The best places to work in 2021, ranked

As more companies ponder a return to their offices, it's worth noting that some offices — and the people who run them — are more beloved than others.

Human resources technology and analysis company Glassdoor has compiled a list of the best companies to work for in 2021, using survey data from more than 100 million employee reviews. Perhaps surprisingly, some of America's most buzzed-about tech companies, including Netflix, Snapchat and Twitter, didn't make the top 50. 

Here's a countdown of the companies that did.

50. Skywest

The regional airline started a customer kerfuffle in October after abruptly canceling hundreds of flights, but that doesn't mean employees are unhappy.

After a year of employment, workers are eligible for profit-sharing as part of company policy.

49. Nike

Here, the Nike store is seen on Fifth Avenue in New York City on Black Friday, November 26, 2021. 

Employees praise the company's "fun" work environment.

48. REI

Also known as Recreation Equipment, Inc., this favorite retailer among outdoorsy types ranked 48 on the list.

Among other plusses, employees site supportive management as a top reason for loving the company.

47. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

"Yes, seeing suffering children can be heavy on the heart," notes one employee of the hospital group, but the company "genuinely care[s] about employees."

46. Cisco Systems

"You have the full freedom to be yourself" at this San Jose, California-based tech company, per one employee review.

The company has more than 10,000 employees.

45. Hilton

"Very flexible work hours," one employee raves.

Here's a particularly colorful Hilton offering: a Warner Bros.-themed hotel in Abu Dhabi.

44. Milwaukee Tool

This company, which makes everything from work vests to job site lighting, scores high marks from employees, who have praise for senior management; the CEO ranks No. 36 overall in the country.

The company is based in the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield.

43. Momentive.ai

"Most progressive company I have ever worked for," said one employee of this San Mateo, California, company, which owns the brand SurveyMonkey.

Here, Zander Lurie, chief executive officer of SurveyMonkey, attends the 2016 annual Sun Valley Conference in Idaho. 

42. New York-Presbyterian Hospital

This prestigious academic medical center gets its bona fides partially through its affiliation with two Ivy League programs, Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medicine.

Here, Radio City Rockette Sarah Johnson delivers toys to children at the New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital in 2011 in New York City. 

41. Intuitive Surgical

You may not have heard of this company, but if you're a cancer survivor, you may owe your life to one of its surgical robots.

Here, a surgical robot manufactured by Intuitive Surgical is on display at the 2021 Viva Technology conference in Paris. 

40. Cover My Meds

This health care software company is based in Columbus, Ohio.

"They quickly adapted to a virtual onboarding during COVID-19, and it was nothing short of awesome," one employee raves. 

39. Pfizer

Thanks to the ongoing pandemic and the race for vaccines, it's likely that few Americans don't know about Pfizer.

Here, a health worker prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine at a mass vaccination site in Cape Town, South Africa, in August 2021.

38. Texas Instruments

The company, perhaps best known for classic calculators. has a long and impressive history. 

Shown here is the world's first analog watch without moving parts — the Starburst LCD Analogue watch by Texas Instruments, which debuted in 1978.

37. RyanAir

This ultra-low-cost carrier, a frequent magnet for negative news coverage, was founded in 1984, is headquartered in Ireland, but employs people in several U.S. states.

"While my mother was terminal, I was able to work from her bedside and I will be forever grateful," one employee says on Glassdoor.

36. Wegmans

You know a grocery store is popular when it's noted for its fan base.

Here, senior PGA champion Paul Broadhurst pushes a shopping cart carrying his trophy outside of a Wegmans grocery store during a 2019 media tour in Rochester, New York.

35. Trader Joe's

And speaking of grocery stores: Here's another chain popular enough to spur shoppers to queue outside the door.

Here, the Trader Joe's float participates in the 2020 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.

34. Intuit

It's known for personal finance software, but if you've ever used the MailChimp marketing platform, you can thank Intuit, too.

"Intuit's work to life balance means many people check out at 5," an employee says in a Glassdoor review.

33. Keller Williams

This real-estate franchise claims to be the largest of its kind. 

It's based in Austin, Texas.

32. Forrester Research

This company specializes in tech research and consulting.

Here, CEO George Colony speaks during an interview in  2011. 

31. Apple

As far as tech goes, Apple is likely as close to a household name in America as a company can get.

Here, Apple CEO Tim Cook (left), Oprah Winfrey and director Steven Spielberg stand for a photo during a 2019 event launching Apple TV+ at company headquarters Cupertino, California.

30. Royal Caribbean

Headquartered in Miami, this floating-hospitality giant has at least 15 ports of call in the United States, not to mention many more overseas.

Here, Royal Caribbean International's Anthem of the Seas cruise ship calls at Greenock port in Scotland in July 2021. The 4,180-passenger ship was the first of 50 vessels scheduled to dock in Greenock after the Scottish government lifted the ban on cruise ships imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

29. Vans

A staple in American skateboard culture, Vans is headquartered in Costa Mesa, in Southern California.

Here, a passerby wears beige leather Vans ankle sneakers in Paris.

28. Mastercard

Here, privacy phone booths are seen at the Mastercard office in the Flatiron district of New York City in August 2021. 

Mastercard Inc. remodeled the 19th-century building for the hybrid era of office work brought on by the global pandemic. 

