What are the most profitable industries, and what are the most profitable companies within those industries? The research team at Cloud Peak Law Group analyzed the profits that every company on the Fortune 500 list earned during their most recent fiscal year to determine the most profitable U.S. company in every industry. The colorful chart below was created using the results of our analysis, with each company’s annual profits visualized as a bubble. Fortune magazine’s annual ranking of the 500 largest companies in the United States compares these major corporations by their annual revenue for their respective fiscal years, but we’ve ranked them based on the profits they earned over the course of the fiscal year. To take our ranking a step beyond just a list of the most profitable companies in America, we decided to break it down by industry to reveal the most successful company in every industry. Read on to see which companies earned the highest profits across 73 industries that span 22 different sectors.
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What Is the Most Profitable Company in the United States?
The most profitable company in the U.S. is Apple, with $94.68 billion in profit earned during their 2022 fiscal year, which began on Sept. 26, 2021, and ended on Sept. 24, 2022. Apple’s profits during this time were 64.9% higher than the profits earned during the 2021 fiscal year. Apple is by far the most profitable technology company; only Google’s parent company Alphabet comes close, with $76.03 billion in profits earned this past year.
The second most profitable company in America is Berkshire Hathaway, with a recorded profit of $89.8 billion earned this year. If you thought Apple’s increase in profits was impressive, brace yourself: Berkshire Hathaway's profits increased an unbelievable 111.2% over the previous year’s profits. Berkshire Hathaway is the most profitable company in the financial sector and the property/casualty insurance industry. The second most profitable financial company was JPMorgan Chase, which made a profit of $48.33 billion, roughly half of Berskhire Hathaway's profits.
The 10 Most Profitable Companies in the United States
- Apple: $94.68 billion
- Berkshire Hathaway: $89.80 billion
- Alphabet: $76.03 billion
- Microsoft: $61.27 billion
- JPMorgan Chase: $48.33 billion
- Meta Platforms: $39.37 billion
- Amazon: $33.364 billion
- Bank of America: $31.98 billion
- ExxonMobil: $23.04 billion
- Fannie Mae: $22.18 billion
What Is the Most Profitable Company in the World?
Saudi Aramco, a petroleum and natural gas company, is the world’s most profitable company, and it earned $105.37 billion during the most recent fiscal year. Apple’s $95.68 billion profit earned it the title of the second most profitable corporation in the world, with Berkshire Hathaway on its heels as another of the most profitable companies in the world.
What Is the Most Profitable Energy Company in the United States?
The most profitable energy company in the U.S. is ExxonMobil, with a profit of $23.04 billion earned during their fiscal year. This was quite the turnaround for ExxonMobil, which had its worst year in decades the previous year, losing $22 billion amid the pandemic. With oil and gas prices rising throughout 2022, energy is one of the most profitable industries, with ExxonMobil and other energy companies back to earning record profits.
What Is the Most Profitable Health-Care
Company in the United
States?
The most profitable health-care company in the U.S. is Pfizer, which earned record profits of $21.98 billion during the 2021 fiscal year. Pfizer had one of the bigger increases in profits on our list of companies, with a whopping 128.60% increase over the previous year’s profits. The main reason for Pfizer’s high profits during their recent fiscal year is the development of its vaccine for COVID-19, which has 70% of the U.S. and European market share. Before the pandemic began, Pfizer’s most profitable products were a pneumonia vaccine, the fibromyalgia treatment Lyrica, and the cancer drug Ibrance.
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The Most Profitable U.S. Company in Every Industry
| Sector | Industry | Company | Profits (in Billions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aerospace and Defense | Aerospace and Defense | Northrop Grumman | $7.01 |
| 1 | Apparel | Apparel | Nike | $5.73 |
| 1 | Business Services | Financial Data Services | Visa | $12.31 |
| 2 | Business Services | Diversified Outsourcing Services | Automatic Data Processing | $2.60 |
| 3 | Business Services | Waste Management | Waste Management | $1.82 |
| 4 | Business Services | Advertising and Marketing | Omnicom Group | $1.41 |
| 5 | Business Services | Miscellaneous | United Rentals | $1.39 |
| 6 | Business Services | Temporary Help | Robert Half International | $0.60 |
