Fortune 500

Strictly speaking, the Fortune 500 is a list compiled by Fortune magazine raking the top 500 public corporations of the US as measured by their gross revenue. The names that grace the list however command such power and wealth that the Fortune 500 has come to define American business, as well as being defined by it.

Similar lists exist including the Forbes Top 500 Private Companies, Fortune Global 500, Financial Times 500, and Business Week's Global 1000. Each list takes into account different ranking criteria, but none are as prestigious as the original.

In today's business world the corporations that make up the Fortune 500 wield enormous power and influence government policy on a regular basis, as is evidenced by the appointment of Henry M Paulson, CEO of Goldman Sachs, as Treasury Secretary for the United States.

With 2005 profits of US$610 billion, the corporations comprising the Fortune 500 could buy the entire annual economic output of the nations of Brazil, India or South Korea.

Even more impressive, with revenues of US$ 9.1 trillion, if the Fortune 500 were seen as a nation they would have the second largest economy in the world, bigger than the economies of the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Japan combined. If the Fortune 500 constituted a nation they could absorb the US budget deficit for 2006/2007 in its entirety.

History and Influence of Fortune 500

Since 1955 Fortune magazine has produced an annual list of the 500 US corporations with the highest gross revenue. The rankings are based on the revenue figures for each company's previous fiscal year (the end date for which may differ from company to company). The Fortune 100 is the top 100 corporations from the 500 list and the Fortune 1000 is the extended version. Both use the same ranking criteria.

Aside from simply detailing the biggest revenue generating corporations, the Fortune 500 list allows us to see a snapshot of America's commercial progress, where the money has gone and how it's moved to new industries over time.

The growth of opportunities brought in by the building of interstate highways changed the way Americans do business, transport goods, how they travel, shop and where they live. The companies that rose to the opportunities presented by the more than 42,000 miles of highway that were laid from Lose Angeles to New Jersey by the mid 1970's soon found a place on the list.

Chain retailers such as McDonald's and hotel chains like Holiday Inn made the most of the way the interstate was changing American life and profited hugely from it.

The new roads also had a profound impact on corporations in the South of the US with the likes of Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Fedex now able to grow and succeed in a way that would not have been possible before. And it helped to shape General Motors, one of the biggest names on the list.

The emergence of credit cards as the preferred method of purchasing has also been influential in the creation of the list, with corporations moving up and down, appearing or disappearing according to how innovative they are about taking payments. Reward cards, smart cards, payroll cards and even embedded credit chips are just a few of the ways corporations are attempting to entice Americans to spend money in the future. The easier it is to spend money, the more consumers spend. Simple.

The Fortune 500 list is also a showcase of adaptability. As consumer's wants change corporations must adapt to meet that demand or risk loosing their place to another who will. Pepsi is one such example of a corporation seeking to meet changing consumer demands. As one of the US's largest manufacturers of snacks, the corporation is now having to come to terms with the consumer's desire for healthy alternatives and look at ways to profitably rise to the challenge.

