Over the years, there have been famous cases of U.S. antitrust officials attempting to fight monopolistic powers. Standard Oil was ordered to be broken into 33 different companies in 1911 and AT&T’s local phone service was broken up in 1984 into seven companies. Perhaps most famously was the U.S. case against Microsoft, which ended in a settlement in 2002. (These are the oldest companies in the Fortune 500.)
U.S. antitrust laws are intended to curb monopolies, where one company has exclusive control of the market to the point of limiting fair competition. The 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act banned businesses from colluding or merging to form a monopoly. Monopoly power can harm consumers by lowering output, increasing prices, and discouraging innovation that might result in a more competitive market.
Though antitrust cases in the 21st century have mostly resulted in settlements, they at least helped curb certain behaviors. Just this week, Bloomberg reported that a source told the paper that U.S. antitrust officials are preparing a second monopoly lawsuit against Alphabet Inc.’s Google over its digital advertising business, saying Google is abusing its dominance.
Many industries today have one player that controls over half the market share. To find the companies with the highest market shares in their industry, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data provided by industry market research firm IBISWorld. All data is from IBISWorld. The 50 companies on this list hold over 50% market share in an industry.
Perhaps it is not surprising to find Amazon on the list. The giant e-commerce company has at least a 50% market in three different industries: online children’s toy sales, online hardware and tool sales, and online book sales. Its nearest competitors hold just 6.6%, 20.2%, and 4.0%, respectively.
Companies like Microsoft, Google’s parent Alphabet, and Facebook are also on the list, as is Intuit, which controls nearly 93% of the tax preparation software developers industry. The food and beverage market is also represented, with Anheuser-Busch Inbev controlling about 55% of breweries in the U.S. and Campbell Soup controlling about the same in broth and stock production, among others. (Find out if any of these are among America’s highest paying companies.)
Of course, it is likely not surprising that the federally operated USPS, a legal monopoly that controls nearly 100% of the postal services industry in the U.S., is first on the list. Other legal monopolies include “natural” monopolies such as utility companies, which then tend to be highly regulated.
Click here to see which companies control over 50% of their industry.
50. Oshkosh Corporation
> Industry: Fire Truck Manufacturing
> Market share: 51.3%
> Second major player, market share: Rev Group, Inc. — 24.9%
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49. Amazon.Com, Inc.
> Industry: Online Children’s Toy Sales
> Market share: 51.5%
> Second major player, market share: Walmart Inc. — 6.6%
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48. Tractor Supply Company
> Industry: Farm Supply Stores
> Market share: 51.8%
> Second major player, market share: No other major player in data
45. Amazon.Com, Inc.
> Industry: Online Hardware & Tool Sales
> Market share: 52.1%
> Second major player, market share: The Home Depot, Inc. — 20.2%
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45. Annin Flagmakers
> Industry: Flag Manufacturing
> Market share: 52.1%
> Second major player, market share: Chicago Flag & Decorating Company — 9.1%
45. Link-Belt Cranes LP LLP
> Industry: Truck-Mounted Crane Manufacturing
> Market share: 52.1%
> Second major player, market share: The Manitowoc Company, Inc. — 19.5%
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44. The Home Depot, Inc.
> Industry: Home Improvement Stores in the US
> Market share: 52.2%
> Second major player, market share: Lowe’s Companies Inc. — 35.5%
43. Fifth Generation Inc.
> Industry: Vodka Distilleries
> Market share: 52.3%
> Second major player, market share: Diageo Plc — 15.5%
42. United Parcel Service, Inc.
> Industry: Couriers & Local Delivery Services in the US
> Market share: 52.6%
> Second major player, market share: FedEx Corporation — 23.0%
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41. Yamaha Corp
> Industry: Personal Watercraft Manufacturing
> Market share: 52.6%
> Second major player, market share: No other major player in data
40. HP inc.
> Industry: Computer Manufacturing in the US
> Market share: 53.2%
> Second major player, market share: Super Micro Computer, Inc. — 23.7%
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39. Covanta Holding Corp
> Industry: Waste-to-Energy Plant Operation
> Market share: 53.2%
> Second major player, market share: Wheelabrator Technologies Inc. — 19.7%
38. Campbell Soup Co
> Industry: Stock & Broth Production
> Market share: 53.3%
> Second major player, market share: General Mills, Inc. — 15.8%
37. General Electric Company
> Industry: Wind Turbine Installation
> Market share: 53.7%
> Second major player, market share: Vestas Wind Systems A — 30.1%
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35. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
> Industry: Laboratory Supply Wholesaling in the US
> Market share: 54.2%
> Second major player, market share: Avantor, Inc. — 12.9%
35. Point Blank Enterprises Inc.
> Industry: Body Armor Manufacturing
> Market share: 54.2%
> Second major player, market share: Ceradyne, Inc. — 19.7%
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34. Microsoft Corporation
> Industry: Operating Systems & Productivity Software Publishing in the US
> Market share: 54.5%
> Second major player, market share: Apple Inc. — 13.4%
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33. Anheuser-Busch Inbev Sa
> Industry: Breweries in the US
> Market share: 54.8%
> Second major player, market share: Molson Coors Beverage Company — 24.9%
32. Alphabet Inc.
> Industry: Search Engines in the US
> Market share: 54.8%
> Second major player, market share: Microsoft Corporation — 3.7%
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31. Alcon inc.
