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The Biggest Companies in the US by Revenue Each Year Since 1955—What Entrepreneurs Can Learn

February 13, 2024

The Biggest Companies in the US by Revenue Each Year Since 1955—What Entrepreneurs Can Learn

February 13, 2024

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Have you ever wondered what it takes for a company to stay at the top for decades? Many of today’s business giants—like Amazon—weren’t even on the radar fifty years ago, while some of the biggest companies of the past have disappeared entirely.

If you're an entrepreneur ready to form your LLC, this evolution of business success is something to pay attention to. Companies rise and fall based on innovation, consumer demand, and economic shifts. The Fortune 500 list has been tracking the biggest companies in Americafor 70 years, offering a fascinating look at how industries change over time.

What does it take to build a lasting, profitable business? Which industries have dominated over the years? And what lessons can small business owners learn from these shifts? Let’s dive into the history of America’s biggest companies and see how business success has evolved over the decades.

Click below to explore the infographic and discover how the biggest names in business have changed from 1955 to today.

Click the image to expand


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<a href="https://llcattorney.com" 
   title="LLCAttorney.com">By LLCAttorney.com</a>

What is the Fortune 500 list?

The Fortune 500 companies list is America’s oldest continuously published ranking of the biggest companies by revenue in the US. It highlights only publicly traded companies that have a foundation in the US. Because of the lack of readily available revenue figures, the list excludes private companies, the largest of which are currently Cargill, Koch Industries, Publix Super Markets, and Mars, Inc.

When did the Fortune 500 companies list start?

The first-ever Fortune 500 list was published in May 1955. Since then, competitor Forbes created their own list in 1959. Today, the Fortune lists have expanded to the Global 500, Future 50, and others.

In 1995, the criteria changed to include service companies, from McDonald’s to AT&T. Before that point, industrial companies dominated the list.

What were the top 10 largest companies in the United States by decade?

Below, we’ve highlighted the biggest American companies by decade year, starting with the earliest in 1960. So, what were the top 10 on the Fortune 500 list sixty years ago?

Top 10 Biggest US Companies by Revenue in 1960

  1. General Motors (GM)
  2. Exxon Mobil
  3. US Steel
  4. General Electric (GE)
  5. Esmark
  6. Chrysler
  7. Armour
  8. Gulf Oil
  9. Mobil
  10. DuPont

Top 10 Biggest US Companies by Revenue in 1970

  1. General Motors (GM)
  2. Exxon Mobil
  3. Ford Motor
  4. General Electric (GE)
  5. IBM
  6. Chrysler
  7. Mobil
  8. Texaco
  9. ITT Industries
  10. Gulf Oil

Top 10 Biggest US Companies by Revenue in 1980

  1. Exxon Mobil
  2. General Motors (GM)
  3. Mobil
  4. Ford Motor
  5. Texaco
  6. ChevronTexaco
  7. Gulf Oil
  8. IBM
  9. General Electric (GE)
  10. Amoco

Top 10 Biggest US Companies by Revenue in 1990

  1. General Motors (GM)
  2. Ford Motor
  3. Exxon Mobile
  4. IBM
  5. General Electric (GE)
  6. Mobil
  7. Altria Group
  8. Chrysler
  9. DuPont
  10. Texaco

Top 10 Biggest US Companies by Revenue in 2000

  1. General Motors (GM)
  2. Wal-Mart
  3. Exxon Mobile
  4. Ford Motor
  5. General Electric (GE)
  6. IBM
  7. Citigroup
  8. AT&T
  9. Altria Group
  10. Boeing

Top 10 Biggest US Companies by Revenue in 2010

  1. Walmart
  2. Exxon Mobil
  3. Chevron
  4. General Electric (GE)
  5. Bank of America
  6. ConocoPhillips
  7. AT&T
  8. JPMorgan Chase
  9. HP

Top 10 Biggest US Companies by Revenue in 2020

  1. Walmart
  2. Amazon
  3. Exxon Mobil
  4. Apple
  5. CVS Health
  6. Berkshire Hathaway
  7. UnitedHealth Group
  8. McKesson
  9. AT&T
  10. Cencora

The Fortune Top 10 in 2024

  1. Walmart
  2. Amazon
  3. Apple
  4. UnitedHealth Group
  5. Berkshire Hathaway
  6. CVS Health
  7. Exxon Mobil
  8. Alphabet
  9. McKesson
  10. Cencora

