What We're Showing
This visualization charts the annual revenue of America’s top company by revenue from 1955 to 2025, based on the Fortune 500 rankings.
The Fortune 500 included only U.S. industrial companies until 1995, when financial and service companies became part of the ranking.
Key Takeaways
- General Motors led consistently from 1955 through the 1970s, starting at about $9.8 billion in 1955. By 1974 General Motors had an annual revenue of $35.8 billion.
- ExxonMobil surged during the oil boom of the 1970s and 1980s, peaking as the top revenue company in several years, reaching $90.9 billion in revenue in 1985.
- Walmart has dominated since the early 2000s, reaching $681B in 2025—the highest annual revenue ever recorded by a company worldwide.