27. Robinhood

The online brokerage is known for its commission-free trading of stocks and cryptocurrency via a mobile phone app.

Here, Vlad Tenev, CEO of Robinhood, walks along Wall Street after going public with an IPO in July 2021.

26. Zscaler

This cloud-based security company is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

"They give you great tools and the framework to be successful, with management eager to help out," one employee says on Glassdoor. "Zscaler gets the whole village involved in a deal."

25. MathWorks

This privately held company, based in Natick, Massachusetts, specializes in mathematical computing software. 

The software is often used in pioneering robot research.

24. Johnson & Johnson

Like Pfizer, this company made big news with its COVID vaccine.

Here, a soccer fan gets vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson's shot before a match Cologne, Germany. 

23. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

This national laboratory in Livermore, California, was founded in the 1950s to work on nuclear weapons and national security technology.

Now it also conducts research in biosecurity, counterterrorism, energy and other fields.

22. Zoom Video Communications

This video-meeting tech company had a major moment when the pandemic hit. Will business ever be the same? 

Shown here are the headquarters of Zoom in San Jose, California.

21. Southwest Airlines

One employee praises the low-cost carrier's "good perks" and "good work-life balance."

Here, travelers check in at the Southwest Airlines ticketing counter at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on October 11, 2021, after the airline canceled hundreds of flights over the weekend.

20. Blue Raven Solar

Recently acquired by fellow solar company SunPower, Blue Raven installs and finances solar power panels for private homes.

"It's hard to think of any cons," an employee said of the company, after listing "pros" such as "management is always helpful."

19. Emanate Health

This company provides health care to people living in Southern California.

Here, more than 60 health care workers at Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospital, in West Covina, California, participate in a memorial honoring the life of George Floyd and other African Americans killed at the hands of police.

18. RingCentral

RingCentral, based in Belmont, California, specializes in business software that streamlines team messaging, file sharing, and task management.

"From day one, I have been welcomed and appreciated for my work," an employee says in a Glassdoor review.

17. Salesforce.com

This company specializes in business software, including tools for customer relations and task management.

Here, an employee enters the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, in October 2021. 

16. KnowBe4

The "Chief Hacking Officer" of this security-training company is Kevin Mitnick, a onetime infamous hacker-turned-consultant.

"I've been here over three years and I still enjoy coming to work everyday and [continuing] to learn something new," one employee says in a review.

15. DocuSign

Here, the Docusign Inc. website is seen on a smartphone in April 2021. 

The company's app, which lets you sign contracts and other documents digitally, has seen high usage during the pandemic.

14. Stryker

"Great pay and benefits," an employee says on Glassdoor.

Here, a Stryker heart monitor and defibrillator is displayed during a 2021 trade show in Birmingham, England. 

13. LinkedIn

Anyone who's quit, or searched for, or hired for, a job in recent years likely knows this company and what it offers.

Here, musician Common visits the LinkedIn offices in 2019.

12. Boston Consulting Group

Here, Francois Candelon of Boston Consulting Group answers questions during a 2021 press conference in Lisbon, Portugal.

The company offers — you guessed it — business consulting services.

11. Meta

The company formerly known as Facebook may have had a rough year in the press, but employees seem to be happy enough.

Here, a person takes a selfie in front of a newly unveiled logo for Meta outside company headquarters in Menlo Park, California, in October 2021. 

10. H-E-B Grocery

One employee raves about "two raises per year" at this grocery store chain.

Here, an H-E-B Grocery store is seen after power outage in Houston in February 2021.

9. Microsoft

If any business is the Coca-Cola of software, it may be this one.

Here, a pedestrian walks by a sign at the Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington. 

8. Lululemon

This trendy retailer of athletic apparel is especially known for its yoga pants.

Here, a pedestrian walks past a Lululemon store in San Francisco in March 2021.

7. Delta Air Lines

The air travel industry had a tumultuous year, full of pandemic challenges and highly publicized cases of unruly passengers.

Here, Delta Air Lines planes sit on the tarmac at New York's LaGuardia Airport in August 2021. 

6. Google

The tech giant is owned by holding company Alphabet.

Here, a person walks by Google's offices in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City in September 2020.

5. McKinsey & Co.

This consulting company has roughly 30,000 employees.

Here, director emerita and senior adviser Joanna Barsh attends a 2020 McKinsey conference in Los Angeles.

4. HubSpot

HubSpot makes software for customer service and other business needs.

This photo shows the Dublin location of the Massachusetts-based company.

3. In-N-Out Burgers

Native Californians and frequent travelers to the West Coast are bound to be familiar with this beloved burger chain, known, in part, for its off-menu options.

Here, a worker takes an order from a customer waiting in a drive-thru line at an In-N-Out Burgers restaurant in Vallejo, California, in April 2020. 

2. Nvidia

The tech company's core values, per one employee review, include "intellectual honesty, innovation, speed and excellence."

Seen here is the Nvidia headquarters in Santa Clara, California.

1. Bain & Co.

The consulting company's biggest public moment may have come in 2008, when one of its former executives, Mitt Romney (seen at right with his wife and parents in 1994), made headlines as the Republican presidential nominee.

One employee said in the Glassdoor survey that Bain & Co. is "great training ground for a general management career."