The Complete List of the Top 10 Fortune 500 Companies Every Year Since 1955

Fortune 500 Top 10 From 1955-1959

19551956195719581959
RankCompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)
1General Motors$9.8General Motors$12.4General Motors$10.8General Motors$11.0General Motors$9.5
2Exxon Mobil$5.7Exxon Mobil$6.3Exxon Mobil$7.1Exxon Mobil$7.8Exxon Mobil$7.5
3U.S. Steel$3.3Ford Motor$5.6Ford Motor$4.6Ford Motor$5.8Ford Motor$4.1
4General Electric$3.0U.S. Steel$4.1U.S. Steel$4.2U.S. Steel$4.4General Electric$4.1
5Esmark$2.5Chrysler$3.5General Electric$4.1General Electric$4.3U.S. Steel$3.5
6Chrysler$2.1General Electric$3.1Mobil$2.8Chrysler$3.6Mobil$2.9
7Armour$2.1Esmark$2.4Chrysler$2.7Mobil$3.0Gulf Oil$2.8
8Gulf Oil$1.7Bethlehem Steel$2.1Esmark$2.4Gulf Oil$2.7Esmark$2.6
9Mobil$1.7Armour$2.0AT&T Technologies$2.4Bethlehem Steel$2.6Texaco$2.3
10DuPont$1.7DuPont$1.9Gulf Oil$2.3Esmark$2.5AT&T Technologies$2.2

Fortune 500 Top 10 From 1960-1964

19601961196219631964
RankCompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)
1General Motors$11.2General Motors$12.7General Motors$11.4General Motors$14.6General Motors$16.5
2Exxon Mobil$7.9Exxon Mobil$8.0Exxon Mobil$8.4Exxon Mobil$9.5Exxon Mobil$10.3
3Ford Motor$5.4Ford Motor$5.2Ford Motor$6.7Ford Motor$8.1Ford Motor$8.7
4General Electric$4.3General Electric$4.2General Electric$4.5General Electric$4.8General Electric$4.9
5U.S. Steel$3.6U.S. Steel$3.7Mobil$3.3Mobil$3.9Mobil$4.4
6Mobil$3.1Mobil$3.2U.S. Steel$3.3U.S. Steel$3.5U.S. Steel$3.6
7Gulf Oil$2.7Chrysler$3.0Texaco$3.0Texaco$3.3Chrysler$3.5
8Texaco$2.7Texaco$3.0Gulf Oil$2.7Gulf Oil$2.8Texaco$3.4
9Chrysler$2.6Gulf Oil$2.7AT&T Technologies$2.6AT&T Technologies$2.8Gulf Oil$3.0
10Esmark$2.5AT&T Technologies$2.6Esmark$2.5Esmark$2.5AT&T Technologies$2.8

Fortune 500 Top 10 From 1965-1969

19651966196719681969
RankCompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)
1General Motors$17.0General Motors$20.7General Motors$20.2General Motors$20.0General Motors$22.8
2Exxon Mobil$10.8Ford Motor$11.5Ford Motor$12.2Exxon Mobil$13.3Exxon Mobil$14.1
3Ford Motor$9.7Exxon Mobil$11.5Exxon Mobil$12.2Ford Motor$10.5Ford Motor$14.1
4General Electric$4.9General Electric$6.2General Electric$7.2General Electric$7.7General Electric$8.4
5Mobil$4.5Chrysler$5.3Chrysler$5.6Chrysler$6.2Chrysler$7.4
6Chrysler$4.3Mobil$4.9Mobil$5.3Mobil$5.8IBM$6.9
7U.S. Steel$4.1U.S. Steel$4.4Texaco$4.4IBM$5.3Mobil$6.2
8Texaco$3.6Texaco$3.8U.S. Steel$4.4Texaco$5.1Texaco$5.5
9IBM$3.2IBM$3.6IBM$4.2Gulf Oil$4.2Gulf Oil$4.6
10Gulf Oil$3.2Gulf Oil$3.4Gulf Oil$3.8U.S. Steel$4.0U.S. Steel$4.5

Fortune 500 Top 10 From 1970-1974

19701971197219731974
RankCompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)
1General Motors$24.3General Motors$18.8General Motors$28.3General Motors$30.4General Motors$35.8
2Exxon Mobil$14.9Exxon Mobil$16.6Exxon Mobil$18.7Exxon Mobil$20.3Exxon Mobil$25.7
3Ford Motor$14.8Ford Motor$15.0Ford Motor$16.4Ford Motor$20.2Ford Motor$23.0
4General Electric$8.4General Electric$8.7General Electric$9.4General Electric$10.2Chrysler$11.8
5IBM$7.2IBM$7.5IBM$8.3Chrysler$9.8General Electric$11.6
6Chrysler$7.1Mobil$7.3Mobil$8.2IBM$9.5Texaco$11.4
7Mobil$6.6Chrysler$7.0Chrysler$8.0Mobil$9.2Mobil$11.4
8Texaco$5.9ITT Industries$6.4Texaco$7.5Texaco$8.7IBM$11.0
9ITT Industries$5.5Texaco$6.3ITT Industries$7.3ITT Industries$8.6ITT Industries$10.2
10Gulf Oil$5.0AT&T Technologies$5.9AT&T Technologies$6.0AT&T Technologies$6.6Gulf Oil$8.4