> Industry: Ophthalmic Instrument Manufacturing
> Market share: 54.9%
> Second major player, market share: Carl Zeiss Meditec Group — 13.9%
30. Belron
> Industry: Auto Windshield Repair Services
> Market share: 55.6%
> Second major player, market share: No other major player in data
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29. Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation
> Industry: Agricultural Banks
> Market share: 56.7%
> Second major player, market share: No other major player in data
28. Coca Cola Co
> Industry: Syrup & Flavoring Production in the US
> Market share: 58.5%
> Second major player, market share: Pepsico, Inc. — 15.5%
27. Lendingtree Inc.
> Industry: Online Mortgage Brokers
> Market share: 59.2%
> Second major player, market share: Zillow Group, Inc. — 19.6%
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26. Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.
> Industry: Insect Repellent Manufacturing
> Market share: 59.2%
> Second major player, market share: SC Johnson & Son Inc. — 28.2%
25. Zillow Group, Inc.
> Industry: Online Apartment Rental Services
> Market share: 59.9%
> Second major player, market share: RentPath, LLC — 21.6%
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24. Walmart Inc.
> Industry: Warehouse Clubs & Supercenters in the US
> Market share: 60.6%
> Second major player, market share: Costco Wholesale Corp — 22.6%
23. Assurant Solutions Spain Sa
> Industry: Product Warranty Insurance
> Market share: 61.2%
> Second major player, market share: Squaretrade Inc. — 5.1%
22. Coffee and Bagel Brands
> Industry: Bagel Stores
> Market share: 61.5%
> Second major player, market share: No other major player in data
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21. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.
> Industry: Iron Ore Mining in the US
> Market share: 61.8%
> Second major player, market share: United States Steel Corp — 28.9%
20. Hellofresh Se
> Industry: Meal Kit Delivery Services
> Market share: 62.3%
> Second major player, market share: Relish Labs Llc — 15.6%
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19. Adobe Inc.
> Industry: Design, Editing & Rendering Software Publishing in the US
> Market share: 62.4%
> Second major player, market share: Autodesk, Inc. — 16.6%
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17. Audible, Inc.
> Industry: Audiobook Publishing
> Market share: 63.4%
> Second major player, market share: Penguin Random House Audio — 15.2%
17. MSA Safety Incorporated
> Industry: Gas Detection Device Manufacturing
> Market share: 63.4%
> Second major player, market share: Honeywell International Inc. — 15.7%
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16. Zillow Group, Inc.
> Industry: Online Residential Home Sale Listings
> Market share: 63.7%
> Second major player, market share: No other major player in data
15. Target Corp
> Industry: Department Stores in the US
> Market share: 65.9%
> Second major player, market share: Macy’s, Inc. — 8.9%
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14. The UPS Store
> Industry: Packing & Shipping Service Franchises
> Market share: 66.3%
> Second major player, market share: No other major player in data
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13. Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
> Industry: Robotic Surgery Equipment Manufacturing
> Market share: 66.3%
> Second major player, market share: Stryker Corp — 5.5%
12. EssilorLuxottica
> Industry: Sunglasses Stores
> Market share: 69.4%
> Second major player, market share: No other major player in data
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11. Sherwin Williams Co
> Industry: Paint Stores in the US
> Market share: 70.2%
> Second major player, market share: PPG Industries, Inc. — 8.0%
10. Outerwall Inc.
> Industry: Movie Rental Kiosks
> Market share: 70.7%
> Second major player, market share: No other major player in data
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9. Brambles Limited
> Industry: Pallet & Skid Rental
> Market share: 73.5%
> Second major player, market share: Peco Pallet, Inc. — 3.8%
8. Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.
> Industry: Coffee Store Franchises
> Market share: 74.6%
> Second major player, market share: Tim Hortons Inc. — 4.7%
7. Gojo Industries, Inc.
> Industry: Hand Sanitizer Manufacturing
> Market share: 74.9%
> Second major player, market share: Vi-Jon Laboratories — 15.1%
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6. Facebook Inc.
> Industry: Social Networking Sites
> Market share: 75.9%
> Second major player, market share: LinkedIn Corp — 7.1%
5. Amazon.Com, Inc.
> Industry: Online Book Sales
> Market share: 81.3%
> Second major player, market share: Apple Inc. — 4.0%
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4. Mindgeek Llc
> Industry: Adult & Pornographic Websites
> Market share: 81.6%
> Second major player, market share: No other major player in data
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3. QVC, inc.
> Industry: Cable Shopping Networks
> Market share: 88.4%
> Second major player, market share: Imedia Brands, inc. — 3.1%
2. Intuit Inc.
> Industry: Tax Preparation Software Developers
> Market share: 92.8%
> Second major player, market share: H&R Block, Inc. — 6.9%
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1. United States Postal Service
> Industry: Postal Service in the US
> Market share: 99.1%
> Second major player, market share: No other major player in data
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