Fortune Magazine recently released the Fortune 500 list for 2008. The top five U.S. companies, by 2007 revenues, were Wal-Mart ($378.7 billion), Exxon Mobil ($372.8 billion), Chevron ($210.7 billion), General Motors ($182.3 billion), and Conoco Phillips ($178.5 billion).
While many of the Fortune 500 companies continue to experience increased revenues, a growing percentage of these companies have seen profits decline. Of the companies on the Fortune 500 list in 2006, 156 reported lower profits than the year before, and 43 lost money- a total of $48.4 billion. In 2007, the downward trend is evident; 183 companies saw their profits fall, and 57 companies lost money: a total of $116.7 billion.
Nine Missouri-based companies made this year’s list of the 500 companies with the greatest revenues. Emerson Electric (111th) was the state’s highest-ranking company for 2008 with revenues of $22.5 billion.
All of the Missouri companies are headquartered in the St. Louis area, with the exception of Leggett & Platt in Carthage. H&R Block in Kansas City fell out of the Fortune 500 this year to 544th.
These nine companies employ more than 22,000 people in Missouri and pay wages totaling over $2.5 billion (Source: MERIC, QCEW Program).
| Missouri Fortune 500 Companies | ||||||
| Company | Rank | Previous Rank | Revenues ($mil) | Profits ($mil) | Headquarters | Primary Business |
| Emerson Electric | 111 | 115 | $22,572.00 | $2,136.00 | St. Louis | Electronic Components |
| Express Scripts | 135 | 132 | $18,377.80 | $567.80 | Maryland Heights | Pharmacy Benefits Management |
| Anheuser-Busch | 149 | 146 | $16,685.70 | $2,115.30 | St. Louis | Malt Beverages; Aluminum Products; Amusement Parks |
| Monsanto | 305 | 323 | $8,607.00 | $993.00 | St. Louis | Agriculture and Biotechnology |
| Ameren | 329 | 339 | $7,546.00 | $618.00 | St. Louis | Utilities |
| Charter Communications | 409 | 409 | $6,002.00 | ($1,616.00) | St. Louis | Cable and other TV Services |
| Peabody Energy | 432 | 431 | $5,599.20 | $264.30 | St. Louis | Coal Mining and Processing |
| Graybar Electric | 455 | 450 | $5,258.30 | $83.40 | St. Louis | Electronic Parts and Equipment |
| Leggett & Platt | 456 | 419 | $5,258.90 | $11.20 | Carthage | Furniture and Fixtures |
Missouri ranked 19th among the states in the number of Fortune 500 company headquarters with 9. Of the surrounding states, only Illinois had more with 33. Texas led the states with 58 Fortune 500 headquarters, followed by New York (55) and California (52). Eleven states had no Fortune 500 company headquarters. The map below illustrates the number of Forture 500 companies located in each state.
