Duke Named One of 'America’s Best Employers for Company Culture' in 2026

Forbes honors university for climate of fairness, acceptance and opportunity

Duke's campus at sunrise
Photo courtesy of Duke Marketing & Communications.

Duke University has earned a spot on Forbes’ 2026 list of America’s Best Employers for Company Culture.

The university was ranked 62nd among the 600 employers recognized. It's the second-straight year that Duke University has been included in the list.

“This speaks to our commitment to providing employment opportunities and a work culture that make Duke a place where people don’t just come to build out their careers, but also their lives,” said Vice President for Duke Human Resources Antwan Lofton.

The list, which is produced by Forbes and the market research firm Statista, is based on data collected through online surveys of more than 217,000 U.S.-based employees from a variety of industry sectors.

Participants were asked to rate their employers on how they create a climate of fairness and trust, whether they respect individual employees and value their differences, and if they encourage team members to take on new challenges and develop new ideas.

Lofton said Duke is intentional in how it tries to foster a positive work culture by providing professional development opportunities to power growth, supporting Employee Resources Groups that help employees build connections and by encouraging managers and supervisors to take an active role in furthering their employees’ career journeys.

“We have an overarching culture at Duke and within each department and unit there are subcultures, and at every level, we want to make sure our employees are being seen, heard and valued," Lofton said.

Forbes named Duke University and Duke University Health System to their 2026 lists of America’s Best Large Employers and America’s Dream Employers.

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