IN OTHER NEWS – Georgia recently ranked in the top 15 most productive states in the United States in a new analysis of Fortune 500 data.
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New study reveals the most and least productive states in the USA by analyzing Fortune 500 data
A new analysis of the 2024 Fortune 500 rankings has revealed the most and least efficient companies in the USA.
One metric we can use to measure efficiency is profit per employee. Dividing a company’s profits by the number of full-time employees gives an indication of how efficiently (or otherwise) that company is utilizing their workforce.
As such, high profit per employee figures typically indicate efficient resource management and high levels of productivity, in addition to financial success.
The average Fortune 500 company makes a profit of $126 thousand per employee, with some states doubling that figure.
The most productive states in the USA
Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Oklahoma, the District of Columbia and Texas are the runaway successes with an average profit per employee of $1.2 million, $750 thousand and $449 thousand respectively.
Idaho and Louisiana were the only two states on the list to post negative profits per employee, though both states only had two companies listed within the Fortune 500.
| Rank | State | Profit Per Employee (2024) | Fortune 500 Companies |
| 1 | Oklahoma | $1,286,814 | 6 |
| 2 | District Of Columbia | $750,818 | 3 |
| 3 | Texas | $449,142 | 52 |
| 4 | California | $198,883 | 57 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $162,453 | 5 |
| 6 | Virginia | $140,385 | 24 |
| 7 | Colorado | $129,908 | 9 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $124,983 | 14 |
| 9 | Nebraska | $120,403 | 4 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $115,013 | 12 |
| 11 | New York | $106,429 | 52 |
| 12 | Missouri | $99,761 | 7 |
| 13 | Alabama | $94,159 | 2 |
| 14 | Georgia | $87,527 | 18 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $86,938 | 16 |
| 16 | Ohio | $78,717 | 27 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $77,356 | 15 |
| 18 | Arizona | $75,145 | 10 |
| 19 | Maryland | $64,935 | 3 |
| 20 | Washington | $63,986 | 12 |
| 21 | Indiana | $62,703 | 8 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $58,524 | 17 |
| 23 | Florida | $55,357 | 22 |
| 24 | Oregon | $50,262 | 2 |
| 25 | Illinois | $49,152 | 32 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $46,034 | 8 |
| 27 | Michigan | $33,110 | 16 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $31,827 | 20 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $28,819 | 10 |
| 30 | Iowa | $22,797 | 2 |
| 31 | Nevada | $21,378 | 3 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $18,874 | 4 |
| 33 | Delaware | $17,625 | 1 |
| 34 | Kansas | $17,592 | 1 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $16,201 | 2 |
| 36 | Idaho | -$64,016 | 2 |
| 37 | Louisiana | -$87,133 | 2 |
The most productive cities in the USA
We also analysed the cities in the USA, removing any with fewer than three companies headquartered there for fairness.
| City | State | Profit Per Employee (2024) | Fortune 500 Companies |
| Oklahoma City | Oklahoma | $2,171,961 | 3 |
| Washington | District Of Columbia | $750,818 | 3 |
| Houston | Texas | $670,462 | 21 |
| Tulsa | Oklahoma | $401,667 | 3 |
| McLean | Virginia | $355,725 | 4 |
| Irving | Texas | $334,248 | 9 |
| San Francisco | California | $302,893 | 9 |
| Denver | Colorado | $273,913 | 4 |
| Parsippany | New Jersey | $269,970 | 3 |
| Santa Clara | California | $265,959 | 5 |
| Richmond | Virginia | $240,151 | 6 |
| Boston | Massachusetts | $166,321 | 6 |
| San Diego | California | $157,293 | 3 |
| Scottsdale | Arizona | $144,959 | 3 |
| Miami | Florida | $134,404 | 3 |
| Omaha | Nebraska | $120,403 | 4 |
| San Jose | California | $116,024 | 7 |
| New York | New York | $115,230 | 41 |
| St. Louis | Missouri | $102,227 | 4 |
| Dallas | Texas | $101,097 | 9 |
| Minneapolis | Minnesota | $98,520 | 6 |
| Detroit | Michigan | $98,141 | 3 |
| Cincinnati | Ohio | $96,632 | 6 |
| Greenwich | Connecticut | $94,346 | 4 |
| Stamford | Connecticut | $85,904 | 4 |
| Charlotte | North Carolina | $85,784 | 7 |
| Atlanta | Georgia | $81,362 | 14 |
| Milwaukee | Wisconsin | $80,132 | 5 |
| Reston | Virginia | $76,612 | 4 |
| Indianapolis | Indiana | $70,537 | 3 |
| Columbus | Ohio | $62,613 | 4 |
| Chicago | Illinois | $53,275 | 15 |
| Phoenix | Arizona | $41,307 | 4 |
| Providence | Rhode Island | $39,550 | 3 |
| Cleveland | Ohio | $34,846 | 4 |
| Oakland | California | $32,641 | 3 |
| Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | $30,637 | 6 |
| Seattle | Washington | $29,712 | 8 |
| Jacksonville | Florida | $24,067 | 3 |
| Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | $23,114 | 3 |
| Memphis | Tennessee | $14,280 | 3 |
| Arlington | Virginia | $10,071 | 3 |
| Englewood | Colorado | -$344 | 3 |
| St. Paul | Minnesota | -$4,329 | 3 |