Fortune 500 Top 10 From 1975-1979

19751976197719781979
RankCompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)
1Exxon Mobil$42.1Exxon Mobil$44.9Exxon Mobil$48.6General Motors$55.0General Motors$63.2
2General Motors$31.5General Motors$35.7General Motors$47.2Exxon Mobil$54.1Exxon Mobil$60.3
3Ford Motor$23.6Texaco$24.5Ford Motor$28.8Ford Motor$37.8Ford Motor$42.8
4Texaco$23.3Ford Motor$24.0Texaco$26.5Mobil$32.1Mobil$34.7
5Mobil$18.9Mobil$20.6Mobil$26.1Texaco$27.9Texaco$28.6
6ChevronTexaco$17.2ChevronTexaco$16.8ChevronTexaco$19.4ChevronTexaco$20.9ChevronTexaco$23.2
7Gulf Oil$16.5IBM$14.4Gulf Oil$16.5IBM$18.1IBM$21.1
8General Electric$13.4Gulf Oil$14.3IBM$16.3Gulf Oil$17.8General Electric$19.7
9IBM$12.7General Electric$13.4General Electric$15.7General Electric$17.5Gulf Oil$18.1
10ITT Industries$11.2Chrysler$11.7Chrysler$15.5Chrysler$16.7Chrysler$16.3

Fortune 500 Top 10 From 1980-1984

19801981198219841985
RankCompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)
1Exxon Mobil$79.1Exxon Mobil$103.1Exxon Mobil$108.1Exxon Mobil$97.2Exxon Mobil$88.6
2General Motors$66.3Mobil$59.5Mobil$64.5General Motors$60.0General Motors$74.6
3Mobil$44.7General Motors$57.7General Motors$62.7Mobil$59.9Mobil$54.6
4Ford Motor$43.5Texaco$51.2Texaco$57.6Texaco$47.0Ford Motor$44.5
5Texaco$38.4ChevronTexaco$40.5ChevronTexaco$44.2Ford Motor$37.1IBM$40.2
6ChevronTexaco$29.9Ford Motor$37.1Ford Motor$38.2IBM$34.4Texaco$40.1
7Gulf Oil$23.9Gulf Oil$26.5Amoco$29.9ChevronTexaco$34.4DuPont$35.4
8IBM$22.9IBM$26.2IBM$29.1DuPont$33.3Amoco$27.6
9General Electric$22.5Amoco$26.1Gulf Oil$28.3Gulf Oil$28.4ChevronTexaco$27.3
10Amoco$18.6General Electric$25.0Atlantic Richfield$27.8Amoco$28.1General Electric$26.8

Fortune 500 Top 10 From 1985-1989

19851986198719881989
RankCompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)
1Exxon Mobil$90.9General Motors$96.4General Motors$102.8General Motors$101.8General Motors$121.1
2General Motors$83.9Exxon Mobil$86.7Exxon Mobil$69.9Exxon Mobil$76.4Ford Motor$92.4
3Mobil$56.0Mobil$56.0Ford Motor$62.7Ford Motor$71.6Exxon Mobil$79.6
4Ford Motor$52.4Ford Motor$52.8IBM$51.3IBM$54.2IBM$59.7
5Texaco$47.3IBM$50.1Mobil$44.9Mobil$51.2General Electric$49.4
6IBM$45.9Texaco$46.3General Electric$35.2General Electric$39.3Mobil$48.2
7DuPont$35.9ChevronTexaco$41.7AT&T$34.1Texaco$34.4Chrysler$35.5
8AT&T$33.2AT&T$34.9Texaco$31.6AT&T$33.6Texaco$33.5
9General Electric$27.9DuPont$29.5DuPont$27.1DuPont$30.5DuPont$32.5
10Amoco$26.9General Electric$28.3ChevronTexaco$24.4Chrysler$26.3Altria Group$25.9

