Top 125 Family Businesses People Most Want to Work for in the U.S. [2025 Survey]

Family-run firms might not grab the same headlines as the big corporations, but the data shows they have carved out lasting appeal for job seekers. 

When we analyzed the list of top names from our poll of 3,012 job seekers, certain patterns stand out - about geography, industries, and how heritage shapes careers.

Here are the full rankings.

Family Fortunes

The below shows the top family run businesses across America that job seekers would most like to work for.

Ranking	Business	City	State
11	Tony’s Ice Cream Company	Gastonia	North Carolina
12	P.E. Guerin, Inc.	New York	New York
13	Dutch Maid Bakery & Café	Tracy City	Tennessee
14	Garber Hardware	Greenwich Village/West Village	New York
15	Bradley Lock and Key	Savannah	Georgia
16	Roeser’s Bakery	Chicago	Illinois
17	Bromberg’s	Birmingham	Alabama
18	Lammes Candy	Austin	Texas
19	Kamaka ʻUkulele	Honolulu	Hawaii
20	Schimpff’s Confectionery	Jeffersonville	Indiana
21	M. A. Patout & Son aka Enterprise Plantation & Sugar Mill	Patoutville	Louisiana
22	Lakeside Mills	Spindale	North Carolina
23	Papa’s Tomato Pies	Robbinsville	New Jersey
24	American Pop Corn Company aka Jolly Time Pop Corn	Sioux City	Iowa
25	Royal Cup Coffee	Birmingham	Alabama
26	Savage and Son, Inc.	Reno	Nevada
27	Seaside Inn	Kennebunkport	Maine
28	Laird & Company	Colts Neck Township	New Jersey
29	Abdallah Candies	Apple Valley	Minnesota
30	Gundlach Bundschu Winery	Sonoma	California
31	Adam Puchta Winery	Hermann	Missouri
32	The Pirates’ House	Savannah	Georgia
33	Three Bears Alaska	Anchorage	Alaska
34	Faidley’s Seafood	Baltimore	Maryland
35	S.C. Johnson & Son	Racine	Wisconsin
36	Straub Brewery	St. Marys	Pennsylvania
37	E.B. Horn Jewelers	Boston	Massachusetts
38	Hasegawa General Store	Hana	Hawaii
39	Little Jimmy’s Italian Ices	Iselin	New Jersey
40	Orvis	Manchester	Vermont
41	Rheb’s Candies	Baltimore	Maryland
42	The Rowland Company	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
43	E. Ritter & Company	Marked Tree	Arkansas
44	Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana	New Haven	Connecticut
45	Gus’ Pretzels	St. Louis	Missouri
46	Allen Brothers Milling Company	Columbia	South Carolina
47	B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill	Mystic	Connecticut
48	Breitbach’s Country Dining	Balltown	Iowa
49	Buffett’s Candies	Albuquerque	New Mexico
50	Doud’s Market	Mackinac Island	Michigan
51	Mercier Orchards	Blue Ridge	Georgia
52	Shamrock Farms	Phoenix	Arizona
53	The Hays House 1857	Council Grove	Kansas
54	E.E. Ward Moving & Storage	Columbus	Ohio
55	Hamilton Distillers - Whiskey Del Bac	Tucson	Arizona
56	J.C. Newman Cigar Company	Tampa	Florida
57	McCormick’s Furniture	Logan	West Virginia
58	Pendery’s World of Chiles & Spices	Fort Worth	Texas
59	Saunderskill Farms	Accord	New York
60	Alaska Flour Company	Delta Junction	Alaska
61	Eischen’s Bar	Okarche	Oklahoma
62	Hames Corporation	Sitka	Alaska
63	Harper’s Old Country Store	Seneca Rocks	West Virginia
64	Sadie’s of New Mexico	Albuquerque	New Mexico
65	Aladdin General Store	Aladdin	Wyoming
66	Antoine’s Restaurant	New Orleans	Louisiana
67	August Schell Brewing Company	New Ulm	Minnesota
68	B.C. Clark Jewelers	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma
69	Circle Ranch	Sublette County	Wyoming
70	Cowardin’s Jewelers	Richmond	Virginia
71	Davoll’s General Store	South Dartmouth	Massachusetts
72	Family Express	Valparaiso	Indiana
73	Harkins Theatres	Tempe	Arizona
74	Hyman’s Seafood	Charleston	South Carolina
75	Laird Norton Company	Seattle	Washington
76	Seattle-Tacoma Box Company	Kent	Washington
77	Willett Distillery	Bardstown	Kentucky
78	All Electric Supply, LLC	Little Rock	Arkansas
79	Emery Farm	Durham	New Hampshire
80	Festival Foods	De Pere	Wisconsin
81	Lodge Manufacturing Company aka Lodge Cast Iron	South Pittsburg	Tennessee
82	Minerva Dairy	Minerva	Ohio
83	Penn’s Store	Gravel Switch	Kentucky
84	Schmidt’s Sausage Haus	Columbus	Ohio
85	Berdine’s Five & Dime	Harrisville	West Virginia
86	Community Coffee	Baton Rouge	Louisiana
87	H.N. Williams Store	Dorset	Vermont
88	Hugo’s Family Marketplace	Grand Forks	North Dakota
89	Smiling Hill Farm	Westbrook	Maine
90	Field View Farm	Orange	Connecticut
91	Pekin Noodle Parlor	Butte	Montana
92	Polidori Sausage	Denver	Colorado
93	Barker’s Farm aka Barker's Farmstand	North Andover	Massachusetts
94	Dan & Louis Oyster Bar	Portland	Oregon
95	Jessop’s Tavern	New Castle	Delaware
96	Kenyon’s Grist Mill	Usquepaugh, West Kingston	Rhode Island
97	Miners & Stockmen’s Steakhouse & Spirits	Hartville	Wyoming
98	Ota Tofu	Portland	Oregon
99	Stuart Ranch	Waurika	Oklahoma
100	Bachman’s Floral, Home & Garden	Minneapoliss–St. Paul	Minnesota
101	Chesbro Music Company	Idaho Falls	Idaho
102	Dakota Monument Company	Fargo	North Dakota
103	George Jerome & Co.	Detroit	Michigan
104	Montgomery’s	Sioux Falls	South Dakota
105	Watkins Stained Glass Studio	Englewood	Colorado
106	Dini’s Lucky Club	Yerington	Nevada
107	Emprise Bank	Wichita	Kansas
108	Los Poblanos	Albuquerque	New Mexico
109	Bale of Hay Saloon	Virginia City	Montana
110	Volpi Foods	St. Louis	Missouri
111	Ward Trucks	Mobile	Alabama
112	R.M. Wade & Co.	Beaverton	Oregon
113	Renys	Damariscotta	Maine
114	Sterling Furniture	Salt Lake City	Utah
115	Borroum’s Drug Store & Soda Fountain	Corinth	Mississippi
116	Daynes Music	Midvale	Utah
117	Milward Funeral Directors	Lexington	Kentucky
118	Twin Valley	Miltonvale	Kansas
119	Vanee Foods	Oak Brook	Illinois
120	ESCO Manufacturing	Watertown	South Dakota
121	Monadnock Paper Mill	Bennington	New Hampshire
122	Rada Cutlery	Waverly	Iowa
123	Washburn’s General Store	Bostic	North Carolina
124	F. H. Gillingham & Sons	Woodstock	Vermont
125	J.P. Cooke Company	Omaha	Nebraska

