A joint study by TIME and Statista has identified 500 top privately held companies, highlighting the economic importance and operational flexibility of firms that are not traded on the stock market.

TIME 與 Statista 的一項聯合研究確定了 500 家頂尖的私營公司，凸顯了非上市公司的經濟重要性與營運靈活性。

The main difference between public and private ownership is the level of freedom regarding long-term planning. While public companies are often limited by the need to provide quarterly dividends and satisfy shareholder pressure, private firms can invest for the long term and take more risks. This independence allows them to focus on a specific mission; for example, Patagonia's ownership model protects its environmental goals from outside investor interference.

公開所有權與私營所有權之間的主要區別在於長期規劃的自由度。公開公司通常受限於提供季度股息的需求以及滿足股東的壓力，而私營公司則可以進行長期投資並承擔更多風險。這種獨立性使它們能夠專注於特定的使命；例如，Patagonia 的所有權模式保護其環境目標不受外部投資者的干擾。

Furthermore, changes in the workforce and post-pandemic priorities have increased the value of employee wellness and corporate responsibility. Younger workers generally prefer companies that prioritize overall well-being over just a high salary. Consequently, there is a rise in alternative management models, such as worker cooperatives and Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), seen in companies like Publix and WinCo. According to research from the University of Rhode Island, these models lead to higher productivity, better revenue growth, and lower staff turnover because employee interests are aligned with the company's long-term success.

此外，勞動力的變化和後疫情時代的優先事項提高了員工福祉和企業責任的價值。年輕員工通常更傾向於選擇優先考慮整體身心健康而非僅僅是高薪的公司。因此，替代管理模式有所增加，例如在 Publix 和 WinCo 等公司中看到的工人合作社和員工持股計劃 (ESOPs)。根據羅德島大學的研究，由於員工利益與公司的長期成功一致，這些模式能帶來更高的生產力、更好的營收增長以及更低的員工流失率。

The methodology for the 'America’s Best Private Companies 2026' ranking used two main scores. First, Employee Satisfaction was measured by analyzing data from approximately 217,000 employees, focusing on workplace atmosphere and fairness. Second, Company Impact was measured by The Upright Project, which calculated the total societal benefits and costs across four areas: society, knowledge, health, and the environment. These two metrics were given equal weight to determine the final score.

「2026 年美國最佳私營公司」排名的評分方法使用了兩個主要分數。首先，員工滿意度是透過分析約 217,000 名員工的數據來衡量，重點在於職場氛圍與公平性。其次，公司影響力由 The Upright Project 衡量，計算了涵蓋社會、知識、健康和環境四個領域的總體社會效益與成本。這兩個指標的權重相等，用以決定最終分數。

The current economic environment shows a growing preference for private ownership models that prioritize sustainable growth and employee engagement over short-term market changes.

目前的經濟環境顯示，市場日益傾向於選擇優先考慮永續增長與員工參與，而非短期市場變動的私營所有權模式。