Here we continue with our series of annual updates on America’s biggest companies from the recently published Fortune 500. This chart shows the 20 US public companies with the largest market capitalizations from 1995 through 2024. You can pause and move to any year between 1994 and 2023. (There is also a video with sound on YouTube.)
Studying the chart is an education in itself. You can compare it with our recent charts which show the largest companies (by revenues). As you watch the decline of storied names like General Electric and Exxon, see the rise of the tech giants in green, especially in the last few years.
We hope you enjoy these animated charts and get a better understanding of change through time in the American economy. You can find more such charts, on different topics including population change, here.
Gary Hoover
Executive Director American Business History Center
