The 50 best places to work in 2017, according to employees

Score: 4.2

Gensler is an architecture, design, planning, and consulting firm.

"Fast-paced atmosphere with wonderful people who are eager to help teach younger staff. The benefits are great and you have access to a variety of great resources." — Gensler technical designer (Washington, DC)

Score: 4.2

QuikTrip is a regional chain of convenience stores in the Midwest and South.

"Full benefits, excellent full-time weekly hours, set schedule, focused on employee growth and wellbeing. Charity- and donation-centered." — QuikTrip night assistant (Tucson, Arizona)

Score: 4.2

E. & J. Gallo Winery is a family-owned winery and distributor.

"Fantastic people, fascinating industry, fast-paced, high level of employee engagement. As an employee, you're able to have a significant direct impact on the business and the company's success." — E. & J. Gallo Winery Senior Manager (Modesto, California)

Score: 4.2

Aegis Living provides senior assisted living and memory care.

"Management truly cares about our employees, and when our employees are supported, loved, and fulfilled, they can provide heartfelt care to our residents." — Aegis Living life enrichment director (Bellevue, Washington)

Score: 4.2

Ikea is a multinational group of companies that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, appliances and home accessories.

"Flexible, very friendly environment with coworkers. Great benefits including health and education assistance and holiday and social gatherings. Great environment for working moms." — Ikea shopkeeper (Detroit, Michigan)

Score: 4.2

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit medical practice and medical research group.

"The company offers excellent benefits. It provides a variety of departments, which allows employees the flexibility to move around the company. The employees understand and respect diversity." — Mayo Clinic PMO Manager (Rochester, Minnesota)

Score: 4.2

Raising Cane's is a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in chicken fingers.

"Many opportunities to move up. Awesome management. Good pay and vacations." — Raising Cane's crew member and certified trainer (Allen, Texas)

Score: 4.2

Texas Instruments designs and manufactures semiconductors, which it sells to electronics designers and manufacturers globally.

"The culture at TI is awesome. The environment is laid back, and the people you get to work with are always willing to help out when needed." — Texas Instruments software engineer (Dallas, Texas)

Score: 4.2

BASF is a multiational chemicals manufacturing corporation.

"Values its employees' wellbeing, great benefits, marketplace discounts, global presence allows for more opportunities to grow your career." — BASF Corporation lab manager (Columbus, Ohio)

Score: 4.2

SpaceX is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services.

"Awesome coworkers. Exciting, fast-paced projects. Meaningful and fulfilling work. Good pay and stock options." — Space Exploration Technologies engineering manager (Hawthorne, California)

Score: 4.2

FedEx Freight, a subsidiary of delivery giant FedEx, provides less-than-truckload transportation services throughout the US, Canada, and international points.

"Good salary, excellent benefits, great equipment, and the best management." — FedEx Freight road driver (West Jefferson, Ohio)

Score: 4.2

Lululemon makes athletic apparel.

"Great company and corporate culture. Lots of perks like free workouts at surrounding gyms and studios." — Lululemon keyleader (Dallas, Texas)

Score: 4.2

Microsoft develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells computer software like Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office, consumer electronics, and personal computers and services.

"Competitive salary, good community involvement, strong global presence, great products, cares about employees." — Microsoft employee

Score: 4.2

Apple makes iPhones, iPads, and other devices and software and sells music and movies through iTunes.

"Great pay and bonuses. Excellent healthcare benefits and work environment. Every individual is responsible for his or her work, when at the same time, everyone is part of a team." — Apple senior engineer (Cupertino, California)

Score: 4.2

Airbnb is a peer-to-peer online marketplace and homestay network that matches those with spare rooms/condos/homes to rent with travelers wanting to rent them.

"Everyone is genuinely smart, enthusiastic, and friendly. The employees deeply care about the company mission and the well-being of the Airbnb community." — Airbnb data scientist (San Francisco, California)

Score: 4.2

Costco Wholesale is a membership-based chain of retail stores that sells wholesale goods to the public and businesses.

"People matter here. The culture is casual and job security is strong. Many managers take employee development to heart." — Costco Wholesale change management specialist (Issaquah, Wwashington)

Score: 4.2

Trader Joe's is a chain of neighborhood grocery stores.

