The best company to work for in 2026 isn't a buzzy tech startup â it's a family-owned carwash company based in Indiana, according to Glassdoor's 18th annual Best Places to Work report.
Glassdoor named Crew Carwash as the number one place to work in 2026, based on their analysis of employee feedback from U.S.-based companies with at least 1,000 workers submitted between October 2024 and October 2025. The full list encompasses 100 companies.
Employees were asked to rate their overall satisfaction with their employer, as well as workplace attributes like career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, diversity and inclusion, senior management and work-life balance.
A common trait among the top companies on the list is that they are "continuing to invest in employees," says Daniel Zhao, chief economist at Glassdoor.
With widespread layoffs at major companies, "2025 was a year of very high uncertainty in the economy, and thus for workers," he says.
The best employers are the ones that helped "their employees adapt to this uncertain environment," he continues.
Here are the top 10 best companies to work for in 2026, according to Glassdoor.
1. Crew Carwash
Company rating: 4.6
Headquarters: Fishers, IN
Industry: Retail
2. In-N-Out Burger
Company rating: 4.5
Headquarters: Irvine, CA
Industry: Food service
3. Nvidia
Company rating: 4.5
Headquarters: Santa Clara, CA
Industry: Technology
4. Ryan
Company rating: 4.5
Headquarters: Dallas, TX
Industry: Finance
5. Keller Williams
Company rating: 4.5
Headquarters: Austin, TX
Industry: Real estate
6. Mars
Company rating: 4.4
Headquarters: McLean, VA
Industry: Manufacturing
7. ServiceNow
Company rating: 4.4
Headquarters: Santa Clara, CA
Industry: Technology
8. Bain & Company
Company rating: 4.4
Headquarters: Boston, MA
Industry: Business consulting
9. Houston Methodist
Company rating: 4.4
Headquarters: Houston, TX
Industry: Healthcare
10. EPAM Systems
Company rating: 4.4
Headquarters: Newtown, PA
Industry: Technology
Crew Carwash rose to the top spot on the list this year after ranking second in 2024. Glassdoor cites supportive leadership, opportunities for career growth and team culture as key factors that contribute to the company's success.
One trend Zhao points to in this year's report is the "ongoing decline" of tech companies on the list.
While tech is still the best-represented industry, with 24 companies on Glassdoor's list of 100, the number of tech companies on Glassdoor's list has decreased consistently, down from 26 companies in 2025 and 31 companies in 2024.
"This is a continuation of what we've seen for tech across several years, where the industry has lost some of its luster as some of these big tech companies undergo layoffs," Zhao says.
Flexibility is one of the main criteria that employees are looking for in the workplace, according to Zhao.
"Some of these large companies [are] really pushing on return to office, or being much more strict about the hours that people are working," he says. "What we hear from workers is that they really value flexibility."
Still, the tech industry offers "potentially very high pay and career opportunities," he says, "even though it isn't quite at its peak" in popularity.
The retail and manufacturing industries increased their representation on this year's list to 10 and nine companies, respectively.
This year's list "really goes to show that finding the best place to work is is not limited to just one industry or just one job," Zhao says. "There are these employers across a whole host of different sectors and parts of the country that offer best-in-class employee experience."
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