The 50 best companies to work for in America

TIAA-CREF, which stands for Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association — College Retirement Equities Fund, employs about 8,500 people, who earn a median salary of $100,000 after five years.

Thirty-nine percent of employees at the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company have the flexibility of working remotely.

After five years, employees at Union Pacific earn a median salary of $81,600.

A newcomer to our list, the railroad company, based in Omaha, Nebraska, sponsors regional family-oriented clubs that do everything from community service to providing support.

Eighty-six percent of employees are highly satisfied with their jobs.

At Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), employees are encouraged to constantly push their limits to create new technologies. This innovative spirit might be why 70% of the worldwide semiconductor company's 11,000 employees report high job satisfaction.

After five years, employees at the Sunnyvale, California, company earn a median salary of $112,000.

Flexibility is important at the Schaumburg, Illinois-based Motorola Solutions. In fact, 58% of the telecommunications company's approximately 21,000 employees are able to work remotely.

Employees earn a $100,000 median salary after five years, and 73% report high job satisfaction.

At Southern Company, located in Atlanta, an impressive 84% of employees report high levels of job satisfaction.

About 26,100 people work for the electric utility holding company, and they earn a median salary of $74,500 after five years.

New to our list this year, this company aims to create a work environment filled with "unquestionable trust."

Back on our list after falling off last year, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Duke Energy has about 28,300 employees and offers an $84,200 median salary after five years.

The electric power holding company is the largest of its kind in the US and offers careers as varied as engineering and customer service.

Seventy-eight percent of employees report high job satisfaction.

With about 307,000 employees and a 75% job satisfaction rate, General Electric debuts on our list this year at No. 43.

The Fairfield, Connecticut-based corporation is the 27th-largest company in the world, with operations in oil and gas, power and water, aviation, healthcare, transportation, and more.

After five years, the median salary is $91,600.

New to our list this year, the consulting company Leidos Holdings has about 19,000 employees, 70% of whom report high job satisfaction.

The Reston, Virginia-based company was named the "Best Workplace for Commuters" by the US EPA and the US Department of Transportation for its low-cost bus passes, carpooling services, and telecommuting opportunities.

After five years, employees earn a median salary of $85,600.

Forty-four percent of the 33,500 or so employees at eBay are able to work remotely.

The e-commerce company, located in San Jose, California, moved up five spots on our list this year and offers a median experienced salary of $118,000.

EBay strives for constant innovation and looks for employees who can creatively solve problems.

NextEra Energy, an energy company headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, employs about 13,900 people, 71% of whom report high job meaning.

After five years, the median salary is $91,700. The company strives for sustainability, and its Juno Beach campus has a gold LEED certification.

At FirstEnergy, located in Akron, Ohio, employees earn a median salary of $83,400 after five years.

The energy company employs about 15,500 people and offers several employee programs, including financial aid with things like adoptions and education.

Eighty-four percent of workers report high job satisfaction.

Back on our list after falling off last year, Boeing has about 165,500 employees, who earn a median salary of $91,500 after five years.

At the Chicago-based aircraft and defense company, 75% of employees report high job satisfaction.

Boeing sponsors numerous business resource groups, such as the Hispanic Employees Network and the Women in Leadership Association.

Employees at Consolidated Edison earn a median salary of $98,700 after five years, and 67% report high job satisfaction.

A newcomer to our list, the New York City-based electric utility company employs about 14,600 people.

ConEd notes that working there is "an opportunity for a career, not just a job."

At this biopharmaceutical company, located in Foster City, California, 85% of employees report high job meaning and 81% report high job satisfaction.

The company has over 7,000 employees, who earn a median experienced salary of $113,000.

Gilead Sciences focuses on four core values in its daily work: integrity, teamwork, accountability, and excellence.

Headquartered in Chicago, the pharmaceutical company Abbott Laboratories employs about 69,000 people.

Employees earn a median salary of $91,300 after five years, and 77% report high job meaning.

The company has also been named one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies every year since 1984.

A newcomer to our list, Hess employs about 12,225 people.

Employees earn a median salary of $96,000 after five years at the New York City-based oil company, and 50% consider their job meaningful.

Though most employees will begin their career at Hess in the US, the company offers numerous opportunities for employees to work abroad if they so choose.

Moving up six spots this year, the global pharmaceutical company Allergan — which was recently acquired by Actavis — employs about 10,800 people and reports a high job satisfaction rate (73%).

