The Inc. 5000 list offers a look at the most important segment of the economyAmerica's independent-minded entrepreneurs. Companies are ranked by three-year percent growth.
The Inc. 5000 posted an aggregate revenue of $321.6 billion in 2009, up more than 50% from the previous year. The top five [image-nocss] industries by total revenue are Business Products & Services ($84.7 billion), Health ($48.3 billion), Consumer Products & Services ($26.4 billion), Retail ($22.3 billion) and Government Services ($15.1 billion).
7-Eleven,, Dallas, placed at No. 4,929, with three-year growth of 4%, but it ranked second among all companies based on 2009 total revenue, at $15.1 billion, according to the report. Its 2006 revenue was $14.5 billion.
Other industry companies included: RKA Petroleum, Romulus, Mich., at No. 3,602 with three-year growth of 46% (2009 revenue of $306.9 million vs. 2006 revenue of $209.4 million). Mansfield Oil, Gainesville, Ga., at. No. 3,626 with three-year growth of 45% ($3 billion vs. $2.1 billion). Road Ranger, Rockford, Ill., at No. 3,970 with three-year growth of 33%. ($785.9 million vs. $588.7 million). Atlas Oil, Taylor, Mich., at No. 4,146 with three-year growth of 28% ($1.1 billion vs. $841.4 million). Kum & Go, West Des Moines, Iowa, at No. 4,582 with three-year growth of 16% ($1.7 billion vs. $1.4 billion). Gas Depot, Morton Grove, Ill., at No. 4,742 with three-year growth of 11% ($150.2 million vs. $135 million). The 2010 Inc. 5000 serves as an illustration of the profound changes taking place in the U.S. economy, the report said. The Government Services sector showed the biggest gain in terms of the number of companies on the list, up 33% from last year to 335 companies. Government Services was also the second-fastest-growing sector in terms of median revenue growth, posting a 202% gain over the 2006-2009 measuring period. More than half of these companies are based in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
The fastest-growing sector by median revenue growth was Real Estate, now just a tiny group of 38 young, small companies, which showed 231% median growth over the period. (There were 121 Real Estate firms on the inaugural Inc. 5000 in 2007.) Business Products & Services is the top industry by number of companies on the list (640) and total revenue ($80.7 billion), while Health is the biggest by total employment (287,726 jobs).
Despite the fact that most of this year's measuring period of 2006-2009 took place during the latest recession, aggregate revenue among the companies on the list actually increased to $321.6 billion, up more than 50% from last year. The effects of the recession are seen, however, in the median three-year growth rate, which dropped to 96% from last year's 126%.
This year's Inc. 5000 employ a record 1.4 million people, up from one million on last year's list. With unemployment remaining stubbornly high, policymakers and business leaders will do well to look to the Inc. 5000 companies for fresh ideas on achieving growth and creating jobs.
Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/5000.
California tops the Inc. 5000 with the most companies of any state with 684. The Golden State is followed by Texas (404), New York (353), Virginia (293), and Florida (262). All 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, are represented on this year's list.
New York boasts 410 Inc. 5000 companies, making it the top metro area, followed by Washington, D.C. (363), Los Angeles (262), Chicago (203) and Boston (189).
The Real Estate sector, although small, was the top-performing industry, with a total growth rate of 189%. Software was second with a growth rate of 126%, and Telecommunications was third with 119%.
In total, the companies on the Inc. 5000 have created 1.4 million jobs. The Health sector is the top employer with 287,726 jobs, followed by Business Products & Services (230,066), Food & Beverage (108,344), Human Resources (107,924) and Retail (96,858).
Business Products & Services had the most companies on this year's list with 640, followed by IT Services (607), Advertising & Marketing (410), Health (396) and Government Services (336).
This year's fastest-growing company is Ambit Energy, a Dallas-based firm that buys electricity and natural gas at wholesale prices and resells the energy to customers acquired through a direct sales channel. The company saw $325 million in revenue in 2009 and a three-year growth rate of 20,369%.
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