Duke Earns Spot on Forbes 2025 List of America’s Best Large Employers

University is ranked among nation’s best workplaces for the eighth time in 10 years

Skyline of Duke
Image courtesy of Duke University Marketing & Communications.

Duke University was named one of “America’s Best Large Employers for 2025,” according to Forbes.

The rankings, which were released last month, listed Duke 144th among the 701 ranked employers. Duke had the fourth highest-ranking among North Carolina-Based employers.

It was also the eighth time in the list’s 10-year history that Duke University has been included.

“This reaffirms our commitment to creating employment opportunities where people continue to view Duke as a destination, a place that they want to work,” said Duke Vice President for Human Resources Antwan Lofton. “It really shows that we are still striving to live out our core values.”

Forbes partnered with the business analytics firm Statista, which collects and analyzes workplace evaluation data, to create its annual list. The list is based on information drawn from surveys of more than 217,000 U.S.-based employees working for organizations employing more than 1,000 people.

The respondents shared evaluations of their employers and employers of people they know, as well as industry peers. In all, the survey data, which was collected during the last three years, included roughly 6.5 million evaluations of workplaces across a range of industries.

Employers were evaluated on dimensions such as atmosphere, development opportunities, compensation, image, diversity, and working conditions.

Duke continues to refine its range of employee benefits, which include a variety of professional development programs, educational benefits, such as the expanded Employee Tuition Assistance Program, and strong health, retirement, employee wellness, and time off benefits.

The combined workforce of Duke University and Duke University Health System includes more than 48,000 people, making Duke the second-largest private employer in North Carolina and the largest in Durham.

“Every job at Duke contributes to the institution’s overarching missions,” Lofton said. “Knowing that Duke plays a crucial role in our community and the wider world helps keep us all engaged and excited about the work that we do.”

In recent years, Duke has been a regular feature on similar lists for both Forbes and Newsweek, including recognition in multiple categories in 2024.

Click here for Forbes' full list of “America’s Best Large Employers for 2025."

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