Methodology: This study is based on an online panel survey of 3,012 respondents, conducted to identify which family-run businesses across the United States job seekers would most like to work for. The survey sample was designed to reflect a balanced mix across age, gender, and geography. To ensure statistical reliability, internal data sources were used to establish national population benchmarks, and a two-step process was applied: stratified sampling followed by post-stratification weighting. This ensured the results accurately represent the broader U.S. population of job seekers. The survey was conducted in September 2025.

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Key Findings:

• Family firms in Florida shine.
  Florida places three companies in the top ten (The Breakers, Columbia Restaurant, J.C. Newman Cigar Company). The correlation here is hospitality  – an industry where family values and guest experience go hand in hand.
• Food firms dominate.
  From Guittard Chocolate (California) to Bassetts Ice Cream (Pennsylvania), the sheer number of confectioners, dairies, wineries, and family restaurants shows food is the heartbeat of America’s family firms. These companies thrive because recipes, traditions, and even storefronts are passed down like heirlooms.
• Heritage craft is a strong pull.
  Pottery in North Carolina, stone carving in Rhode Island, jewelry in Massachusetts - artisanal businesses endure because they offer something today’s corporations rarely can: mentorship in a slow, exacting craft. Job seekers clearly value careers that feel rooted in tradition, not just quarterly growth.
• Geographic spread is surprisingly wide.
  Small-town America features heavily. From Robbinsville, New Jersey’s Papa’s Tomato Pies to Balltown, Iowa’s Breitbach’s Country Dining, it’s not just big cities holding the appeal. Family businesses in rural or modest settings often punch above their weight, creating local loyalty that lasts generations.
• Longevity builds credibility.
  Many of these firms date back more than a century — John Stevens Shop (1705), Adam Puchta Winery (1855), B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill (1881). When a company has gone through wars, major economic downturns, and changing consumer tastes, it sends a powerful message: the family firm is resilient and here to stay.  

Final Thoughts

Looking across the list, one theme repeats: firms that are family-owned have longevity. 

As opposed to some job seekers who try to place in Silicon Valley ‘unicorns’ which can be highly volatile, many are attracted to the stability and history that come with family-run firms.