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Computerworld’s Best Places to Work in IT 2026 ranking names Tractor Supply Company the top large employer, Power Home Remodeling the top midsize employer, and Warsteiner Brauerei Haus Cramer KG the top small employer. The ranking was published on December 9, 2025, but its underlying survey was conducted from April through July 2025. It measures employer-reported IT practices—not every employee’s experience, current job openings, or guaranteed compensation.
That distinction matters for job seekers and personal-finance planning. A highly ranked employer may offer strong training, benefits, flexibility or retention, while still having limited openings, location restrictions, contractor-heavy staffing or role-specific management problems.
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The 2026 winners at a glance
| Organization size | Employee count | No. 1 employer |
|---|---|---|
| Large | 5,000 or more employees | Tractor Supply Company |
| Midsize | 1,001–4,999 employees | Power Home Remodeling |
| Small | 1,000 or fewer employees | Warsteiner Brauerei Haus Cramer KG |
Computerworld separates employers by organization size instead of combining them into one undifferentiated list. The program covers internal IT departments and technology-service organizations whose employees provide IT services to clients. The ranking includes employers from healthcare, finance, education, insurance, retail, manufacturing, professional services and technology services—not just software companies.
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See Computerworld’s 2026 report and published tables.
#1 Best Overall
Top 10 large IT employers
- Tractor Supply Company
- The Hartford
- Cedars-Sinai
- Navy Federal Credit Union
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
- USAA
- UKG
- Dayforce HCM
- CDW
- Sophos Ltd.
Top 10 midsize IT employers
- Power Home Remodeling
- Credit Acceptance
- OCLC
- Plante Moran
- VyStar Credit Union
- CME Group
- Kinaxis
- Extreme Networks
- KnowBe4
- ChenMed
Top 10 small IT employers
- Warsteiner Brauerei Haus Cramer KG
- BCU
- Tokio Marine North America Services
- Dataprise LLC
- Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company
- Consumers Credit Union
- Data Intensity
- Prezzee PTY Limited
- Axon Active Vietnam Co., Ltd.
- IT Convergence, Inc.
The published size-banded tables contain 54 large organizations, 28 midsize organizations and 17 small organizations—99 listed organizations in total. Computerworld also describes the program generally as ranking the “top 100 IT employers,” so readers should not interpret that phrase as an exact count of 100 entries in the displayed tables.
What “best” means in this ranking
Computerworld’s ranking is based primarily on a 59-question company survey covering six areas:
- IT growth: evidence that the technology workforce is expanding.
- Workplace modernization: flexible work and modernization of the employee workplace.
- Career development and training: skills investment, career paths, education and training.
- Benefits and compensation: salary increases, benefits, bonuses and related rewards.
- Retention and engagement: efforts to keep IT employees motivated and connected.
- Workplace culture: belonging, inclusion, recognition and the broader organizational environment.
Research Results, Inc. administered the online data collection and tabulated the results. Responses were weighted using an established scoring system reviewed by Computerworld/Foundry and an external panel. Eligibility required at least 100 total employees and at least five IT employees. The program’s broader definition includes employees who provide technology support to their own organization or technology services to multiple organizations through an IT services provider. Companies that withhold information used to rank finalists can have points deducted, according to the program description.
These criteria are not the same as an anonymous employee-review ranking. The published methodology does not make the list a role-by-role compensation benchmark or a guarantee about a particular manager, office, commute, visa policy, stock package, layoff risk or job opening in your area. Read the program’s methodology and eligibility description.
Category leaders
| Category | Large | Midsize | Small |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT growth | H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute | Aeroflow Health | MetroStar |
| Workplace modernization | Cedars-Sinai | VyStar Credit Union | IT Convergence, Inc. |
| Career development and training | Jack Henry & Associates | American Fidelity Assurance Company | Axon Active Vietnam Co., Ltd. |
| Benefits and compensation | Dayforce HCM | CME Group | Warsteiner Brauerei Haus Cramer KG |
| Retention and engagement | Probe CX | National Information Solutions Cooperative | Consumers Credit Union |
| Workplace culture | Cedars-Sinai | Power Home Remodeling | Warsteiner Brauerei Haus Cramer KG |
What the survey says about IT work
Hiring is expanding, but cautiously
Fifty-six percent of respondents planned to increase IT hiring in the next fiscal year, with planned growth averaging 9%. Six percent expected IT staff reductions and 38% expected hiring to remain steady. The comparable hiring-growth figures were 50% in the prior year and 71% in 2024, indicating a more restrained market than two years earlier.
Midsize organizations were the most expansion-oriented: 68% planned to increase IT hiring, with average planned growth of 10%. Among large organizations, 48% planned expansion, averaging 7%. Planned hiring is not the same as a guaranteed vacancy, offer or completed workforce increase.
Contractor growth changes the employment picture
Temporary or contract IT workers increased 12% over the previous 12 months, while full-time IT employment increased only 0.3%. Contractors represented almost 49% of the total IT workforce among survey respondents.
For personal-finance purposes, this is one of the most important qualifications in the report. Before comparing employers, determine whether a role is permanent, contract, contract-to-hire, outsourced or vendor-based. Employment classification can affect health insurance, paid leave, retirement contributions, job security, overtime treatment and access to training.
Hybrid work is common, but “flexible” is not always “remote”
The average reported IT workforce was 54% flexible hybrid, 32% fully remote and 14% office-based full-time. Nearly all respondents—97%—gave IT employees some location flexibility, but only 35% of employees could choose where they worked on a given day.