Fortune 500 Top 10 From 1990-1994

19901991199219931994
RankCompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)
1General Motors$127.0General Motors$125.1General Motors$123.8General Motors$132.8General Motors$133.6
2Ford Motor$96.9Exxon Mobil$105.9Exxon Mobil$103.2Exxon Mobil$103.5Ford Motor$108.5
3Exxon Mobil$86.7Ford Motor$98.3Ford Motor$89.0Ford Motor$100.8Exxon Mobil$97.8
4IBM$63.4IBM$69.0IBM$65.4IBM$65.1IBM$62.7
5General Electric$55.3Mobil$58.8General Electric$60.2General Electric$62.2General Electric$60.8
6Mobil$51.0General Electric$58.4Mobil$56.9Mobil$57.4Mobil$56.6
7Altria Group$39.1Altria Group$44.3Altria Group$48.1Altria Group$50.2Altria Group$50.6
8Chrysler$36.2Texaco$41.2DuPont$38.0ChevronTexaco$38.5Chrysler$43.6
9DuPont$35.2DuPont$39.8Texaco$37.6DuPont$37.4Texaco$34.4
10Texaco$32.4ChevronTexaco$39.3ChevronTexaco$36.8Texaco$37.1DuPont$32.6

Fortune 500 Top 10 From 1995-1999

19951996199719981999
RankCompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)
1General Motors$155.0General Motors$168.8General Motors$168.4General Motors$178.2General Motors$161.3
2Ford Motor$128.4Ford Motor$137.1Ford Motor$147.0Ford Motor$153.6Ford Motor$144.4
3Exxon Mobil$101.5Exxon Mobil$110.0Exxon Mobil$119.4Exxon Mobil$122.4Wal-Mart$139.2
4Wal-Mart$83.4Wal-Mart$93.6Wal-Mart$106.1Wal-Mart$119.3Exxon Mobil$100.7
5AT&T$75.1AT&T$79.6General Electric$79.2General Electric$90.8General Electric$100.5
6General Electric$64.7IBM$71.9IBM$75.9IBM$78.5IBM$81.7
7IBM$64.1General Electric$70.0AT&T$74.5Chrysler$61.1Citigroup$76.4
8Mobil$59.6Mobil$66.7Mobil$72.3Mobil$60.0Altria Group$57.8
9Sears Roebuck$54.6Chrysler$53.2Chrysler$61.4Altria Group$56.1Boeing$56.2
10Altria Group$53.8Altria Group$53.1Altria Group$54.6AT&T$53.3AT&T$53.6

Fortune 500 Top 10 From 2000-2004

20002001200220032004
RankCompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)
1General Motors$189.1Exxon Mobil$210.4Wal-Mart$219.8Wal-Mart$246.5Wal-Mart$258.7
2Wal-Mart$166.8Wal-Mart$193.3Exxon Mobil$191.6General Motors$186.8Exxon Mobil$213.2
3Exxon Mobil$163.9General Motors$184.6General Motors$177.3Exxon Mobil$182.5General Motors$195.6
4Ford Motor$162.6Ford Motor$180.6Ford Motor$162.4Ford Motor$163.6Ford Motor$164.5
5General Electric$111.6General Electric$129.9Enron$138.7General Electric$131.7General Electric$134.2
6IBM$87.5Citigroup$111.8General Electric$125.9Citigroup$100.8ChevronTexaco$112.9
7Citigroup$82.0Enron$100.8Citigroup$112.0ChevronTexaco$92.0ConocoPhillips$99.5
8AT&T$62.4IBM$88.4ChevronTexaco$99.7IBM$83.1Citigroup$94.7
9Altria Group$61.8AT&T$66.0IBM$85.9AIG$67.7IBM$89.1
10Boeing$58.0Verizon$64.7Altria Group$72.9Verizon$67.6AIG$81.3

Fortune 500 Top 10 From 2005-2009

20052006200720082009
RankCompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)
1Wal-Mart$288.2Exxon Mobil$339.9Walmart$351.1Walmart$378.8Exxon Mobil$442.9
2Exxon Mobil$270.8Walmart$315.7Exxon Mobil$347.3Exxon Mobil$372.8Walmart$405.6
3General Motors$193.5General Motors$192.6General Motors$207.3Chevron$210.8Chevron$263.2
4Ford Motor$172.2Chevron$189.5Chevron$200.6General Motors$182.3ConocoPhillips$230.8
5General Electric$152.4Ford Motor$177.2ConocoPhillips$172.5ConocoPhillips$178.6General Electric$183.2
6ChevronTexaco$148.0ConocoPhillips$166.7General Electric$168.3General Electric$176.7General Motors$149.0
7ConocoPhillips$121.7General Electric$157.2Ford Motor$160.1Ford Motor$172.5Ford Motor$146.3
8Citigroup$108.3Citigroup$131.0Citigroup$146.8Citigroup$159.2AT&T$124.0
9AIG$98.6AIG$108.9Bank of America$117.0Bank of America$119.2HP$118.4
10IBM$96.3IBM$91.1AIG$113.2AT&T$118.9Valero Energy$118.3

