• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

Two Michigan-based automakers made the top 10 list of America’s most iconic companies.

That’s according to a nationally representative survey of U.S. residents conducted by Time and Statista. 

Ford, founded in 1903 in Dearborn, Mich. near Detroit, sits atop a list of 250 U.S. companies that are not only commercially successful, but have played a vital role in shaping culture and society. The number was chosen to honor America’s 250th birthday. 

General Motors, founded in Detroit in 1908 where it is still headquartered, is ranked seventh. Austin,Texas-based Tesla is ranked 54th.

Absent from the list is Stellantis, which is still informally referred to as one of the “Detroit Three” due to its origins as Chrysler Corp. The company’s global headquarters are now in Hoofddorp, Netherlands which excludes it from consideration. 

Rounding out the top 10 are Apple (founded in 1976), The Coca-Cola Company (1892), Walmart (1962), Amazon (1994), McDonald’s (1940), Microsoft (1975), Google (1998) and Nike (1964.)

So why was Ford ranked at the top of the list? 

“Known for making cars accessible to the masses by bringing down production costs through the assembly line and distributing it across the U.S. via a locally-based dealer-franchise system, Ford transformed the manufacturing process and also transportation for the average American, reshaping the development of cities and suburbs,” according to Time. “Now, it’s being put in a position to redefine the future of mobility in the country, as it experiments with self-driving cars, and works to bring down prices on its electric vehicles.”

Ford has long aligned its brand with the American identity, notes Time.

To be considered for the ranking, a company must have been founded and be headquartered in the United States, with a market presence of at least 10 years.

The study is based on an independent survey of more than 10,000 members of the U.S. general population. Respondents were invited to evaluate "iconic" companies from a long list of relevant American companies and their brands (additional nominations were supported), resulting in the collection of over 100,000 individual assessments. The survey was conducted online during July and August 2025. 

The survey included  assessment criteria such as high recognition and familiarity, cultural significance and impact, emotional connection and resilience.

Finally, “Americanness” was also evaluated. It is described as “a qualitative judgment of how strongly a company's brand, culture, operations, and market presence reflect traits commonly associated with U.S. business identity. This criterion synthesizes signals such as origin, governance, communication style, design ethos, and public perception to gauge the company’s perceived 'Americanness,' rather than relying on strict legal or geographic status."