Forbes Names Duke Among 'Best-in-State Employers' for 2025

Both the University and Health System earn spots on a list honoring “America’s Best-in-State Employers”

Duke Chapel and Hospital
Image courtesy of Duke Marketing & Communications.

Duke University and Duke University Health System have been recognized among “America’s Best-in-State Employers” for 2025, according to rankings released by Forbes.

The list of North Carolina-based employers had Duke University ranked 10th and Duke University Health System ranked 21st due to strong reputations as great places to work.

“It’s good to be recognized for the hard work that takes place in both the university and health system to continue to be an employer of choice in North Carolina,” said Duke University Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer Antwan Lofton. “This furthers our commitment to servicing both our patients and students. We’re very thankful for our employees on both sides that make this great place called Duke what it is.”

This is the seventh year in a row that both the Duke University and Duke University Health System have been recognized.

The 2025 list of “America’s Best-in-State Employers” was published by Forbes in partnership with Statista, a market research firm. The results were drawn from survey responses from roughly 160,000 workers at organizations in several industries with 500-or-more employees.

Survey participants were asked to rate how likely they would be to recommend their current or previous employers, industry peers and employers of friends and family. Participants were asked to evaluate employers based on atmosphere and development opportunities, diversity, image, salary/wage and working conditions.

"At Duke Health, being named among the best employers in North Carolina isn’t just an honor, it’s a testament to our shared purpose, our extraordinary people, and the culture of belonging we’ve built together,” said Duke University Health System Vice President and Chief Employee Experience Officer Ian Brown. “This recognition celebrates every team member whose passion, resilience, and heart make Duke Health more than a workplace - it’s where excellence and compassion thrive.”

Duke is the second-largest private employer in the state and paid roughly $4 billion in salaries and wages in 2024. With more than 400 clinic and care locations in North Carolina, Duke University Health System had roughly 72,000 inpatient admissions and 4.8 million outpatient encounters in the 2023-24 fiscal year.

Earlier this year, Forbes named Duke University and Duke University Health System to its list of “America’s Best Employers for New Grads” for the second-consecutive year. Duke University landed on Forbes’ list of “America’s Best Large Employers” for the eighth time in 10 years.

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