Fortune 500 Top 10 From 2010-2014

20102011201220132014
RankCompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)
1Walmart$408.2Walmart$421.8Exxon Mobil$452.9Walmart$469.2Walmart$476.3
2Exxon Mobil$284.7Exxon Mobil$354.7Walmart$447.0Exxon Mobil$449.9Exxon Mobil$407.7
3Chevron$163.5Chevron$196.3Chevron$245.6Chevron$233.9Chevron$220.4
4General Electric$156.8ConocoPhillips$185.0ConocoPhillips$237.3Phillips 66$169.6Berkshire Hathaway$182.2
5Bank of America$150.5Fannie Mae$153.8General Motors$150.3Berkshire Hathaway$162.5Apple$170.9
6ConocoPhillips$139.5General Electric$151.6General Electric$147.6Apple$156.5Phillips 66$161.2
7AT&T$123.0Berkshire Hathaway$136.2Berkshire Hathaway$143.7General Motors$152.3General Motors$155.4
8Ford Motor$118.3General Motors$135.6Fannie Mae$137.5General Electric$146.9Ford Motor$146.9
9JPMorgan Chase$115.6Bank of America$134.2Ford Motor$136.3Valero Energy$138.3General Electric$146.2
10HP$114.6Ford Motor$129.0HP$127.2Ford Motor$134.3Valero Energy$137.8

Fortune 500 Top 10 From 2015-2019

20152016201720182019
RankCompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)
1Walmart$485.7Walmart$482.1Walmart$485.9Walmart$500.3Walmart$514.4
2Exxon Mobil$382.6Exxon Mobil$246.2Berkshire Hathaway$223.6Exxon Mobil$244.4Exxon Mobil$290.2
3Chevron$203.8Apple$233.7Apple$215.6Berkshire Hathaway$242.1Apple$265.6
4Berkshire Hathaway$194.7Berkshire Hathaway$210.8Exxon Mobil$205.0Apple$229.2Berkshire Hathaway$247.8
5Apple$182.8McKesson$181.2McKesson$192.5UnitedHealth Group$201.2Amazon$232.9
6General Motors$155.9UnitedHealth Group$157.1UnitedHealth Group$184.8McKesson$198.5UnitedHealth Group$226.2
7Phillips 66$149.4CVS Health$153.3CVS Health$177.5CVS Health$184.8McKesson$208.4
8General Electric$148.3General Motors$152.4General Motors$166.4Amazon$177.9CVS Health$194.6
9Ford Motor$144.1Ford Motor$149.6AT&T$163.8AT&T$160.5AT&T$170.8
10CVS Health$139.4AT&T$146.8Ford Motor$151.8General Motors$157.3Cencora$167.9

Fortune 500 Top 10 From 2020-2024

20202021202220232024 (as of July)
RankCompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)CompanyRevenues($ billions)
1Walmart$524.0Walmart$559.2Walmart$572.8Walmart$611.3Walmart$648.1
2Amazon$280.5Amazon$386.1Amazon$469.8Amazon$514.0Amazon$574.8
3Exxon Mobil$264.9Apple$274.5Apple$365.8Exxon Mobil$413.7Apple$383.3
4Apple$260.2CVS Health$268.7CVS Health$292.1Apple$394.3UnitedHealth Group$371.6
5CVS Health$256.8UnitedHealth Group$257.1UnitedHealth Group$287.6UnitedHealth Group$324.2Berkshire Hathaway$364.5
6Berkshire Hathaway$254.6Berkshire Hathaway$245.5Exxon Mobil$285.6CVS Health$322.5CVS Health$357.8
7UnitedHealth Group$242.2McKesson$231.1Berkshire Hathaway$276.1Berkshire Hathaway$302.1Exxon Mobil$344.6
8McKesson$214.3Cencora$189.9Alphabet$257.6Alphabet$282.8Alphabet$307.4
9AT&T$181.2Alphabet$182.5McKesson$238.2McKesson$264.0McKesson$276.7
10Cencora$179.6Exxon Mobil$181.5Cencora$214.0Chevron$246.3Cencora$262.2

Sources:

Author
Jonathan Feniak
,
Esq., MBA

Jonathan is admitted to practice law in Colorado and Wyoming. In this position, he helps business owners at nearly every level and in nearly every industry with asset protection, estate planning, and business formation. Beyond business owners, Jonathan also helps activists of all political persuasions to legally protect themselves.