Apple Leaps to #6 in Latest Fortune 500 Rankings

Fortune today released its annual "Fortune 500" list, a high-profile ranking of the largest companies in the United States ranked by revenue. In the new rankings, Apple has risen to #6 from its #17 spot in last year's rankings.

Apple is bigger than ever -- the company cracked the Fortune 10 this year. But it’s a high-pressure job, being king of the hill. At Apple's press event this past October, it maintained more than disrupted with its software upgrades and iPad mini announcement. Also, this past year has seen a lot of CEO Tim Cook having to apologize -- once in September for the failure of Apple’s maps app, and then to Chinese consumers this April for slow repair services -- this in a market that Cook said this past January would be Apple's largest. Still, when every executive wants to invent the iPod of ___, Apple remains an innovation icon.

Wal-Mart edged out ExxonMobil for the top spot in this year's rankings, with Chevron, Phillips 66, and Berkshire Hathaway also ranking ahead of Apple and its $156.2 billion in revenue. In looking at profits, Apple ranked second among Fortune 500 companies at $41.7 billion, trailing only ExxonMobil at $44.9 billion.

aapl_fortune_500_2013

Apple's Fortune 500 rankings, 1983–2013 (Source: setteB.IT)

Apple is on track for another strong performance this year, having reached $22.6 billion in profit on sales of $98.1 billion in the first half of the year. That compares to earnings of $24.7 billion on $85.5 billion in revenue for the first half of fiscal 2012.

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday October 1, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, and Safari. More features and changes will follow in future versions,...
iPhone 17 vs Air and Pros Feature

New iPhones See 'Stronger Than Expected' Demand With One Exception

Thursday October 2, 2025 7:26 am PDT by
Nearly two weeks after the iPhone 17 series launched, analysts at investment banking firm Morgan Stanley said demand for the devices has been "modestly stronger than we originally expected," based on a combination of extended shipping estimates on Apple's online store and information it gathered from Apple's supply chain. There has been strong early demand for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro,...
macbook air prime day 2025

M5 MacBook Air: Release Date, Features, and Performance Predictions

Friday October 3, 2025 3:39 am PDT by
The MacBook Air is Apple's most popular laptop – a thin, fanless machine that wields quiet power thanks to the efficiency of Apple silicon. While the M4 model isn't exactly old, attention is already turning to its successor. Apple doesn't telegraph new product launches ahead of time, but we can draw a surprisingly clear picture of what to expect by looking at Apple's silicon roadmap,...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26 Adds These 200 New Features and Changes to Your iPhone

Saturday October 4, 2025 8:19 am PDT by
Apple's website offers a list of nearly 200 new features and changes (PDF file) included in the software update, released last month. Apple also shared equivalent lists for iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe. iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 and newer. To install the update, open the Settings app on your iPhone, tap on General, and tap on Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight ...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Event in October? Here's What to Expect

Monday September 29, 2025 9:31 am PDT by
Apple's annual iPhone event is in the rearview mirror, but rumors suggest the company plans to release a handful of additional products before the year ends. Will there be another Apple event this October? We discuss the possibility below. Apple in October Apple's most recent October events were in 2021 and 2023. In 2022 and 2024, Apple did not host an October event. Instead, it...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: Leaks Reveal What Apple Products Are Coming Next

Friday October 3, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
On this episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the latest leaks about the next-generation iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, Studio Display, and Vision Pro. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Earlier this week, an apparent unboxing video of an updated iPad Pro with the M5 chip was shared online. The same YouTube account leaked the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip...
space black mbp

Here's Every New Apple Product That Leaked Yesterday

Wednesday October 1, 2025 8:27 am PDT by
A handful of upcoming Apple products leaked yesterday, through a combination of YouTube videos out of Russia and U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) documents that were released, despite Apple's confidentiality requests. The leaked products include an iPad Pro with an M5 chip, as well as updated MacBook Pro and Apple Vision Pro models. All of these devices had already been rumored...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

Apple's 2025 Product Roadmap: What's Still Coming

Wednesday October 1, 2025 3:56 pm PDT by
Apple's two big yearly events, WWDC and the iPhone launch, are done and over with, but there are still some new products that we're expecting to see before the end of the year. Apple TV The Apple TV hasn't been updated since 2022, so it's due for a refresh. It doesn't look like Apple is going to change the design of its set-top box, but we can expect a faster chip Apple code suggests...

Top Rated Comments

3N16MA Avatar
162 months ago
This is what happens when you run a doomed company. It cracks the top 10 in the Fortune 500.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
needfx Avatar
162 months ago
#6 in the charts, #1 in our hearts, sorta
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lkrupp Avatar
162 months ago
One thing we know for sure. If this report had shown Apple moving DOWN the list this thread would already have 300 posts, mostly by the resident haters crowing about their predictions of doom. As it is this thread will die quickly because it shows Apple in a positive light, and we just can't have that on MacRumors.:D
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sseaton1971 Avatar
162 months ago
Ah but unless the 5S has a 5" and we get a super cheap plastic phone Apple will struggle to make the top 50 next year. /s

How many people will miss the /s and reply defensively? ;)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbeagle Avatar
162 months ago
The Fortune 500 is nothing more than a showplace ranking, an antique. Wal-Mart posted nearly three times the revenue of Apple, but Apple is more than twice as profitable.

The Fortune 500 list is a list of the top 500 companies by REVENUE. It's a list of companies you are most likely to be a customer of. It's something that companies strive to be a part of. It generally means that you are a big, successful company.

Of course, Apple is the 2nd most profitable company, but that doesn't mean squat, because, of course, they are doomed. Therefore, a list of the top 500 companies by PROFIT would just be a showplace, an antique.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IJ Reilly Avatar
162 months ago
The Fortune 500 is nothing more than a showplace ranking, an antique. Wal-Mart posted nearly three times the revenue of Apple, but Apple is more than twice as profitable.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)