"Coworkers treat each other like family. Exceptional customer service standards, amazing management, and the company allows people to shine as individuals." — Trader Joe's crew member and sign artist (Manhattan Beach, California)

Score: 4.2

Genentech is a pharmaceuticals and biotechnology company.

"Great benefits (including long maternity leave), good team environment, flexibility with schedule, people are really passionate, intelligent and driven." — Genentech employee (San Francisco, California)

Score: 4.2

Keller Williams is an American international real estate franchise.

"Support from leadership. Great training. Lovely people and very friendly office. Great meetings and learning opportunities." — Keller Williams realtor (Combine, Texas)

Score: 4.2

NVIDIA is a technology company that designs graphics processing units for the gaming market.

"This is an exciting and fun place to work, where coworkers are intelligent, driven, and passionate about what they do." — NVIDIA director of software (Santa Clara, California)

Score: 4.2

Zillow is an online real-estate site.

"Innovative, fast-moving, fast-growing company with great people who love to come to work every day." — Zillow software development engineer (Seattle, Washington)

Score: 4.3

Southwest Airlines is a major US airline that focuses on low-cost fares.

"Flight benefits, amazing 401(k) matching, many insurance options, and a great company culture. You can tell they really value their employees." — Southwest Airlines associate analyst (Dallas, Texas)

Score: 4.3

H E B is a food retailer that operates more than 340 stores in a number of formats, including superstores, supermarkets, and gourmet markets.

"The culture is fantastic, partners work hard, and everyone seems to understand how their role fits to the success of the company." — H E B manager (San Antonio, Texas)

Score: 4.3

Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational medical devices, pharmaceutical, and consumer packaged goods manufacturer.

"This company fosters a great teamwork atmosphere and allows for plenty of growth opportunities. Woking here provides me with a sense of security and pride that what I do here impacts our customers." — Johnson & Johnson process excellence employee (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)

Score: 4.3

Akamai offers a "content delivery network" that helps large websites and media sites run faster.

"I have never worked with so many smart and talented individuals who are always willing to help each other out." — Akamai Finance Director (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

Score: 4.3

Concur offers business travel and expense-management cloud software.

"Good growth opportunities as a professional. Awesome work life balance. Great people and coworkers." — Concur lead software design engineer (Bellevue, Washington)

Score: 4.3

DocuSign makes electronic signature technology.

"Growing company, amazing people, good work-life balance, and lots of opportunities for career growth and development." — DocuSign solution engineer (Seattle, Washington)

Score: 4.3

Memorial Sloan Kettering is a cancer-treatment center.

"Very intelligent, friendly, and team-oriented group of people. I love working for MSK. There is a great sense of pride and responsibility to our patients and ensuring things get done right." — Memorial Sloan Kettering employee (Franklin, North Carolina)

Score: 4.3

Delta Air Lines is one of the world's biggest global airlines.

"Challenging, fast-paced industry, and Delta treats employees well. Good compensation and great benefits. Diverse work environment and everyone loves travel. Good opportunities to advance." — Delta Air Lines team leader (Atlanta, Georgia)

Score: 4.3

Intuit is a business and financial software company.

"Everyone is encouraged to innovate, not just engineers. It's expected, it's supported, and we cherish the learnings, good or bad. We have some of the brightest people I've ever worked with in my career." — Intuit director (Mountain View, California)

Score: 4.3

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a nonprofit religious organization commonly known as the Mormon Church. It employs over 1,000 people, from accountants to IT professionals.

"A job where you feel trusted and respected, and where the employer has a high level of loyalty to the employee." — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Seminary Teacher (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Score: 4.3

Forrester is a business and technology research and advisory firm.

"You have an opportunity to make a difference, take charge of your own career and aspirations. The culture is one that fosters accountability and action in all of us." — Forrester vice president of technology management (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

Score: 4.3

Salesforce offers a business software as a cloud service that helps companies manage their sales, marketing, and application programming projects.

"My coworkers are smart, motivated, and talented. We have fun! And, the culture is not one of the 60 t0 90 hour work weeks. People here are more mature." — Salesforce senior director (San Francisco, California)

Score: 4.3

MathWorks makes mathematical computing software.