Fortune 500 Facts and Stats

The Fortune 500

  1. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
  2. Exxon Mobil Corporation
  3. ChevronTexaco Corporation
  4. General Electric Company
  5. Bank of America Corporation
  6. ConocoPhillips
  7. AT&T Corp
  8. Ford Motor Company
  9. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co
  10. Hewlett-Packard Company
  11. Berkshire Hathaway
  12. Citigroup Inc
  13. Verizon Communications
  14. McKesson Corporation
  15. General Motors Corporation
  16. American International Group
  17. Cardinal Health, Inc
  18. CVS Caremark
  19. Wells Fargo & Company
  20. International Business Machines Corporation
  21. United Health Group Inc
  22. Procter & Gamble Co
  23. The Kroger Co
  24. AmerisourceBergen Corporation
  25. Costco Wholesale Corp.
  26. Valero Energy Corp
  27. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company
  28. The Boeing Company
  29. Home Depot, Inc.
  30. Target Corporation
  31. WellPoint Health Networks
  32. Walgreen Company
  33. Johnson & Johnson
  34. State Farm Insurance
  35. Medco Health Solutions Inc
  36. Microsoft Corporation
  37. United Technologies Corporation
  38. Dell, Inc
  39. Goldman Sachs Group
  40. Pfizer Inc.
  41. Marathon Oil Corp.
  42. Lowe's Companies, Inc.
  43. United Parcel Service of America, Inc
  44. Lockheed Martin Corporation
  45. Best Buy Co., Inc.
  46. The Dow Chemical Company
  47. Supervalu Inc
  48. Sears Holdings Corporation
  49. International Assets Holding
  50. PepsiCo, Inc.
  51. MetLife, Inc.
  52. Safeway Inc.
  53. Kraft Foods
  54. Freddie Mac
  55. SYSCO Corporation
  56. Apple Computer, Inc
  57. The Walt Disney Company
  58. Cisco Systems, Inc.
  59. Comcast Corporation
  60. FedEx Corporation
  61. Northrop Grumman Corporation
  62. Intel Corporation
  63. Aetna Inc.
  64. New York Life Insurance Company
  65. Prudential Financial, Inc
  66. Caterpillar Inc.
  67. Sprint
  68. The Allstate Corporation
  69. General Dynamics Corporation
  70. Morgan Stanley
  71. Liberty Mutual
  72. The Coca-Cola Company
  73. Humana Inc.
  74. Honeywell International
  75. Abbott Laboratories
  76. News Corp
  77. HCA Inc.
  78. Sunoco Inc
  79. Amerada Hess Corporation
  80. Ingram Micro
  81. Fannie Mae
  82. Time Warner Inc.
  83. Johnson Controls, Inc.
  84. Delta Air Lines Inc
  85. Merck & Co Inc
  86. DuPont
  87. Tyson Foods Inc
  88. American Express Company
  89. Rite Aid Corporation
  90. TIAA-CREF
  91. CHS Inc
  92. Enterprise GP Holdings
  93. MassMutual Financial Group
  94. Philip Morris International
  95. Raytheon Company
  96. Express Scripts
  97. Hartford Financial Services Group
  98. Travelers Cos
  99. Publix Super Markets
  100. Amazon.com Inc.
  101. Staples, Inc.
  102. Google
  103. Macy's
  104. International Paper Company
  105. Oracle Corporation
  106. 3M Company
  107. Deere & Company
  108. McDonald's Corporation
  109. Tech Data Corporation
  110. Motorola Inc
  111. Fluor Corporation
  112. Eli Lilly and Co
  113. Coca-Cola Enterprises
  114. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
  115. The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company
  116. The Directv Group Inc
  117. Emerson Electric Co
  118. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co
  119. TJX Companies, Inc.
  120. American Airlines - AMR
  121. U.S. Bancorp
  122. GMAC
  123. The PNC Financial Services Group
  124. Nike Inc.
  125. Murphy Oil Corp
  126. Kimberly-Clark Corp
  127. Alcoa
  128. Plains All American Pipeline, L. P.
  129. CIGNA Corporation
  130. AFLAC Incorporated
  131. Time Warner Cable
  132. United Services Automobile Association
  133. J.C. Penney Company, Inc.
  134. Exelon Corporation
  135. Kohl's Corporation
  136. Whirlpool Corporation
  137. Altria Group Inc
  138. Computer Sciences Corporation
  139. Tesoro Petroleum Corp
  140. UAL Corporation(United Airlines)
  141. Goodyear Tire & Rubber
  142. Avnet, Inc.
  143. Manpower Inc.
  144. Capital One Financial Corp
  145. Southern Company
  146. Health Net, Inc.
  147. FPL Group Inc
  148. L-3 Communications Hldgs.
  149. Constellation Energy Group
  150. Occidental Petroleum Corp
  151. Colgate-Palmolive
  152. Xerox Corporation
  153. Dominion Resources
  154. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold
  155. General Mills, Inc.
  156. The AES Corporation
  157. Arrow Electronics, Inc.
  158. Halliburton Company
  159. Amgen Inc
  160. Medtronic, Inc.
  161. Progressive Corp.
