Retail & Consumer Goods 

No. 574: Integra, Princeton
Health Care, Life Sciences & Pharmaceuticals 

No. 579: Universal Display, Ewing
Technology 

What they’re saying

“We hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethics and integrity,” Merck Chairman and CEO Robert Davis said in a statement. “A firm belief in the importance of operating responsibly is at the heart of who we are as a company, and we will continue to demonstrate this core value as we work to deliver on our purpose of saving and improving lives.” 

American Water, which came in at No. 127 this year – up from No. 343 in 2023, said in a statement, “This recognition illustrates American Water’s continued commitment to environmental, social and governance (‘ESG’) leadership.” 

Cognizant called its inclusion on the list a “prestigious recognition.” 

“We are proud to be recognized for our sustainability and corporate citizenship efforts,” said Tobi Young, Cognizant senior vice president and chief corporate affairs officer. “Cognizant’s sustainability and Synapse initiatives reflect our commitment to making a meaningful impact in the well-being of our associates and the communities where we live and work.” 

Steven Abramson, president and CEO of Universal Display Corp., added in a Dec. 9 statement: “This acknowledgment underscores UDC’s commitment to innovation, sustainability and corporate social responsibility. This achievement also reflects the dedication of our employees worldwide, who work tirelessly to uphold our core values of inventiveness, integrity, inclusion and collaboration.”

See Newsweek’s complete list of America’s Most Responsible Companies and their scores here.