"Just an amazing place full of smart and passionate people that want to do the right thing. Very positive and constructive culture. Management team truly lead by the values they preach." — MathWorks sales support employee (Natick, Massachusetts)

Score: 4.3

SAP is a multinational enterprise application software company.

"A lot of career growth opportunities and the ability to move into new roles and new groups. A company that truly values its employees and treats them well. Great benefits." — SAP account manager (Chicago, Illinois)

Score: 4.3

Paylocity is a payroll and human capital management software developer.

"Paylocity values employees and creates a culture that allows employees to be happy and comfortable at work. Paylocity still feels like a small business even with rapid growth. Fun and upbeat place to work." — Paylocity ACA product support specialist (Arlington Heights, Illinois)

Score: 4.3

Nestlé Purina PetCare is a pet food manufacturer.

"Competitive salaries, encouraged work-life balance, professional development, and a great culture that makes 'big' feel personal and family friendly." — Nestlé Purina PetCare assistant brand manager (Saint Louis, Missouri)

Score: 4.3

Clorox is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products.

"Great learn and grow culture with emphasis on work-life balance. The people are great and foster a mentoring environment." — Clorox F&A manager (Pleasanton, California)

Score: 4.3

McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm.

"Smartest people, best projects, truly incredible internal support staff. McKinsey is defined by a set of values, not a book of rules." — McKinsey & Company associate (Chicago, Illinois)

Score: 4.3

Power Home Remodeling Group is a home-remodeling company best known for replacement windows, siding, roofing, and entry doors.

"The career growth opportunity is outstanding. Everyone in the office genuinely cares about each other and wants to see you be successful." — Power Home Remodeling marketing manager (Iselin, New Jersey)

Score: 4.3

Adobe is a software maker best known for its design and photo-editing software.

"Great company culture, benefits, and overall atmosphere to work. People are very open, knowledgeable, and potential for advancement is very much available." — Adobe order management employee (Lehi, Utah)

Score: 4.4

LinkedIn is a job-hunting site and social network for business professionals.

"They truly invest in the professional development of employees. Very proactive at making sure that you're in a role you want to be in. Their benefits are fantastic." — LinkedIn product marketing manager (Mountain View, California)

Score: 4.4

In-N-Out Burger is a chain of fast-food burger restaurants.

"Always busy. Time flies. With hard work you move up pretty quickly. Everyone is so nice and friendly. Great positive atmosphere." — IN-N-Out Burger employee (Stockton, California)

Score: 4.4

Fast Enterprises is a software development and installation company for government agencies.

"The family atmosphere makes working together as a team satisfying and successful, as well as the out of office adventures and team building. I have met a lot of different and unique people after being with FAST for 10 years." — Fast Enterprises controller (Centennial, Colorado)

Score: 4.4

World Wide Technology is a technology-consulting company.

"Extremely caring towards their employees as well as their customers. The benefits are amazing. The company thrives on making their employees happy, knowing it will make their customers happy." — World Wide Technology supply chain coordinator (Edwardsville, Illinois)

Score: 4.4

Google is the world's largest internet search site.

"Smart people, data-driven decisions and culture, a mission I can feel good about when I go to sleep every night. This is as good as it gets." — Google engineering manager (Mountain View, California)

Score: 4.4

Boston Consulting Group is a global business and management-consulting company.

"Great career progression, opportunity to learn, collaborative culture, very smart teams, great benefits." — Boston Consulting Group employee (Boston, Massachusetts)

Score: 4.5

Facebook is the world's largest social network.

"From its openness to its diversity, Facebook has truly surpassed all tech companies in terms of culture, perks, and employee lifestyle." — Facebook software engineer (Menlo Park, California)

Score: 4.6

Bain & Co. is a management consulting firm.

"Fast-paced, dynamic work environment with fun and very supportive people. The company embraces driving results for their clients based on data driven insights. Personal and professional development is prioritized for every team member. Even at the entry level there are opportunities to work with senior executives at influential companies across every industry." — Bain associate consultant (New York, New York)