  162. Gap, Inc.
  163. Smithfield Foods, Inc.
  164. Union Pacific Corp
  165. Loews Corporation
  166. EMC Corporation
  167. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation
  168. Coventry Health Care, Inc
  169. Illinois Tool Works Inc.
  170. Viacom International Inc
  171. Toys R Us, Inc.
  172. American Electric Power
  173. PG&E Corporation
  174. Pepsi Bottling
  175. Consolidated Edison, Inc.
  176. Chubb Corporation
  177. CBS
  178. ConAgra Foods, Inc.
  179. FirstEnergy
  180. Sara Lee Corp
  181. Duke Energy Corporation
  182. National Oilwell Varco
  183. Continental Airlines, Inc
  184. Kellogg
  185. Baxter International Inc.
  186. Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated
  187. Edison International
  188. Qwest Communications
  189. Aramark Corporation
  190. PPG Industries, Inc.
  191. Community Health Systems
  192. Office Depot, Inc.
  193. KBR
  194. Eaton Corporation
  195. Dollar General Corp
  196. Waste Management, Inc.
  197. Monsanto Company
  198. Omnicom Group Inc.
  199. Jabil Circuit
  200. DISH Network
  201. TRW Automotive Holdings Corp.
  202. Navistar International Corp
  203. Jacobs Engineering Group
  204. Sun Microsystems Inc.
  205. World Fuel Services Corp.
  206. Nucor Corporation
  207. Danaher Corporation
  208. Dean Foods Company
  209. ONEOK Inc
  210. Liberty Global
  211. United States Steel
  212. AutoNation, Inc.
  213. Marriott International Inc.
  214. ITT Industries, Inc.
  215. SAIC
  216. Yum! Brands, Inc.
  217. BB&T Corporation
  218. Cummins Inc
  219. Entergy Corporation
  220. Textron Inc.
  221. Marsh & McLennan Co's
  222. US Airways Inc
  223. Texas Instruments
  224. SunTrust Banks Inc
  225. Qualcomm Inc
  226. Land O'Lakes
  227. Liberty Media Corp
  228. Avon Products, Inc.
  229. Southwest Airlines Co.
  230. Parker Hannifin Corp
  231. Mosaic
  232. BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc.
  233. H.J. Heinz Company
  234. Fisher Scientific International Inc
  235. UnumProvident
  236. Genuine Parts
  237. Guardian Life of America
  238. Peter Kiewit Sons'
  239. Progress Energy
  240. R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company
  241. Starbucks Corporation
  242. Lear Corporation
  243. Baker Hughes
  244. Xcel Energy Inc
  245. Penske Automotive Group
  246. Energy Future Holdings
  247. Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea
  248. Fifth Third Bancorp
  249. State Street Corporation
  250. First Data Corp
  1. Pepco Holdings, Inc.
  2. URS
  3. Tenet Healthcare Corp.
  4. Regions Financial Corp.
  5. GameStop
  6. Lincoln National Corporation
  7. Genworth Financial
  8. XTO Energy
  9. CSX Corporation
  10. Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
  11. Devon Energy Corporation
  12. Praxair Inc
  13. NRG Energy
  14. Harrah's Entertainment Inc
  15. Automated Data Processing
  16. Principal Financial Group
  17. eBay
  18. Assurant Inc
  19. Limited Brands
  20. Nordstrom, Inc.
  21. Apache Corporation
  22. Reynolds American Inc
  23. Air Products and Chemicals Inc.
  24. Bank of New York Co.
  25. CenterPoint Energy Inc
  26. Williams Companies, Inc.
  27. Smith International, Inc.
  28. Republic Services
  29. Boston Scientific Corp.
  30. Sempra Energy
  31. Ashland
  32. PACCAR Inc
  33. Owens & Minor, Inc.
  34. Whole Foods Market, Inc.
  35. DTE Energy Company
  36. Discover Financial Services
  37. Norfolk Southern Corporation
  38. Ameriprise Financial
  39. Crown Holdings Inc.
  40. Icahn Enterprises
  41. Masco Corporation
  42. Cablevision Systems Corp.
  43. Huntsman
  44. Synnex
  45. Newmont Mining Corporation
  46. Chesapeake Energy
  47. Eastman Kodak Company
  48. Aon Corporation
  49. Campbell Soup Company
  50. PPL Corporation
  51. C.H. Robinson Worldwide
  52. Integrys Energy Group
  53. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
  54. Western Digital
  55. Family Dollar Stores, Inc.
  56. Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.
  57. Ball Corporation
  58. Estee Lauder Co.
  59. Shaw Group
  60. VF Corporation
  61. Darden Restaurants, Inc.
  62. Becton, Dickinson and Company
  63. OfficeMax Inc
  64. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.
  65. Kinder Morgan Management LLC
  66. Ross Stores Inc
  67. Pilgrim's Pride Corp
  68. Hertz Global Holdings
  69. Sherwin-Williams Company
  70. Ameren Corporation
  71. Reinsurance Group of America
  72. Owens-Illinois, Inc.
  73. CarMax
  74. Gilead Sciences
