Once a corporation reaches a certain size, it only has two options: keep growing or start dying. It’s a fundamental rule of big business known as the growth imperative.

So which US companies are following this golden rule? The team at Switch On Business decided to investigate by looking at one of the biggest growth indicators: employee numbers.

With data from LinkedIn on total employees from September 2022 to September 2023, Switch On Business was able to rank all the major American companies based on who was hiring the most new staff.

Here’s a look at those charts.

The US Companies Hiring the Most New Staff

Apple was the most profitable company in the USA during the last fiscal year, raking in an incredible $99.8 billion net profit! Much of that was driven by Apple’s recent recruitment and talent drive. The firm onboarded nearly 100,000 new staff from between Sept 22 to Sept 23; more than any other firm in the USA.

Other big employers of 22/23 include fast food chain McDonald’s (93,817), Walmart (462,370), and financial services firm JP Morgan Chase (28,100).

Biggest New Employee Headcount on a Percentage Basis

There’s more than one way to measure growth; it doesn’t always come down to the raw numbers.

So next up, the research team from Switch On Business looked at which US companies had increased their workforce the most on a percentage basis.

Apple still scored highly, boosting its people power by 51%.

But the biggest grower on this relative basis was World Quant. This is a company that has growth baked into its DNA. The data-driven hedge fund uses the latest technology and algorithms to catch market upswings and short the downturns. And it’s done a pretty good job. The firm generates half a billion in trading profits every year.

The Companies Hiring the Most Staff in Every US State

Now let’s turn our attention to the US states.

Tesla was Texas’s biggest employer between Sept 22 and Sept 23, hiring just under 19,000 new staff. Tesla relocated its headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Austin, Texas, in 2021. It was part of Tesla’s strategy to expand its manufacturing capacity and take advantage of Texas’s favorable business climate.

Another motor firm, albeit a more ‘old-school’ version, was Michigan’s biggest employer;  General Motors hired 16,800 new staff in the Great Lakes State.

Growth among the nation’s retail giants is propping up job growth in several US states. Walmart was Arkansas’s biggest hirer, bringing in an extra 46,000 staff, while Target hired more people in Minnesota (18,956) than any other company.

Percentage of Employee Growth in Each US State

Chocolate manufacturer Hershey’s was the state of Pennsylvania’s largest employer on a percentage basis. It increased its sales and manufacturing team by 13.09%.

Hershey’s is more than just a chocolate company. It’s an institution deeply embedded within US popular culture. Hershey’s survived and thrived through major historical events, including the Great Depression and both World Wars, and its innovative approach brought luxury chocolate treats to the masses.

Today, its iconic Hershey Bar remains one of the most recognized pieces of candy in the world.