Top Employers D.C.
When you think about Washington, D.C., the first thing that probably comes to mind is politics, but the DC area offers so much more. The District of Columbia is officially home to 4.8 million people with a median household income of $93,200 and 48 percent of the population having attained a college education. The city is also home to all three branches of the U.S. federal government as well as 176 foreign embassies.
But working for the federal government isn’t your only option in the city. Yes, the federal government is the area’s largest employer, but the public school systems in D.C. hire the most number of people. And if neither of those sounds interesting, D.C. is also the headquarters of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Plus, there are many large employers in the region.
So, if you’re thinking about living and working in Washington D.C.—post earning your MBA from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business or George Washington University’s School of Business—where should you work? There are plenty of options. It all depends on what you’re looking for. We’ve outlined a list of the top employers DC has to offer based on size, reputation, benefits and more.
MedStar Health
MedStar is based in Columbia, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. In total, the healthcare provider employs 16,500 people across ten hospitals, a research institute, the MedStar Medical Group and more. As an MBA, you can work for MedStar as a Business Analyst, Business Director, HR Business Partner, Applications Analyst, Director of Planning, Marketing, Public Relations and more.
Noblis
Compared to MedStar, Noblis has far fewer employees—only 873 in the region—but it makes our list due to its high employee rating. Noblis is a nonprofit institution that provides technical and advisory services across the federal government. In workplace surveys, employees say the job challenges them intellectually, and they have space to grow.
Marriott International, Inc.
Marriott’s headquarters is located in Bethesda, Maryland. It’s a Fortune 500 global hotel chain with nearly 6,000 properties in 120 countries and territories. In total, the company employs some 15,300 people, and they employ around 3,000 people at their corporate headquarters. Jobs for MBAs range from finance to marketing, human resources and more.
Booz Allen Hamilton
For a job in technology consulting, Booz Allen Hamilton is a great choice. In total, the company employs around 11,000 individuals with many of those individuals working and living in D.C. since it’s the hub of government and Booz Allen’s client base. The company provides management and technology consulting and engineering services to leading Fortune 500 companies.
Verizon Communications
Another top employer in the area is Verizon Communications, and it’s no wonder since it’s headquarters is located in D.C., and it’s considered one of the largest technology communications companies in the world. In total, they employ around 11,000 individuals and have offer jobs in sales, software, engineering, finance, customer service and more.
Mitre
Mitre’s headquarters is in McLean, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C. In total, the company employs around 7,130 people and about 3,918 of those in the DC area. Mitre is a nonprofit organization with an annual revenue close to $1.5 billion. The company manages federally funded research centers for government agencies and employees love it as an exceptional place to work. In fact, many employees start working for Mitre as a contractor and then decide to stick around.
Capital One Financial
Capital One Financial is one of the largest banking companies in the country. It’s headquarters is in McLean, Virginia where it employs 4,534 people. Virginia is also home to the company’s digital innovation labs, which puts employees in charge of product development—an ideal career choice for many MBAs. As for why it’s such a great place to work, the company offers many benefits including reimbursement for out-of-pocket healthcare expenses and tuition coverage.
Lockheed Martin Corp.
For MBAs interested in working in Aerospace/Defense, Lockheed Martin is an excellent choice. It’s a global security and aerospace company with over 125,000 employees worldwide and approximately 9,000 employees in the D.C. area. MBAs who are hired at Lockheed can work in research, design, development, manufacturing, products, services and more.
Deloitte
Deloitte has always been a top employer choice for MBAs and for those in the D.C. area is a logical one. Deloitte’s headquarters is located in McLean, Virginia where the company employs approximately 8,000 people. Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world’s most admired brands, including 80 percent of the Fortune 500 list.
Comcast
Last and certainly not least is Comcast Communications. It’s one of the nation’s largest telecommunications and media companies with over 153,000 employees worldwide. In the D.C. area, Comcast employs 3,164 people within its multitude of branches. We put Comcast on our list because its employees receive discounted cable and Internet services along with tuition reimbursement and a stock plan.