Long Island's largest employers
The biggest employers on Long Island include a diverse crop of public and private employers, with the latest data showing an increase in big retail and health care and a decline in large manufacturing and some big banks. The composition of the jobs here has shifted because of economic forces such as the recession of 2007-09, the rise of the Internet, the drop in Wall Street jobs in New York City and the expansion of global trade.
See the full list of the 50 employers below with each employer's 2016 employees, 2006 employees and position change since 2006, where applicable. The list does not include the following, which declined to disclose their Long Island employment figures: Cablevision, Target, Kohl’s, Diocese of Rockville Centre, Estee Lauder and Macy’s/Bloomingdale's.
To read more about the changing economy and employers on Long Island, click here.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; New York State Department of Labor, Newsday data for town figures; individual employers.
1. Northwell Health
Credit: Randee Daddona
2016 employees: 31,153
2006 employees: 31,715*
Position change: None
*Note: Includes Queens
2. New York State
Credit: Getty Images
2016 employees: 20,304
2006 employees: 25,000
Position change: None
3. Catholic Health Services
Credit: Newsday / Leslie Barbour
2016 employees: 17,000*
2006 employees: 15,000
Position change: +1
*Note: Includes Good Samaritan Hospital, St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, St. Charles Hospital, St. Francis Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital and Mercy Medical Center
4. Nassau County
Credit: Amy Onorato
2016 employees: 16,784*
2006 employees: 10,526
Position change: +2
*Note: Includes Nassau University Medical Center, A. Holly Pattern Extended Care Facility and five federally qualified health care centers
5. Federal government
Credit: AP
2016 employees: 16,391
2006 employees: 18,061*
Position change: -2
*Note: Includes 9,200 postal workers
6. Suffolk County
Credit: Ed Betz
2016 employees: 11,075*
2006 employees: 11,612
Position change: -1
*Note: Includes Suffolk County Community College and seasonal workers
7. Stop & Shop
Credit: Danielle Finkelstein
2016 employees: 8,100*
2006 employees: 7,000
Position change: None
*Note: Includes employees newly acquired from A&P/Waldbaum's
8. Winthrop-University Hospital
Credit: Ian J. Stark
2016 employees: 7,700
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
9. Long Island Rail Road
Credit: Johnny MIlano
2016 employees: 6,960
2006 employees: 6,131
Position change: None
10. Walmart
Credit: Howard Schnapp
2016 employees: 5,056
2006 employees: 3,417
Position change: +13
11. Hempstead Town
Credit: Gabby Recny
2016 employees: 4,550
2006 employees: 1,974
Position change: +35
12. Home Depot
Credit: James Carbone
2016 employees: 4,361
2006 employees: 3,500
Position change: +9
13. CVS
Credit: Ivy Neal
2016 employees: 3,983
2006 employees: 3,840
Position change: +7
14. Nassau BOCES
Credit: Danielle Finkelstein
2016 employees: 3,755
2006 employees: 2,881
Position change: +15
15. King Kullen
Credit: Barry Sloan
2016 employees: 3,649*
2006 employees: 4,400**
Position change: None
*Note: Includes employees newly acquired from A&P/Waldbaum's
**Note: Includes Wild by Nature
16. Verizon
Credit: AP
2016 employees: 3,499
2006 employees: 5,243
Position change: -6
17. Geico
Credit: Getty Images
2016 employees: 3,200
2006 employees: 3,416
Position change: +7
18. UPS
Credit: AP
2016 employees: 3,100
2006 employees: 2,873
Position change: +12
19. AHRC (Nassau)
Credit: Heather Walsh
2016 employees: 3,000
2006 employees: 2,290
Position change: +19
20. South Nassau Communities Hospital
Credit: Barry Sloan
2016 employees: 3,000
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
21. Brookhaven National Laboratory
Credit: Doug Kuntz
2016 employees: 2,792
2006 employees: 2,700
Position change: +11
22. NBTY
Credit: Randee Daddona
2016 employees: 2,700
2006 employees: 2,384
Position change: +15
23. Long Island University
Credit: Danielle Finkelstein
2016 employees: 2,573
2006 employees: 4,110*
Position change: -5
*Note: Includes Brooklyn campus and small facilities in Rockland and Westchester counties
24. Brentwood school district
Credit: Karen Wiles Stabile
2016 employees: 2,554
2006 employees: 2,940
Position change: +4
25. Hofstra University
Credit: Newsday / Linda Rosier
2016 employees: 2,539
2006 employees: 2,542
Position change: +8
26. JP Morgan Chase
Credit: AP
2016 employees: 2,528
2006 employees: 2,954
Position change: +1
27. John T. Mather Memorial Hospital
Credit: Heather Walsh
2016 employees: 2,500
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
28. Town of Oyster Bay
Credit: Anthony Lanzilote
2016 employees: 2,457
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
29. Sachem School District
Credit: Barry Sloan
2016 employees: 2,276
2006 employees: 2,050
Position change: +16
30. PSEG Long Island
Credit: John Paraskevas
2016 employees: 2,234
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
31. Brookhaven Memorial Hospital
Credit: Charles Eckert
2016 employees: 2,210
2006 employees: 2,200
Position change: +11
32. Eastern Suffolk BOCES
Credit: Barry Sloan
2016 employees: 2,204
2006 employees: 2,275
Position change: +7
33. Atlantic Auto Group
Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
2016 employees: 2,200
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
34. National Grid
Credit: Mark Harrington
2016 employees: 2,000
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
35. Brookhaven Town
Credit: Bill Davis
2016 employees: 1,996
2006 employees: 2,444
Position change: None
36. Costco
Credit: Ian J. Stark
2016 employees: 1,914
2006 employees: 1,800
Position change: +11
37. Capital One Bank
Credit: Getty Images
2016 employees: 1,900
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
38. Huntington Town
Credit: Carl Corry
2016 employees: 1,805
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
39. P.C. Richard & Son
Credit: Patricia Caleca
2016 employees: 1,752
2006 employees: 1,786
Position change: +9
40. Developmental Disabilities Institute
Credit: Meghan Giannotta
2016 employees: 1,750
2006 employees: 1,639
Position change: +10
41. BJ's
Credit: Getty Images
2016 employees: 1,702
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
42. City of Long Beach
Credit: Tara Conry
2016 employees: 1,625
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
43. Babylon Town
Credit: Carl Corry
2016 employees: 1,451
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
44. Lowes
Credit: AP
2016 employees: 1,401
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
45. Henry Schein
Credit: Steve Pfost
2016 employees: 1,400
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
46. New York Community Bancorp
Credit: Google
2016 employees: 1,331
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
47. Town of Smithtown
Credit: Erin Geismar
2016 employees: 1,314
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
48. Bank of America
Credit: AP
2016 employees: 1,300
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
49. Belmont Park Race Track
Credit: Newsday / J. Conrad Williams Jr.
2016 employees: 1,241 (full-time only)
2006 employees: 2,138
Position change: -6
50. AHRC (Suffolk)
Credit: Heather Wals
2016 employees: 1,222
2006 employees: n/a
Position change: n/a
