Thanks to abundant resources, a relatively stable government, and a business-friendly climate, Americans know that — with a good idea and some hard work — they can create a successful business. The American entrepreneurial spirit dates back centuries, even before the country declared independence from Great Britain. Some businesses founded in the colonial era are still active to this day.
Forbes reported that more than 500,000 new businesses are founded every month in the U.S. While many businesses fail to make a broad nationwide impact or disappear entirely, others continue to grow, expanding locations and becoming large national or even international corporations.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed the year each Fortune 500 company was founded to determine the biggest company founded the year you were born. In a few cases, where there were no publicly traded companies large enough to make the Fortune 500, we identified the largest company founded that year by revenue.
Many different types of companies appear on this list. Large tech companies, retail giants, health care companies, and energy providers all occupy a number of spots on the list and are spread across several decades.
There are large companies that almost all Americans will recognize, like Amazon and Walmart, as well as smaller ones, like Sealed Air and Veritiv, that may not be as well known.
Many of the businesses on this list are not entirely new but merged with another corporate entity to become a different company. People have been eating Kraft cheese and slathering Heinz ketchup on their hot dogs for decades, but the companies merged in 2015 to become Kraft Heinz.
Click here to see the biggest company founded the year you were born.
To determine the biggest company founded the year you were born, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the 500 largest companies in the U.S. in terms of revenue and listed the company that ranks the highest based on the year of its founding, as determined by Forbes. For the purposes of this article, the founding year can refer to the year in which a company was initially founded, merged, or was restructured. Companies that no longer exist were omitted from the list. Time Warner, which appears on the Fortune 500 list, has since been bought by AT&T and was removed.
Source: Southern Company
1945: Southern
> Industry: Utilities: Gas and Electric
> Revenue: $23.03 billion
> # of employees: 31,344
> Headquarters: Atlanta, GA
[in-text-ad]
Source: ivanastar / Getty Images
1946: Lowe’s
> Industry: Retailing
> Revenue: $68.62 billion
> # of employees: 255,000
> Headquarters: Mooresville, NC
Source: HollyFrontier Corporation
1947: HollyFrontier
> Industry: Energy
> Revenue: $14.25 billion
> # of employees: 3,522
> Headquarters: Dallas, TX
Source: khargrav / Flickr
1948: ManpowerGroup
> Industry: Business services
> Revenue: $21.03 billion
> # of employees: 29,000
> Headquarters: Milwaukee, WI
24/7 Wall St.
Source: ADP
1949: ADP
> Industry: Business services
> Revenue: $12.38 billion
> # of employees: 58,000
> Headquarters: Roseland, NJ
Source: Miosotis Jade / Wikimedia Commons
1950: Ross Stores
> Industry: Retailing
> Revenue: $14.13 billion
> # of employees: 82,700
> Headquarters: Dublin, CA
Source: Texas Instruments / Wikimedia Commons
1951: Texas Instruments
> Industry: Technology
> Revenue: $14.96 billion
> # of employees: 29,714
> Headquarters: Dallas, TX
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: guvendemir / Getty Images
1952: General Dynamics
> Industry: Aerospace & Defense
> Revenue: $30.97 billion
> # of employees: 98,600
> Headquarters: Falls Church, VA
Source: Skyhobo / Getty Images
1953: Denny’s
> Industry: Food Services
> Revenue: $0.53 billion
> # of employees: 8,900
> Headquarters: Spartanburg, SC
Source: Joe Raedle / Getty Images
1954: Lennar
> Industry: Engineering & Construction
> Revenue: $12.65 billion
> # of employees: 9,111
> Headquarters: Miami, FL
Source: ermingut / Getty Images
1955: McDonald’s
> Industry: Food Services
> Revenue: $22.82 billion
> # of employees: 235,000
> Headquarters: Oak Brook, IL
[in-text-ad]
Source: David McNew / Getty Images
1956: TJX
> Industry: Retailing
> Revenue: $35.86 billion
> # of employees: 249,000
> Headquarters: Framingham, MA
Source: NicolasMcComber / Getty Images
1957: O’Reilly Automotive
> Industry: Retailing
> Revenue: $8.98 billion
> # of employees: 60,365
> Headquarters: Springfield, MO
Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
1958: Visa
> Industry: Business Services
> Revenue: $18.36 billion
> # of employees: 15,000
> Headquarters: San Francisco, CA
1959: Aramark
> Industry: Business Services
> Revenue: $14.60 billion
> # of employees: 215,000
> Headquarters: Philadelphia, PA
Source: Sealed Air
1960: Sealed Air
> Industry: Materials
> Revenue: $6.13 billion
> # of employees: 15,000
> Headquarters: Charlotte, NC
Source: Humana
1961: Humana
> Industry: Health Care
> Revenue: $53.77 billion
> # of employees: 45,900
> Headquarters: Louisville, KY
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: YvanDube / Getty Images
1962: Walmart
> Industry: Retailing
> Revenue: $500.34 billion
> # of employees: 2,300,000
> Headquarters: Bentonville, AR
Source: Juanmonino / Getty Images
1963: CVS Health
> Industry: Health Care
> Revenue: $184.77 billion
> # of employees: 203,000
> Headquarters: Woonsocket, RI
Source: code6d / Getty Images
1964: Nike
> Industry: Apparel
> Revenue: $34.35 billion
> # of employees: 74,400
> Headquarters: Beaverton, OR
Source: A-Mark Precious Metals
1965: A-Mark Precious Metals
> Industry: Materials
> Revenue: $6.99 billion
> # of employees: 126
> Headquarters: El Segundo, CA
[in-text-ad]
Source: Jorge Villalba / Getty Images
1966: Best Buy
> Industry: Retailing
> Revenue: $42.15 billion
> # of employees: 125,000
> Headquarters: Richfield, MN
Source: tenet health
1967: Tenet Healthcare
> Industry: Health Care
> Revenue: $20.61 billion
> # of employees: 111,980
> Headquarters: Dallas, TX
Source: JasonDoiy / Getty Images
1968: Intel
> Industry: Technology
> Revenue: $62.76 billion
> # of employees: 102,700
> Headquarters: Santa Clara, CA
24/7 Wall St.