Ask about required office days, geographic hiring limits, travel, core collaboration hours and whether the policy applies to your specific team. A company can offer flexibility while still requiring you to live near an office or work onsite for certain projects.
Rank #3
AI skills and human oversight are becoming central
Respondents described investment in AI upskilling, business and commercial knowledge, soft skills, cybersecurity, systems architecture, software-engineering fundamentals and AI or agentic-AI capabilities. The report’s broad theme is that participating organizations are using AI to augment IT work while retaining human oversight and problem-solving responsibilities.
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That is a survey finding, not a promise that every listed employer provides the same tools or has a permanent AI policy. Ask what tools are approved, whether company code and data may be used, what training is paid for, and how AI-generated work is reviewed.
Pay, promotions and retention remained relatively strong
- IT promotions held at 12%.
- 90% of IT employees received a salary increase in 2025.
- 97% of respondents said salary freezes were not being considered.
- Average IT turnover was about 9%, compared with 10% in each of the two prior years.
- Small organizations reported somewhat higher IT turnover at 12%.
These are aggregate results for survey respondents. They are not current salary benchmarks or promises about an individual offer. Compare base pay, bonus, equity or profit sharing, retirement contributions, insurance, paid leave, on-call compensation and education benefits.
Representation produced a mixed picture
Minority representation in IT declined to 32%, from 36% in 2025. Women represented 30% of the IT workforce, up from 27%, and 31% of IT managers, up from 26%. These are aggregate respondent figures; an employer’s ranking alone does not establish its diversity outcomes for a particular team or location.
Examples from the ranked employers
Tractor Supply Company
The No. 1 large organization is described as using an innovation culture, monthly IT town halls and recognition programs such as “Barn Raiser” awards to support engagement. These practices come from the company profile and may not operate identically in every department or location.
CME Group
CME Group ranked sixth among midsize organizations and led the midsize category for benefits and compensation. The report says its approximately 1,750-person technology group received access to generative-AI tools including Google Gemini and Gemini Code Assist. CME reported uses including feature writing, architecture documents, test-script generation, bug identification and faster testing. Those are company-reported examples, not independently measured productivity results.
Data Intensity
Data Intensity ranked seventh among small organizations and appeared in the small-company top 10 for all six categories. The report describes it as remote-first, with employees distributed across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and India. For candidates, that makes location, time-zone overlap, employment entity and work-authorization questions especially important.
Credit Acceptance
Credit Acceptance ranked second among midsize organizations. The report describes approximately 95% of its IT team as fully remote, supported by in-person gatherings, regional roundtables, hackathons and company events. The example illustrates that remote-first culture requires deliberate collaboration rather than simply removing office attendance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to use the ranking when choosing an IT job
Use the list as a shortlist, then evaluate the actual role and offer.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →- Confirm the employer. Determine whether the listed company directly employs you or whether a staffing firm, consultant or vendor is the legal employer.
- Confirm employment type. Ask about permanence, assignment length, benefits eligibility, conversion terms and termination notice.
- Verify the work arrangement. Get required office days, location limits, travel and schedule expectations in writing where possible.
- Check career mechanics. Ask about certification budgets, tuition reimbursement, mentoring, internal mobility, technical career ladders, promotion criteria and paid training time.
- Clarify AI expectations. Ask which tools are approved, how sensitive data is handled, whether training is provided and whether productivity targets are changing.
- Compare total compensation. Evaluate base salary, bonus, equity, retirement contributions, health costs, paid leave, on-call pay, overtime and relocation support—not salary alone.
- Test stability. Ask whether planned growth is full-time or contractor-based and whether the business is undergoing restructuring, acquisition or outsourcing.
- Investigate the team. Interview the manager and prospective colleagues about technical debt, on-call load, staffing, promotion transparency and day-to-day culture.
- Check eligibility. Verify geography, work authorization, security-clearance requirements, travel and any industry-specific credentials.
Important limitations
The 2026 label does not mean the survey was conducted in 2026. Nominations began April 15, 2025, the 59-question survey closed at the end of July 2025, and the report was published December 9, 2025. Hiring plans, leadership, office policies, compensation and business conditions may have changed since then.
Best Value
Participation and company survey responses are central to the methodology. That produces structured information about employer practices, but it is not the same as an anonymous, independently verified workforce-satisfaction survey. A high rank means the organization scored well under Computerworld’s methodology; it does not mean every IT employee has the same experience.
Size bands also limit direct comparisons. A small employer may offer visibility and ownership, while a large organization may offer more formal benefits, training and internal mobility. Likewise, an enterprise with a large internal IT department may be excellent for cybersecurity, infrastructure, data or regulated systems but less suitable for someone seeking consumer software product work.
Computerworld’s program page says the 2027 Best Places to Work in IT program was cancelled. Readers should not assume that a 2027 ranking is scheduled automatically.
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Computerworld’s 2026 leaders are Tractor Supply Company for large organizations, Power Home Remodeling for midsize organizations and Warsteiner Brauerei Haus Cramer KG for small organizations. The ranking is useful for identifying employers that reported strong IT growth, modernization, development, rewards, engagement and culture—but it should be treated as a starting point, not a verdict on your next job.
For a financially sound decision, validate the specific team, employment classification, total compensation, location policy, career path and stability of the role. A ranked employer is worth investigating; it is not automatically the best employer for your specialty, circumstances or budget.
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