| 1 | Chemicals | Chemicals | DuPont | $6.47 |
| 1 | Energy | Petroleum Refining | ExxonMobil | $23.04 |
| 2 | Energy | Mining and Crude Oil Production | ConocoPhillips | $8.08 |
| 3 | Energy | Pipelines | Energy Transfer | $5.47 |
| 4 | Energy | Utilities: Gas and Electric | Duke Energy | $3.91 |
| 5 | Energy | Energy | NRG Energy | $2.19 |
| 6 | Energy | Oil and Gas Equipment and Services | Halliburton | $1.46 |
| 1 | Engineering and Construction | Home Builders | Lennar | $4.43 |
| 2 | Engineering and Construction | Engineering and Construction | Peter Kiewit Sons’ | $0.75 |
| 1 | Financial | Insurance, Property and Casualty (Stock) | Berkshire Hathaway | $89.80 |
| 2 | Financial | Commercial Banks | JPMorgan Chase | $48.33 |
| 3 | Financial | Diversified Financials | Fannie Mae | $22.18 |
| 4 | Financial | Insurance, Life and Health (Stock) | Prudential Financial | $7.72 |
| 5 | Financial | Securities | BlackRock | $5.90 |
| 6 | Financial | Insurance, Life and Health (Mutual) | TIAA | $4.06 |
| 7 | Financial | Real Estate | Prologis | $2.94 |
| 8 | Financial | Insurance, Property and Casualty (Mutual) | Nationwide | $1.62 |
| 1 | Food and Drug Stores | Food and Drug Stores | Publix Super Markets | $4.41 |
| 1 | Food, Beverage, and Tobacco | Beverages | Coca-Cola | $9.77 |
| 2 | Food, Beverage, and Tobacco | Tobacco | Philip Morris International | $9.11 |
| 3 | Food, Beverage, and Tobacco | Food Consumer Products | PepsiCo | $7.62 |
| 4 | Food, Beverage, and Tobacco | Food Production | Tyson Foods | $3.05 |
| 1 | Health Care | Pharmaceuticals | Pfizer | $21.98 |
| 2 | Health Care | Health Care, Insurance and Managed Care | UnitedHealth Group | $17.29 |
| 3 | Health Care | Health Care, Pharmacy and Other Services | CVS Health | $7.91 |
| 4 | Health Care | Medical Products and Equipment | Abbott Laboratories | $7.07 |
| 5 | Health Care | Health Care, Medical Facilities | HCA Healthcare | $6.96 |
| 6 | Health Care | Wholesalers, Health Care | AmerisourceBergen | $1.54 |
| 1 | Hotels, Restaurants, and Leisure | Food Services | McDonald’s | $7.55 |
| 2 | Hotels, Restaurants, and Leisure | Hotels, Casinos, and Resorts | MGM Resorts International | $1.25 |
| 1 | Household Products | Household and Personal Products | Procter & Gamble | $14.31 |
| 2 | Household Products | Home Equipment and Furnishings | Stanley Black & Decker | $1.69 |
| 3 | Household Products | Toys and Sporting Goods | Mattel | $0.90 |
| $0.00 | ||||
| 1 | Industrial | Construction and Farm Machinery | Caterpillar | $6.49 |
| 2 | Industrial | Electronics and Electrical Equipment | Honeywell International | $5.54 |
| 3 | Industrial | Industrial Machinery | Illinois Tool Works | $2.69 |
| $0.00 | ||||
| 1 | Materials | Metals | Nucor | $6.83 |
| 2 | Materials | Forest and Paper Products | Weyerhaeuser | $2.61 |
| 3 | Materials | Packaging and Containers | International Paper | $1.75 |
| 4 | Materials | Building Materials, Glass | Builders FirstSource | $1.73 |
| 1 | Media | Entertainment | Netflix | $5.12 |
| 2 | Media | Publishing and Printing | News Corp. | $0.33 |
| 1 | Motor Vehicles and Parts | Motor Vehicles and Parts | Ford Motor | $17.94 |
| 1 | Retailing | Internet Services and Retailing | Amazon | $33.36 |
| 2 | Retailing | Specialty Retailers, Other | Home Depot | $16.43 |
| 3 | Retailing | General Merchandisers | Walmart | $13.67 |
| 4 | Retailing | Specialty Retailers, Apparel | TJX | $3.28 |
| 5 | Retailing | Automotive Retailing and Services | AutoNation | $1.37 |
| 1 | Technology | Computers and Office Equipment | Apple | $94.68 |
| 2 | Technology | Internet Services and Retailing | Alphabet | $76.03 |
| 3 | Technology | Computer Software | Microsoft | $61.27 |
| 4 | Technology | Semiconductors and Other Electronic Components | Intel | $19.87 |
| 5 | Technology | Network and Other Communications Equipment | Cisco Systems | $10.59 |
| 6 | Technology | Scientific, Photographic, and Control Equipment | Thermo Fisher Scientific | $7.73 |
| 7 | Technology | Information Technology Services | IBM | $5.74 |
| 1 | Telecommunications | Telecommunications | Verizon Communications | $22.07 |
| 1 | Transportation | Mail, Package, and Freight Delivery | United Parcel Service | $12.89 |
| 2 | Transportation | Railroads | Union Pacific | $6.52 |
| 3 | Transportation | Transportation and Logistics | Expeditors International of Washington | $1.42 |
| 4 | Transportation | Trucking and Truck Leasing | Old Dominion Freight Line | $1.03 |
| 5 | Transportation | Airlines | Southwest Airlines | $0.98 |
| 6 | Transportation | Shipping | Matson | $0.93 |
| 7 | Transportation | Transportation Equipment | Harley-Davidson | $0.65 |
| 1 | Wholesalers | Wholesalers, Electronics and Office Equipment | Arrow Electronics | $1.11 |
| 2 | Wholesalers | Wholesalers, Diversified | LKQ | $1.09 |
| 3 | Wholesalers | Wholesalers, Food and Grocery | Sysco | $0.52 |
