Each year, Fortune Magazine publishes its list of America's 100 Best Companies to Work For. 

Fortune's staff scrutinizes hundreds of companies, surveying employees and reviewing each company's stated philosophy, employee handbooks, and other materials in order to come up with their annual rankings.

Google was ranked #1 again this year. 

Fifteen of the companies ranked in the Top 100 for 2008 are either headquartered in Austin, or they have locations here:

Edward Jones - (#4) Specializing in personal investment strategies, this company has built a strong reputation for allowing its financial advisors to control their own business decisions with centralized support.

Starbucks Coffee (#8) - Some love 'em, some don't.  Either way, they seem to take good care of their employees, offering benefits even for part-time workers.

Whole Foods Market (#16) - Headquartered right here in Austin, Texas!  They offer 100% health care for their employees, which seems to be a larger benefit by the year. 

David Weekley Homes (#17) - Austin is one of 17 cities where this builder operates currently.  I have an agent who used to work for them, and I know that they are a quality company.  Half of Weekley's personal income is donated to charity each year.

The Container Store (#20) - This is a cool store to check out if you have access to one.  They are headquartered in Coppell, Texas.  Employees earn far above the industry retail average, and the company offers family-friendly shifts, allowing for picking kids up from school.  Good stuff!

SAS Institute (#29) - High-tech services for government, business, and education.  They offer some terrific perks: Job sharing, 100% health care coverage, and good hourly wages. 

Rackspace Managed Hosting (#32) - Website hosting based out of San Antonio - they have one office in the Austin area. 

REI (#34) - Sporting goods for just about anything you would like to try.  Like Starbucks, they offer health benefits to part-time employees.

Nordstrom (#36) - Headquartered in Seattle, Nordstrom has a store in the Barton Creek Square Mall in SW Austin. 

CarMax (#48) - I have only heard good things about this car dealership thus far.  They have a large location in north Austin near Pflugerville.

National Instruments (#79) - My wife worked for NI for about six years, and I can personally attest to the quality of the leadership and the laid-back nature of the environment.  They are also headquartered in Austin.

Four Seasons Hotels (#88) - The Austin Four Seasons is located downtown, on the shores of Lady Bird Lake.  I have never been there without seeing at least one "famous" person.  They offer job sharing for their employees.

FedEx (#97) - They are perhaps the overnight champs these days.  They have a no-layoff policy and benefits for part-timers. 

Sherwin-Williams (#98) - This paint store chain must be doing something right.  They are known for their employee longevity.

Texas Instruments (#100) - Based in Dallas, TI has multiple offices in Austin.   

If you have any questions about Austin, Texas, please give me a call anytime at 512-796-7653 or email jason@austintexashomes.com. 

If you are looking to relocate to the Austin area, you might be interested in checking out my online relocation package here:

Austin Texas Relocation Package

You can search for Austin homes at our main website at http://www.austintexashomes.com/.  I look forward to hearing from you soon!