Source: RiverNorthPhotography / Getty Images
1969: Sysco
> Industry: Wholesalers
> Revenue: $55.37 billion
> # of employees: 66,500
> Headquarters: Houston, TX
Source: Stefan Zaklin / Getty Images
1970: Freddie Mac
> Industry: Financials
> Revenue: $74.68 billion
> # of employees: 6,165
> Headquarters: McLean, VA
Source: Courtesy of Cardinal Health
1971: Cardinal Health
> Industry: Wholesalers
> Revenue: $129.98 billion
> # of employees: 40,400
> Headquarters: Dublin, OH
Source: TravelCenters of America
1972: TravelCenters of America
> Industry: Retailing
> Revenue: $6.05 billion
> # of employees: 19,611
> Headquarters: Westlake, OH
Source: Reinsurance Group of America
1973: Reinsurance Group of America
> Industry: Financials
> Revenue: $12.52 billion
> # of employees: 2,640
> Headquarters: Chesterfield, MO
Source: Twitter / Tech_Data
1974: Tech Data
> Industry: Wholesalers
> Revenue: $36.78 billion
> # of employees: 14,000
> Headquarters: Clearwater, FL
1975: Microsoft
> Industry: Technology
> Revenue: $89.95 billion
> # of employees: 124,000
> Headquarters: Redmond, WA
[in-text-ad]
Source: ymgerman / Shutterstock.com
1976: Apple
> Industry: Technology
> Revenue: $229.23 billion
> # of employees: 123,000
> Headquarters: Cupertino, CA
Source: Courtesy of UnitedHealth Group
1977: UnitedHealth Group
> Industry: Health Care
> Revenue: $201.16 billion
> # of employees: 260,000
> Headquarters: Minnetonka, MN
Source: Lokibaho / Getty Images
1978: Home Depot
> Industry: Retailing
> Revenue: $100.90 billion
> # of employees: 413,000
> Headquarters: Atlanta, GA
24/7 Wall St.
Source: RiverNorthPhotography / Getty Images
1979: AutoZone
> Industry: Retailing
> Revenue: $10.89 billion
> # of employees: 70,035
> Headquarters: Memphis, TN
Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
1980: Valero Energy
> Industry: Energy
> Revenue: $88.41 billion
> # of employees: 10,015
> Headquarters: San Antonio, TX
Source: Wikimedia Commons
1981: INTL FCStone
> Industry: Financials
> Revenue: $29.42 billion
> # of employees: 1,607
> Headquarters: New York City, NY
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Scott Eisen / Getty Images for Patrick Dempsey Center
1982: Cigna
> Industry: Health Care
> Revenue: $41.62 billion
> # of employees: 46,000
> Headquarters: Bloomfield, CT
Source: Rob Wilson / Shutterstock.com
1983: AT&T
> Industry: Telecommunications
> Revenue: $160.55 billion
> # of employees: 254,000
> Headquarters: Dallas, TX
Source: raisbeckfoto / Getty Images
1984: Cisco Systems
> Industry: Technology
> Revenue: $48.01 billion
> # of employees: 72,900
> Headquarters: San Jose, CA
Source: DNY59 / Getty Images
1985: Qualcomm
> Industry: Technology
> Revenue: $22.29 billion
> # of employees: 33,800
> Headquarters: San Diego, CA
[in-text-ad]
Source: lab.express-scripts.com
1986: Express Scripts Holding
> Industry: Health Care
> Revenue: $100.06 billion
> # of employees: 26,600
> Headquarters: St. Louis, MO
Source: Wikimedia Commons
1987: Gilead Sciences
> Industry: Health Care
> Revenue: $26.11 billion
> # of employees: 10,000
> Headquarters: Foster City, CA
Source: photohoo / Getty Images
1988: Capital One Financial
> Industry: Financials
> Revenue: $30.00 billion
> # of employees:Â 49,300
> Headquarters:Â McLean, VA
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Chesapeake Energy
1989: Chesapeake Energy
> Industry: Financials
> Revenue: $9.50 billion
> # of employees: 49,300
> Headquarters: McLean, VA
Source: penskevehicleservices.com
1990: Penske Automotive Group
> Industry: Retailing
> Revenue: $21.39 billion
> # of employees: 26,000
> Headquarters: Bloomfield Hills, MI
Source: Voya Financial
1991: Voya Financial
> Industry: Financials
> Revenue: $9.66 billion
> # of employees: 6,300
> Headquarters: New York City, NY
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: U.S. Army / Wikimedia Commons
1992: NRG Energy
> Industry: Energy
> Revenue: $10.63 billion
> # of employees: 5,940
