28 NJ companies just made a national best-employer list

Twenty-eight New Jersey companies just made a national list that has nothing to do with taxes, traffic, or the cost of a house. This one is about something good: where people actually like going to work.

U.S. News & World Report released its 2026-2027 Best Companies to Work For ratings this summer, evaluating 3,900 public and private companies across 14 industries. For the first time, the list combined public and private companies into a single release, rating employers on pay and benefits, work-life balance, job stability, physical and psychological comfort, sense of belonging, and career growth opportunities.

Twenty-eight of those companies call New Jersey home. And one of them, believe it or not, is headquartered right here in Ewing — right around the corner from the radio station.  I pass this place on Route 31 every day, and the familiar “Arm & Hammer" logo always gets my attention.  Who knew it was such a great place to work!

SEE ALSO: My grandfather worked there. Now it's becoming an Amazon warehouse 

Church & Dwight Campus Ewing | Google Maps

Who made the list

The New Jersey companies, listed alphabetically, include some names you would expect and a few that might surprise you: ADP in Roseland, American Water in Camden, Anywhere Real Estate in Madison, Ascendion in Basking Ridge, AvePoint in Jersey City, BD in Franklin Lakes, Bessemer Trust in Woodbridge, Campbell's in Camden, Church & Dwight right here in Ewing, Compunnel in Plainsboro, DTCC in Jersey City, GEP in Clark, Horizon Healthcare Services in Newark, Imperial Dade in Jersey City, Incedo in Florham Park, Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, J&J Snack Foods in Mount Laurel, Kenvue in Summit, Langan in Parsippany, Marlabs in Piscataway, Merck in Rahway, Messer in Bridgewater, Movado in Paramus, OceanFirst Bank in Red Bank, PTC Therapeutics in Warren, SGS Consulting in Princeton, and Verisk in Jersey City.

To even be considered, private companies needed at least 1,000 employees and $500 million in annual revenue, while public companies had to rank among the 5,000 largest in the country by market cap. Every company also needed a minimum of 75 Glassdoor reviews written between 2021 and 2025 — meaning this list is built on what actual employees said about their actual jobs, not a press release.

Church & Dwight, right down the road

I have to admit, seeing Church & Dwight on this list stopped me for a second. That is not some faceless national headquarters. That is a company whose front door sits in the same town I drive into every single day. Arm & Hammer has been a Church & Dwight brand since 1970, and the company has called Ewing home for a long time — quietly turning out one of the most recognizable orange boxes in American history from right down the road from where I work.

It is a good reminder, honestly. When a "best places to work" list comes out, it is easy to picture glass towers in some other state. This one has a plant sitting in your own backyard.

Why this matters right now

U.S. News noted that these ratings arrive at a moment when workers are navigating real change — artificial intelligence reshaping entire industries, evolving parental leave policies, and a genuinely competitive job market. Finding out which employers are actually delivering on pay, flexibility, and career growth is not a small thing right now. It is useful, practical information for anyone thinking about where they want to spend the next chapter of their working life.

New Jersey gets criticized constantly for cost of living, for taxes, for traffic. This is a good moment to point out that some of the best-run, best-reviewed companies in the entire country chose to build their headquarters right here, and their own employees are the ones saying so.