  75. Precision Castparts
  76. Visa
  77. Commercial Metals Company
  78. WellCare Health Plans
  79. AutoZone, Inc.
  80. Western Refining
  81. Dole Food Company Inc
  82. Charter Communications
  83. Stryker Corporation
  84. Goodrich Corporation
  85. Visteon Corporation
  86. NiSource
  87. AGCO Corporation
  88. Calpine Corporation
  89. Henry Schein Inc
  90. Hormel Foods Corporation
  91. Affiliated Computer Services, Inc
  92. Thrivent Investment Management
  93. Yahoo
  94. American Family Insurance
  95. Sonic Automotive, Inc
  96. Peabody Energy
  97. Omnicare, Incorporated
  98. Dillard's Inc
  99. WW Grainger, Inc
  100. CMS Energy Corporation
  101. Fortune Brands Inc
  102. AECOM Technology
  103. Symantec
  104. SLM Corp
  105. DaVita
  106. KeyCorp
  107. MeadWestvaco Corp
  108. The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc
  109. Virgin Media
  110. MGM Mirage Inc
  111. The First American Corporation
  112. Avery Dennison Corporation
  113. The McGraw-Hill Companies
  114. Enbridge Energy Partners
  115. Ecolab Inc.
  116. Fidelity National Financial Inc
  117. Dover Corporation
  118. Global Partners
  119. UGI Corporation
  120. Gannett Co., Inc.
  121. Harris
  122. Barnes & Noble Inc
  123. Newell Rubbermaid Inc.
  124. Smurfit-Stone Container
  125. Pitney Bowes Inc
  126. CC Media Holdings
  127. EMCOR Group, Inc.
  128. Dr Pepper Snapple Group
  129. Weyerhaeuser Company
  130. SunGard Data Systems
  131. CH2M Hill
  132. Pantry
  133. Domtar
  134. The Clorox Company
  135. Northeast Utilities
  136. Oshkosh
  137. Mattel Inc
  138. Energy Transfer Equity
  139. Advance Auto Parts Inc
  140. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
  141. Corning Incorporated
  142. Mohawk Industries Inc
  143. PetSmart
  144. Reliance Steel & Aluminum
  145. Hershey Foods Corporation
  146. YRC Worldwide
  147. Dollar Tree
  148. Dana Holding
  149. Cameron International
  150. Nash Finch Company
  151. Pacific Life Insurance Co
  152. Terex Corporation
  153. Universal Health Services
  154. Amerigroup
  155. Sanmina-SCI Corporation
  156. Jarden
  157. Tutor Perini
  158. Mutual of Omaha
  159. Avis Budget Group
  160. Autoliv
  161. MasterCard
  162. Mylan
  163. Western Union
  164. Celanese
  165. Eastman Chemical Company
  166. Telephone & Data Systems
  167. Polo Ralph Lauren
  168. Auto-Owners Insurance
  169. Core-Mark Holding
  170. Western & Southern Financial Group
  171. Applied Materials, Inc
  172. Anixter International
  173. CenturyTel
  174. Atmos Energy
  175. Universal American
  176. Ryder System, Inc.
  177. SPX Corporation
  178. Foot Locker
  179. O'Reilly Automotive
  180. Harley-Davidson Inc
  181. Holly
  182. Owens Corning
  183. Micron Technology Inc
  184. EOG Resources
  185. Black & Decker Corp
  186. Big Lots Stores Inc
  187. Spectra Energy
  188. Starwood Hotels & Resorts
  189. United Stationers Inc.
  190. TravelCenters of America
  191. BlackRock
  192. Laboratory Corp. of America
  193. Health Management Associates
  194. NYSE Euronext
  195. St. Jude Medical
  196. Tenneco Automotive Inc.
  197. El Paso Corporation
  198. WESCO International, Inc.
  199. Consol Energy
  200. ArvinMeritor Inc
  201. NCR Corporation
  202. Unisys Corporation
  203. Lubrizol
  204. Alliant Techsystems
  205. Washington Post
  206. Las Vegas Sands
  207. Group 1 Automotive, Inc.
  208. Genzyme
  209. Allergan
  210. Broadcom
  211. Agilent Technologies Inc
  212. Rockwell Collins
  213. W.R. Berkley Corporation
  214. PepsiAmericas
  215. The Charles Schwab Corporation
  216. Dick's Sporting Goods
  217. FMC Technologies
  218. NII Holdings
  219. General Cable
  220. Graybar Electric Company, Inc.
  221. Biogen Idec
  222. AbitibiBowater
  223. Flowserve
  224. Airgas
  225. Conseco Inc
  226. Rockwell Automation
  227. Kindred Healthcare, Inc.
  228. American Financial Group
  229. Kelly Services
  230. Spectrum Group International
  231. RadioShack Corporation
  232. CA
  233. Con-way
  234. Erie Insurance
  235. Casey's General Stores
  236. Centene
  237. Sealed Air Corporation
  238. Frontier Oil
  239. SCANA Corporation
  240. Live Nation Entertainment
  241. Fiserv
  242. Host Hotels & Resorts
  243. H&R Block, Inc.
  244. Electronic Arts
  245. Franklin Resources
  246. Wisconsin Energy Corp
  247. Northern Trust Corp.
  248. MDU Resources Group
  249. CB Richard Ellis Group
  250. Blockbuster
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