Employees earn a median salary of $104,000 after five years and enjoy a beautiful campus complete with a cafeteria, fitness center, and sports fields at the company's Irvine, California, headquarters.

At Anadarko Petroleum in The Woodlands, Texas, 91% of employees report high job satisfaction. In fact, Anadarko looks out for the safety and well-being of all its employees through wellness programs, international travel safeguards, and ergonomic furniture and equipment.

The oil and gas exploration company employs about 6,100 people, and employees earn a median salary of $103,000 after five years.

The healthcare technology company Medtronic employs about 84,000 people, and an impressive 90% of those employees report high job meaning.

After five years, the median salary at the Minneapolis-based company is $91,800.

In keeping with its focus on health, the company helps employees with numerous related services, including nutrition counseling and health coaching.

Of the approximate 12,000 people who work at Huntsman in Salt Lake City, 70% report high job satisfaction.

The chemical company also offers courses in team management, mentoring, and leadership to help employees excel at work.

After five years, employees earn a median salary of $99,100.

After five years, employees at the Midland, Michigan-based Dow Chemical earn a median salary of $96,500.

Sixty-two percent of employees report high job meaning, most likely helping the chemical company jump up 13 spots from No. 42 last year.

Dow employs about 53,000 people and runs seven internal networks to ensure that every employee feels connected and included.

Headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, this data storage company employs about 63,900 people.

Employees report high levels of job meaning (47%) and earn a median salary of $111,000 after five years.

EMC aims to inspire career growth for every employee, and it offers mentoring programs and continued learning classes.

At E.I. duPont, a chemical company headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, employees are encouraged to find a healthy work-life balance through programs such as the Family Leave program, which allows anyone to take time off to be with their kids, without affecting their pay or benefits.

The company employs about 64,000 people, and 80% report high job satisfaction. The median experienced pay is $92,800.

After five years at New York City-based pharmaceutical company Pfizer, employees earn a median salary of $102,000.

Seventy-seven percent of employees report high job meaning, and only 70% report high job satisfaction. The company employs around 78,000 people.

Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, this engineering company has about 26,000 employees.

Seventy-two percent of employees report high levels of job satisfaction, and after five years, they earn a median salary of $83,700.

CH2M Hill offers a wide variety of job opportunities, with positions in areas such as nuclear power, transportation, and government.

Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Intel was absent from last year's list, but the semiconductors company has jumped 16 spots from our 2013 list.

Employees, which number about 107,000, report 75% and 71% high job satisfaction and meaning, respectively, and an experienced median pay of $109,000.

Apple ranked No. 23 on this year's list, which is nothing to shake a stick at, but it took fifth place on the Fortune 500.

The Cupertino, California, company is also a great company at which to launch a career, and it employs about 92,000 people. Employees earn a median experienced salary of $118,000 and report a 74% rate of high job satisfaction.

Unlike many other finance companies, MasterCard has a high rate (46%) of employees who are able to work from home.

Based in Purchase, New York, MasterCard has a five-year median pay rate of $112,000. MasterCard employs about 10,000 people.

Formerly known as Northeast Utilities System, Eversource Energy, out of Springfield, Massachusetts, appears on our list for the first time.

The company's 8,000 or so employees report an impressive 93% high job satisfaction rate, and a median experienced salary of $106,000. Eversource makes every effort to ensure its employees are happy and safe at work.

A small Houston-based company of about 3,000 employees, EOG Resources is also a newcomer to our list.

The oil and gas company provides numerous valuable benefits in addition to the $103,000 median experienced pay, including tuition reimbursement and a gym membership subsidy.

Ninety-one percent of employees report high job satisfaction.

Symantec climbed 13 spots on our list this year.

A staggering 57% of employees at the Mountain View, California, software company are able to work from home. With a workforce of about 21,000 employees, Symantec pays a median $110,000 salary after five years.

The tech materials company Celanese engineers products that meet the needs of consumers' everyday lives.

Based out of Irving, Texas, Celanese reports a 78% high job satisfaction rate among its 7,500 or so employees, and a five-year median salary of $104,000.

The San Diego-based semiconductors company took another tumble on the ranking this year — from No. 4 in 2013 to No. 13 in 2014, to No. 17 in 2015 — but 76% of employees still report high job satisfaction here and earn a competitive $115,000 median experienced salary.

