Car Wash Beats Google as Top Workplace in America—Here’s the Full List of Winners

Google has free meals, nap pods, and a nearly $4 trillion market cap. Crew Carwash has tuition reimbursement and locations in Indiana and Minnesota. And this year, the car wash won the title of America’s best place to work.

That’s according to Glassdoor, which just released its 18th annual “Best Places to Work” list. The top two spots went to Crew Carwash, a family-owned chain with 55 locations in the Midwest, and In-N-Out Burger, which beat out firms like Alphabet (GOOGL), Nvidia Corp. (NVDA), and Apple Inc (AAPL).

Both offer something rare in their industries: real career paths and benefits that rival white-collar jobs. In-N-Out creates pathways for workers to advance from cashier to corporate. Crew Carwash offers tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment, perks many would expect from Fortune 500 companies, not car washes.

“Many of the ‘Best Places to Work’ this year are blue-collar employers,” Daniel Zhao, Glassdoor’s chief economist, told Investopedia. “These companies stand out by offering a unique opportunity for workers in sectors that often don’t prioritize the employee experience.”

The big-name companies many would expect to dominate are slipping. Tech firms claimed 24 spots on the 100-company list. That’s more than any other industry, but their share of the list is down more than a quarter since 2024, as layoffs and return-to-office mandates have dropped worker morale, Zhao said.

Only two companies have made the list all 18 years: Bain & Company (No. 8), the management consulting company, and Google (No. 11). Zhao says they prove there’s no single formula for employees rating their workplaces well.

“It’s easy to talk a big game and offer flashy perks when the economy is good,” he said. “But when business slows down, employees will recognize which employers are truly investing in their employees for the long term.”

Here’s the full list.