San Antonio continues to prove it hosts the best of the best employers in Texas as the statewide grocery chain H-E-B moves into the coveted No. 2 spot on Forbes' 2023 list of "America’s Best Employers By State."

The highly anticipated list, published August 22, is a collaboration between Forbes and Statista to survey the satisfaction levels of tens of thousands of workers employed by national companies.

In addition to being based in San Antonio, H-E-B operates more than 300 stores in Texas and employs 154,000 people. Its mammoth presence throughout the state — coupled with a great work environment and advancement opportunities — is what propels it to the top year after year. The ranking is a seven-place improvement from its No. 9 rank in 2022.

It gives back to the community, too. Earlier this year, H-E-B and its Tournament of Champions Charitable Trust collaborated to support San Antonio Zoo's "Generation Zoo" master plan with a combined total of $3 million in donations. The partnership solidifies H-E-B's commitment to San Antonio families and the city's public education sector.

"As longtime supporters of San Antonio Zoo, H-E-B is excited to be a part of this transformative effort," said Winell Herron, Group Vice President of Public Affairs, Diversity, and Environmental Affairs in a press release. "We’re proud our gift will support the zoo’s vision to expand conservation and education opportunities while creating beautiful spaces that will continue to welcome families for generations to come."

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio also received high praise, coming in at No. 26 overall. The only employer that scored higher than H-E-B was Nasa, in Houston.

Although Forbes explains that the national list isn't the same as their best large employers list, it's meant to serve as an in-depth analysis of companies that are "closer-to-home options for every American worker."

Forbes and Statista determined their rankings by surveying 70,000 Americans working at employers in the U.S. with at least 500 employees each. The final list features 1,392 highly recommended employers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 270 employers ranked highly in multiple states.

Here are the 30 best large employers in Texas, as determined by Forbes and Statista:

San Antonio:

• No. 2 – H-E-B (based in San Antonio; more than 300 stores in Texas)
• No. 26 – University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Houston area:

• No. 1 – NASA (based in Washington, D.C.; Johnson Space Center in Clear Lake)
• No. 4 – Houston Community College
• No. 5 – Houston Methodist
• No. 6 – Texas Children's Hospital
• No. 18 – National Oilwell Varco
• No. 19 – Bechtel (based in Reston, Virginia; major corporate hub in Houston)

Dallas-Fort Worth:

• No. 6 – Texas Oncology, based in Dallas
• No. 9 – Fidelity Investments (based in Boston; major corporate hub in Westlake)
• No. 14 – Capital One (based in Richmond, Virginia; major corporate hub in Plano)
• No. 17 – University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas
• No. 22 – Southwest Airlines, based in Dallas
• No. 24 – Texas Health Resources, based in Arlington
• No. 25 – General Motors (based in Detroit, Michigan; major assembly hub in Arlington)
• No. 27 – City of Plano
• No. 28 – Toyota North America, based in Plano

Austin:

• No. 3 – Google (based in Mountain View, California; major corporate hub in Austin)
• No. 13 – Apple (based in Cupertino, California; major corporate hub in Austin)

Throughout Texas:

• No. 8 – Salesforce (based in San Francisco, California; offices in Austin and Dallas)
• No. 10 – IKEA (based in Sweden; five stores in Texas)
• No. 11 – Costco (based in Issaquah, Washington; 38 stores in Texas)
• No. 15 – Cardinal Health (based in Dublin, Ohio; 23 locations in Texas)
• No. 16 – Microsoft (based in Redmond, Washington; offices in Austin, Dallas, Friendswood, Frisco, Houston, San Antonio, and The Woodlands)
• No. 20 – Leidos (based in Reston, Virginia; locations in San Antonio, Houston, and Webster)
• No. 21 – Cisco Systems (based in San Jose, California; offices in Austin, Dallas, Irving, Richardson, Houston, Laredo, and San Antonio)
• No. 23 – IBM (based in Armonk, New York; offices in Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Frisco)
• No. 29 – Nike (based in Beaverton, Oregon; 26 locations in Texas)
• No. 30 – Charles Schwab (based in San Francisco, California; 25 locations in Texas)