Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» named to Forbes’ 2025 America’s Best-In-State Employers list
Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» ranked No. 28 in California and is the only California State University campus included on this year’s list
Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» has been recognized by Forbes as one of , placing the university among the top workplaces in California.
Among the 102 organizations honored statewide, Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» ranked No. 28 and is the only California State University campus to appear on this year’s list.
“Being recognized by Forbes as a top employer reflects what makes Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» extraordinary: our people,” said Thom Harpole, Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»â€™s Human Services director.
“You often hear members of our community say Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» is a special place, and it is. Every achievement and every impact we make for San Diego, the region and other communities we serve is possible because of the dedication and talent of our faculty and staff,” Harpole said. “Their commitment to student success, research and innovation and having a positive community impact is what makes Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» not just a great place to learn, but a great place to work.”
At the top of the California list are Progressive, representing the insurance industry, followed by In-N-Out, Ford Motor, Microsoft and Google. The mix of national corporations and regional employers reflects the broad scope of industries included in the ranking. Other top ranked universities in their respective states include Arizona State University, Iowa State University and Kansas State University.
Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» joins a small number of other California universities on the 2025 list, including Stanford (No. 6), UC San Diego (No. 10) and UC Berkeley (No. 20). A total of 1,417 employers across the nation earned placement on at least one state list, producing a combined 2,500 rankings.
Now in its seventh year, the annual list is developed in partnership with market research firm Statista. More than 160,000 employees nationwide were surveyed about their current and past employers. Respondents evaluated organizations based on work culture, pay equity, opportunities for professional advancement, and whether employers take action on issues such as workplace safety and harassment.
The survey drew responses from employees in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., with greater weight given to feedback from current employees within each state. Responses from the past three years were also considered, with more recent data carrying additional influence in the final rankings.
The news comes just months after Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» earned the prestigious R1 designation from the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education, a status granted only to doctoral degree-granting universities with “Very High Research Spending and Doctoral Production.” Together, these recognitions highlight the university’s dual role as a leading research institution and one of the region’s top employers.
With about 6,980 employees, Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» is home to 19 Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), such as the Latina Network, Men of Color Alliance, and Pride, Muslim and Disability ERGs, which provide advocacy and community for employees across campus.
The full list of America’s Best-In-State Employers 2025 is .
