3 Triangle companies landed on Forbes’ ‘Dream Employers’ list. Here’s why

Three Triangle companies just earned spots among the top of Forbes’ America’s Dream Employers list.

The ranking, conducted in partnership with research firm Statista, drew on responses from more than 10,000 U.S. college students and 140,000 U.S.-based employees at companies with at least 1,000 staff.

As part of the survey, students were asked which companies they’d most want to work for, rating potential employers on growth prospects, job quality, pay and reputation. Employees at those companies weighed in too, rating their experiences based on salary and benefits, workplace flexibility, room for professional development and whether they’d recommend their employer to others.

Cary-based Epic Games, the highest ranked company in the state on the list, came in at No. 12. Duke University Health System landed at No. 53, and not too far behind was Morrisville-based Lenovo, at No. 80.

North Carolina ‘Dream Employers’

Epic Games, which created the global sensation Fortnight, grew from a hip mid-sized studio into one of the most valuable private companies in the world after the video game was released eight years ago.

This fall, Lenovo announced it expected to add 420 jobs and invest $77 million to grow its manufacturing facility between Burlington and Greensboro. The company today is the world’s largest PC maker and has around 400 current employees in Whitsett, a small town in Guilford County.

Duke Regional Hospital in Durham was recently named one of the nation’s safest for hospital care, according to national watchdog The Leapfrog Group. Duke was named a “straight A hospital,” meaning it earned an A grade for five or more consecutive reports.

‘Dream Employers’ in NC

The only other North Carolina employer featured in the top 100 was Charlotte-based Bank of America, which came in at No. 12. UNC Health in Chapel Hill also fell just outside at No. 103.

Here are all the North Carolina companies included on the list, along with their rankings:

• No. 12: Epic Games, Cary
• No. 16: Bank of America, Charlotte
• No. 53: Duke University Health System, Durham
• No. 80: Lenovo, Morrisville
• No. 103: UNC Health Care, Chapel Hill
• No. 120: Labcorp Holdings, Burlington
• No. 192: SASR Workforce Solutions, Raleigh
• No. 208: Honeywell International, Charlotte
• No. 301: Truist Financial, Charlotte
• No. 368: Octapharma Plasma, Charlotte
• No. 414: Volvo Group, Greensboro
• No. 423: Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Durham
• No. 430: Sunstates Security, Raleigh
• No. 452: Rack Room Shoes, Charlotte
• No. 464: Duke University, Durham

Forbes’ Top 10 Dream Employers in America

Here are the top 10 Dream Employers in America, according to Forbes:

• NVIDIA, Santa Clara, California
• St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
• Microsoft, Redmond, Washington
• Google, Mountain View, California
• Universal Music Group, Santa Monica, California
• IBM, Armonk, New York
• Apple, Cupertino, California
• Nintendo, Redmond, Washington
• LinkedIn, Sunnyvale, California
• Shriner’s Hospital for Children, Tampa, Florida

The News & Observer’s Brian Gordon contributed to this story.

Evan Moore

The Charlotte Observer

Evan Moore is a service journalism reporter for the Charlotte Observer. He grew up in Denver, North Carolina, where he previously worked as a reporter for the Denver Citizen, and is a UNC Charlotte graduate.