Recently, Fortune released the latest 500 U.S. Companies Ranking for 2022, marking the 68th consecutive year it has published this list.
This year's entry threshold rose significantly from $5.37 billion to $6.39 billion, and the total revenue of companies on the list equals 70% of U.S. GDP. Let's take a look at the top 20 companies on the Fortune 500 list:
The top five rankings on the list remained unchanged from last year, marking the tenth consecutive year that Walmart has topped the list since 2013. Apple earned $94.68 billion in profit last year, up about 65% year-over-year, retaining the top spot on the profit list.
Last year, the total profits of these largest U.S. companies experienced the biggest decline since 2009. However, this year, the profits of these top American companies surged by 114% year-on-year, marking the largest annual increase since 2010, which seems to signal that a strong post-pandemic economic recovery has arrived.
Other Fortune 500 Rankings in 2022
Along with the main list, three other rankings were released: the most profitable companies, the industries with the most companies on the list, and the companies with the biggest losses.
Top 15 Most Profitable Companies in the Fortune 500
In terms of profitability, Apple retains the No. 1 spot on the profit list, followed by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Alphabet, and Microsoft.
Top 15 Industries with the Most Fortune 500 Companies
The tech and finance sectors remained the two most profitable industries in 2022, with eight out of the top ten most profitable companies coming from these two industries. In terms of the number of companies on the list, the natural gas and electric industry led in 2022, with 23 companies in the Fortune 500.
Top 15 Companies with the Biggest Losses in the Fortune 500
There were both winners and losers; in the past year, 37 companies on the list failed to turn a profit, with most of them strongly tied to the pandemic, such as several airlines and entertainment companies that suffered heavy losses due to travel restrictions during the pandemic.
Top 20 Universities Preferred by Top Employers
After reviewing these company rankings, which universities and majors are more favored by Fortune 500 companies?
The website DegreeChoices previously released the "Fortune 500 Most Preferred University and Major Rankings", analyzing more than 150,000 LinkedIn employment profiles to identify the top 20 universities and majors most popular among Fortune 500 companies.
In this list of the top 20 universities favored by Fortune 500 companies, in addition to elite institutions like Stanford, MIT, and Harvard, many renowned public universities are also included, such as UC Berkeley, UT Austin, and others, totaling ten.
Additionally, several dark-horse schools made the top 20 list, including University of Phoenix and Strayer University. These private universities focus on professional career training and have advantages in distance education; and University of Arkansas and San Jose State University, two public universities located near Fortune 500 companies with unique geographic advantages.
The Top 20 Universities Preferred by Fortune 500 Top 20 Employers and Their Alumni Numbers:
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University of Phoenix: 15,924
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University of Washington: 14,264
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University of Mumbai: 5,801
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Georgia Institute of Technology: 5,292
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Stanford University: 4,639
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University of California, Berkeley: 4,302
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University of Southern California: 4,213
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University of Texas at Austin: 3,938
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Arizona State University: 3,820
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Cornell University: 3,680
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Pennsylvania State University: 3,214
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Strayer University: 3,025
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University of Arkansas: 2,845
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology: 2,692
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San Jose State University: 2,661
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Northeastern University: 2,302
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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: 2,251
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Harvard University: 2,220
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Purdue University: 2,195
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University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School): 2,022
Alumni Employers of Top 5 Employer-Preferred Universities
So which major companies do alumni from these top 5 universities primarily work for?
1. University of Phoenix
The University of Phoenix has 15,924 alumni working at the top 20 Fortune 500 companies, ranking first on the list.
Popular majors at the university include business management, marketing, healthcare, and behavioral sciences. Notable alumni include Apollo Group chairman and billionaire Peter Sperling, and NBA star and successful investor Shaquille O'Neal.
The top companies where University of Phoenix alumni work:
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AT&T - 2,705
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Walmart - 2,232
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Amazon - 2,213
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Verizon - 2,212
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UnitedHealth Group - 2,212
2. University of Washington
The University of Washington has 14,264 alumni working at the top 20 Fortune 500 companies, ranking second.
Located in Seattle, UW is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast and a Public Ivy. It is renowned for computer science, engineering, and business, and maintains close ties with local tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, and Nintendo. Microsoft founder Bill Gates' father, Bill Gates Sr., is also a UW alumnus.
The top companies where University of Washington alumni work:
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Microsoft - 7,187
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Amazon - 5,716
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Apple - 660
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AT&T - 472
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Costco - 229
3. University of Mumbai
The University of Mumbai is the only non-U.S. university on this list, with 5,801 alumni working at the top 20 Fortune 500 companies.
The university is closely connected with multinational tech companies, and Apple, Samsung, and others frequently recruit its alumni.
The top companies where University of Mumbai alumni work:
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JPMorgan Chase - 2,891
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Amazon - 1,726
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Microsoft - 1,184
4. Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Tech has 5,292 alumni working at the top 20 Fortune 500 companies, with notable alumni including former Walmart CEO Mike Duke.
The school has deep partnerships with many well-known U.S. companies, offering students opportunities to work at Adobe, Intel, KPMG, Ford, and more.
The top companies where Georgia Tech alumni work:
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Amazon - 2,214
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Home Depot - 1,018
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Apple - 921
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AT&T - 876
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ExxonMobil - 260
5. Stanford University
Located adjacent to Silicon Valley, Stanford University continuously feeds talent to tech companies like Facebook, Apple, and Google. Stanford is a cradle for tech entrepreneurs and has surpassed Ivy League schools to become the most selective elite university in the U.S.
Notable Stanford alumni include Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, HP founder William Hewlett, Cisco founder Leonard Bosack, Yahoo founder Jerry Yang, and others.
The top companies where Stanford University alumni work:
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Apple - 2,104
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Amazon - 1,373
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Microsoft - 1,152
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Alphabet - 10
Top 20 Majors Preferred by Top Employers
This research data also shows that certain majors are more favored by top U.S. employers. The top 20 majors preferred by Fortune 500 top 20 companies are as follows:
With numerous tech giants in the Fortune 500, majors like computer science and information science are among the most sought-after. In the past decade alone, the number of computer science graduates in the U.S. has doubled. Computer science remains one of the most popular majors nationwide. Within the field, cybersecurity and DevOps are particularly hot career areas in recent years.
Business, management, economics, and finance also have high demand for positions across retail, healthcare, consulting, finance, and media industries. Wall Street investment banks like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase prefer business graduates from traditional elite schools, including Harvard Business School, Wharton School, and University of Chicago Booth. Additionally, accounting graduates have always been popular among Fortune 500 companies.
Some non-traditionally popular majors are also favored by top U.S. employers. For example, psychology graduates are sought after by Amazon, CVS, and Apple, as they can provide better consumer insights and user behavior analysis, helping tech companies improve their products to meet consumer needs.
A degree cannot determine one's success, but a prestigious university is not just a name.
A strong academic background and extensive network will help one achieve their dreams.
Of course, an educational background provides a good starting point, but real success requires personal perseverance and hard work.
When opportunities arise, we can better seize them.
