Special Report
The 21 Companies Making the Most Profit per Second
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Publicly traded U.S. companies are among the most lucrative in the world. Some of the best known are so successful that their profits can be measured in hundreds of dollars, even thousand of dollars, per second.
To identify the companies making the highest profits each second, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed corporate profits in 2021 among Fortune 500 companies. Companies are ranked by the profits reported in 2021 on a per second basis. Thirty companies made at least $400 every second in fiscal 2021.
These top 30 most profitable publicly traded U.S. companies raked in nearly $870 billion in profits in 2021, or an average of $917 per second for each of the more than 31.5 million seconds of the year. These companies earned each second in 2021 between $409 for Atlanta’s United Parcel Service to $3,002 for Cupertino, California’s tech stalwart Apple. (Find if any are among the companies that control over 50% of their industry.)
Technology companies and financial enterprises make up half of the companies on this list, including Berkshire Hathaway. The multinational holding company reported $2,847 in profits per second last year. The government-sponsored Federal National Mortgage Association, or Fannie Mae, which barters securitized mortgage loans, reported $703 in profit every second.
Other companies on this list fall into a range of sectors, including health care, retail, telecommunications, and energy. Household products giant Procter & Gamble and oil giant Exxon Mobil are also on the list. (Also see, the most valuable brands in 2022 according to Interbrand.)
The oldest-serving CEO of these highly profitable American companies is Warren Buffest, who has helmed Berkshire Hathaway since 1965. Comcast chairman and CEO Brian L. Roberts, the son of the company’s founder Ralph J. Roberts, is the second-longest running company leader on this list, followed by Meta Platforms’ co-founder, chairman, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Here are the American companies earning the most profit every second.
21. Home Depot
> Profit per second in 2021: $521
> Total profit, FY 2021: $16.4 billion (+27.7% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $151.2 billion (+14.4% YoY)
> Sector: Retailing
> Employee count: 490,600
> CEO: Edward Decker (since March 2022)
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20. UnitedHealth Group
> Profit per second in 2021: $548
> Total profit, FY 2021: $17.3 billion (+12.2% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $287.6 billion (+11.8% YoY)
> Sector: Health care
> Employee count: 350,000
> CEO: Andrew Witty (since Feb. 2021)
19. Ford Motor
> Profit per second in 2021: $569
> Total profit, FY 2021: $17.9 billion
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $136.3 billion (+7.2% YoY)
> Sector: Motor vehicles & parts
> Employee count: 183,000
> CEO: James D. Farley Jr. (since Oct. 2020)
18. Intel
> Profit per second in 2021: $630
> Total profit, FY 2021: $19.9 billion (-4.9% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $79.0 billion (+1.5% YoY)
> Sector: Technology
> Employee count: 121,100
> CEO: Patrick P. Gelsinger (since Feb. 2021)
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17. AT&T
> Profit per second in 2021: $637
> Total profit, FY 2021: $20.1 billion
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $168.9 billion (-1.7% YoY)
> Sector: Telecommunications
> Employee count: 202,600
> CEO: John T. Stankey (since July 2020)
16. Johnson & Johnson
> Profit per second in 2021: $662
> Total profit, FY 2021: $20.9 billion (+41.9% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $93.8 billion (+13.6% YoY)
> Sector: Health care
> Employee count: 141,700
> CEO: Joaquin Duato (since Jan. 2022)
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15. Wells Fargo
> Profit per second in 2021: $683
> Total profit, FY 2021: $21.5 billion (+552.8% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $82.4 billion (+2.6% YoY)
> Sector: Financials
> Employee count: 247,848
> CEO: Charles W. Scharf (since Oct. 2019)
14. Goldman Sachs Group
> Profit per second in 2021: $686
> Total profit, FY 2021: $21.6 billion (+128.7% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $65.0 billion (+21.5% YoY)
> Sector: Financials
> Employee count: 43,900
> CEO: David M. Solomon (since Oct. 2018)
13. Citigroup
> Profit per second in 2021: $696
> Total profit, FY 2021: $22.0 billion (+98.7% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $79.9 billion (-10.1% YoY)
> Sector: Financials
> Employee count: 221,768
> CEO: Jane Fraser (since Feb. 2021)
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12. Pfizer
> Profit per second in 2021: $697
> Total profit, FY 2021: $22.0 billion (+128.6% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $81.3 billion (+94.0% YoY)
> Sector: Health care
> Employee count: 79,000
> CEO: Albert Bourla (since Jan. 2019)
11. Verizon Communications
> Profit per second in 2021: $700
> Total profit, FY 2021: $22.1 billion (+24.0% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $133.6 billion (+4.1% YoY)
> Sector: Telecommunications
> Employee count: 118,400
> CEO: Hans Vestberg (since Aug. 2018)
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10. Fannie Mae
> Profit per second in 2021: $703
> Total profit, FY 2021: $22.2 billion (+87.9% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $101.5 billion (-4.6% YoY)
> Sector: Financials
> Employee count: 7,400
> CEO: Priscilla Almodovar (since Dec. 2022)
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9. Exxon Mobil
> Profit per second in 2021: $731
> Total profit, FY 2021: $23.0 billion
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $285.6 billion (+57.4% YoY)
> Sector: Oil & gas
> Employee count: 63,000
> CEO: Darren W. Woods (since Jan. 2017)
8. Bank of America
> Profit per second in 2021: $1,014
> Total profit, FY 2021: $32.0 billion (+78.7% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $93.9 billion (+0.1% YoY)
> Sector: Financials
> Employee count: 208,248
> CEO: Brian Moynihan (since Jan. 2010)
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7. Amazon
> Profit per second in 2021: $1,058
> Total profit, FY 2021: $33.4 billion (+56.4% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $469.8 billion (+21.7% YoY)
> Sector: Retailing
> Employee count: 1,608,000
> CEO: Andy Jassy (since July 2021)
6. Meta Platforms
> Profit per second in 2021: $1,248
> Total profit, FY 2021: $39.4 billion (+35.1% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $117.9 billion (+37.2% YoY)
> Sector: Technology
> Employee count: 71,970
> CEO: Mark Zuckerberg (since July 2004)
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5. JPMorgan Chase
> Profit per second in 2021: $1,533
> Total profit, FY 2021: $48.3 billion (+65.9% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $127.2 billion (-1.8% YoY)
> Sector: Financials
> Employee count: 271,025
> CEO: Jamie Dimon (since Dec. 2005)
4. Microsoft
> Profit per second in 2021: $1,943
> Total profit, FY 2021: $61.3 billion (+38.4% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $168.1 billion (+17.5% YoY)
> Sector: Technology
> Employee count: 181,000
> CEO: Satya Nadella (since Feb. 2014)
3. Alphabet
> Profit per second in 2021: $2,411
> Total profit, FY 2021: $76.0 billion (+88.8% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $257.6 billion (+41.2% YoY)
> Sector: Technology
> Employee count: 156,500
> CEO: Sundar Pichai (since Dec. 2019)
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2. Berkshire Hathaway
> Profit per second in 2021: $2,847
> Total profit, FY 2021: $89.8 billion (+111.2% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $276.1 billion (+12.5% YoY)
> Sector: Financials
> Employee count: 372,000
> CEO: Warren Buffett (since 1965)
1. Apple
> Profit per second in 2021: $3,002
> Total profit, FY 2021: $94.7 billion (+64.9% YoY)
> Total revenue, FY 2021: $365.8 billion (+33.3% YoY)
> Sector: Technology
> Employee count: 154,000
> CEO: Tim Cook (since Aug. 2011)
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