> Headquarters: Houston, TX
1993: CarMax
> Industry: Retailing
> Revenue: $16.64 billion
> # of employees: 24,344
> Headquarters: Richmond, VA
Source: Hadrian / Shutterstock.com
1994: Amazon.com
> Industry: Retailing
> Revenue: $177.87 billion
> # of employees: 566,000
> Headquarters: Seattle, WA
Source: sshepard / Getty Images
1995: Lockheed Martin
> Industry: Aerospace & Defense
> Revenue: $51.05 billion
> # of employees: 100,000
> Headquarters: Bethesda, MD
[in-text-ad]
Source: Courtesy of AutoNation
1996: AutoNation
> Industry: Retailing
> Revenue: $21.53 billion
> # of employees: 26,000
> Headquarters: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
1997: FirstEnergy
> Industry: Energy
> Revenue: $13.63 billion
> # of employees: 15,617
> Headquarters: Akron, OH
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeepersmedia/
1998: Bank of America Corp.
> Industry: Financials
> Revenue: $100.26 billion
> # of employees: 209,376
> Headquarters: Charlotte, NC
24/7 Wall St.
Source: zodebala / Getty Images
1999: Exxon Mobil
> Industry: Energy
> Revenue: $244.36 billion
> # of employees: 71,200
> Headquarters: Irving, TX
Source: RiverNorthPhotography / Getty Images
2000: Verizon
> Industry: Telecommunications
> Revenue: $126.03 billion
> # of employees: 155,400
> Headquarters: New York City, NY
Source: Wikimedia Commons
2001: AmerisourceBergen
> Industry: Wholesalers
> Revenue: $153.14 billion
> # of employees: 19,500
> Headquarters: Chesterbrook, PA
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: RiverNorthPhotography / Getty Images
2002: ConocoPhillips
> Industry: Energy
> Revenue: $32.58 billion
> # of employees: 11,400
> Headquarters: Houston, TX
Source: Mike Mozart / Flickr
2003: Office Depot
> Industry: Retailing
> Revenue: $10.75 billion
> # of employees: 45,000
> Headquarters: Boca Raton, FL
Source: antheminc.com
2004: Anthem
> Industry: Health Care
> Revenue: $90.04 billion
> # of employees: 56,000
> Headquarters: Indianapolis, IN
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
2005: Sears Holdings
> Industry: Retailing
> Revenue: $16.70 billion
> # of employees: 89,000
> Headquarters: Hoffman Estates, IL
[in-text-ad]
Source: Thermo Fisher Scientific
2006: Thermo Fisher Scientific
> Industry: Technology
> Revenue: $20.92 billion
> # of employees: 66,100
> Headquarters: Waltham, MA
Source: US Foods Holding
2007: US Foods Holding
> Industry: Wholesalers
> Revenue: $24.15 billion
> # of employees: 25,204
> Headquarters: Rosemont, IL
Source: Courtesy of PBF Energy
2008: PBF Energy
> Industry: Energy
> Revenue: $21.79 billion
> # of employees: 3,165
> Headquarters: Parsippany, NJ
Source: Spencer Platt / Getty Images
2009: Uber
> Industry: Transportation
> Revenue: $7.5 billion
> # of employees: 16,000
> Headquarters: San Francisco, CA
Source: Courtesy of NGL Energy Partners
2010: NGL Energy Partners
> Industry: Energy
> Revenue: $13.02 billion
> # of employees: 2,700
> Headquarters: Tulsa, OK
Source: usnavy / Flickr
2011: Huntington Ingalls Industries
> Industry: Aerospace & Defense
> Revenue: $7.44 billion
> # of employees: 38,000
> Headquarters: Newport News, VA
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Courtesy of Mondelez International
2012: Mondelez International
> Industry: Food Consumer Products
> Revenue: $25.90 billion
> # of employees: 83,000
> Headquarters: Deerfield, IL
Source: Courtesy of AbbVie
2013: AbbVie
> Industry: Health Care
> Revenue: $28.22 billion
> # of employees: 29,000
> Headquarters: North Chicago, IL
Source: Courtesy of Veritiv
2014: Veritiv
> Industry: Wholesalers
> Revenue: $8.36 billion
> # of employees: 8,900
> Headquarters: Atlanta, GA
Source: kraft heinz
2015: Kraft Heinz
> Industry: Food Consumer Products
> Revenue: $26.23 billion
> # of employees: 39,000
> Headquarters: Pittsburgh, PA
Sponsored: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor
Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
