Mapping America’s Biggest Employers By State

When taking a look at the largest private employers in the United States, a not-so-subtle trend emerges: Walmart dominates. The company has 3,500 Supercenters spread around the United States, and is now the top private employer in 21 states. Put another way? Walmart employs 1% of private sector workforce in the United States.

In America, approximately 150 million people are currently employed, doing everything from neurosurgery to greeting customers at your local Walmart Supercenter.

A few large-scale organizations stand out as the top employer in each state.

The U.S. is the third most populous country in the world, so it takes a lot of manpower to keep the government running. It’ll come as no surprise that, in most states, either the state or federal government is the top employer. California alone employs a quarter of a million federal workers.

New York State is a unique case as NYC’s municipal workforce is the top employer. Technically, the largest employer on the planet is the U.S. Department of Defense, and in eight states, there are more active military personnel than any single private employer.

When it comes to large-scale employment, there’s one regional trend that stands out the most – the broad blue expanse of Walmart country.

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