The annual Fortune 500 list is out and there are 16 companies from the DC area making the list this year. Discovery Communications , Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Lockheed Martin are some of the returning companies on the list. Herndon, Va. based Beacon Roofing Supply made the list this year for the first time.
The list covers the 500 largest companies based on revenue in the U.S, with the 500 top companies representing two-thirds of the U.S. GDP bringing in $13.7 trillion dollars in revenue, $1.1 trillion dollars in profits, and employs a total of 28.7 million people worldwide.
The biggest employers are Walmart, Amazon, and Kroger respectively, together hiring about 3.3 million employees total.
The biggest employer locally on this list is Marriott International which now operates more than 6,900 properties in 130 countries with brands like Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance Hotels, and Fairfield Inn and Suites. Based out of Bethesda, Md., they have 176,000 employees.
A Marriott employee said in the report, “Everyone has really great energy and makes you feel welcome from the jump. Promotions from within are always being discussed, which makes you feel like you are part of something bigger and can really advance your career.”