Qualcomm employs a little more than 31,000 people.

St. Jude Medical, known for its affiliated children's hospital, is a leader in medical technology and research.

Nineteen percent of the company's 16,000 employees report low job stress, and 25% are able to telecommute to the company's St. Paul, Minnesota, headquarters.

The median pay after five years is $89,500.

ConocoPhillips took a 32-spot leap this year.

The Houston energy company of over 18,000 focuses not just on hiring employees, but retaining them with numerous career-development opportunities.

Eighty-one percent report high job satisfaction. That goes with a median experienced salary of $104,000.

Microsoft fell off the list last year but regained its No. 14 rank in 2015.

One of the most coveted tech companies to work for, the Redmond, Washington-based company has a median experienced pay of $123,000; 41% of employees are able to work from home.

The Williams Companies, an energy company, fell one spot in this year's ranking. Though the median experienced pay, $81,600, is among the lowest on the list, the Tulsa, Oklahoma, location affords a cheaper cost of living.

Eighty-two percent of the 6,500 or so employees report high job satisfaction, and 76% report high job meaning.

The newcomer Spectra Energy in Houston has close to 6,000 employees, 23% of whom report low stress on the job.

The company offers a pension plan, 100% tuition reimbursement for ongoing education, and 100% retirement savings matching.

Median pay after five years is $90,300.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biopharmaceuticals company of about 7,500 employees makes and markets innovative drug treatments for multiple sclerosis, hemophilia, leukemia, and lymphoma.

A whopping 91% of employees report high job meaning, and employees earn a median salary of $92,900 after five years.

Forty-two percent of the near 13,000 employees at the Sunnyvale, California-based data management company NetApp are able to telecommute.

Employees can take advantage of paid vacation, sick leave, and even days taken to volunteer. The median pay after five years is $123,000.

PG&E, headquartered in San Francisco, holds its ninth-place spot on our list. PG&E is rated the most community-minded Fortune 500 energy company in the US.

The 20,000 or so employees report 80% high job satisfaction and a median salary of $110,000.

Johnson & Johnson, of New Brunswick, New Jersey, jumped nearly 30 places on this year's ranking.

The 126,000-plus employees report a 79% rate of high job meaning, which makes sense given the company's commitment to products that support the family and children.

After five years, the median pay is $104,000.

Cisco dropped off our list last year but returns higher than its No. 29 spot on our 2013 list.

Cisco, headquartered in San Jose, California, employs about 74,000 computer engineers, IT professionals, consultants, and more.

Almost 75% of employees are able to work remotely. The median pay is $123,000 after five years.

After topping our list for the past two years, Celgene fell a few spots on this year's ranking.

The Summit, New Jersey-based biopharmaceuticals company lives by the motto "do well by doing good," and it has over 4,500 employees.

Eighty-eight percent of employees report high job meaning, with an experienced median salary of $105,000.

The pharmaceuticals giant Bristol-Myers Squibb is the manufacturer of lifesaving medications and was named a best company by Working Mother magazine.

The New York City-based company of about 24,000 has an 81% rate of high job meaning and a median salary of $109,000.

No. 29 last year, Chevron made a dramatic jump. The energy company of more than 64,000 employees is headquartered in San Ramon, California.

Experienced median pay is $118,000. Eighty percent of employees report a high job satisfaction rate, and 19% are able to telecommute.

Amgen describes itself as "a place where we can make a positive difference in people's lives," which may be why 84% of employees report high job meaning at the company.

The Thousand Oaks, California, biotech company of about 18,000 also took a leap on our list, up from No. 20 last year. The median salary after five years is $119,000.

Google was No. 2 in 2013 but fell to No. 8 last year before regaining its second-place spot in this year's ranking.

Google's 53,000 or so employees can take advantage of all the "Googleplex" has to offer, from free Wi-Fi-enabled shuttles to and from work, free healthy meals, and even laundry and fitness facilities.

Headquartered in Mountain View, California, Google employees report 84% high job satisfaction and earn a median salary of $133,000 after five years.

Facebook isn't just the best company to work for — with tons of great perks like free food and a youthful office environment, it's also one of the most sought-after companies by job seekers.

The Menlo Park, California, social-media company of about 9,200 employees has a 93% high job satisfaction rate. Employees earn a generous median salary of $135,000 after five years.

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