Minnesota is home to a number of innovative companies, whether it be sandpaper, medical devices, flour processors or retailers. Throughout it’s history, Minnesota has attracted a great number of business innovators and businesses from around the country.
That said, Minnesota continually ranks at the top of the Fortune 500 list as being the home to the largest companies in the U.S.. The following is a ranking of States with the largest number of Fortune 500 companies:
States with Most Number of Fortune 500 Companies
| 2011 Rank | State | # on 2011 List | # on 2010 List | 2010 Rank |
| 1 | New York | 57 | 56 | 3 |
| 2 | California | 53 | 57 | 1 |
| 3 | Texas | 51 | 57 | 2 |
| 4 | Illinois | 31 | 31 | 4 |
| 5 | Ohio | 27 | 23 | 6 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 23 | 25 | 5 |
| 7 | Michigan | 22 | 18 | 9 |
| 8 | Minnesota | 20 | 21 | 7 |
| 9 | New Jersey | 20 | 18 | 10 |
| 10 | Virginia | 20 | 20 | 8 |
| 11 | Florida | 16 | 16 | 11 |
| 12 | North Carolina | 15 | 14 | 12 |
| 13 | Georgia | 14 | 14 | 13 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | 13 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | Connecticut | 12 | 11 | 15 |
| 16 | Missouri | 10 | 11 | 16 |
| 17 | Colorado | 9 | 8 | 18 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 9 | 10 | 17 |
| 19 | Tennessee | 8 | 8 | 19 |
| 20 | Washington | 8 | 7 | 20 |
| 21 | Arizona | 7 | 5 | 23 |
| 22 | Indiana | 5 | 5 | 24 |
| 23 | Kentucky | 5 | 6 | 21 |
| 24 | Maryland | 5 | 6 | 22 |
| 25 | Nebraska | 5 | 5 | 25 |
| 26 | Arkansas | 4 | 4 | 26 |
| 27 | District of Columbia | 4 | 4 | 27 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | 4 | 4 | 28 |
| 29 | Kansas | 3 | 2 | 33 |
| 30 | Louisiana | 3 | 3 | 29 |
| 31 | Nevada | 3 | 3 | 30 |
| 32 | South Carolina | 3 | 3 | 31 |
| 33 | Delaware | 2 | 1 | 36 |
| 34 | Iowa | 2 | 3 | 32 |
| 35 | Oregon | 2 | 2 | 34 |
| 36 | Rhode Island | 2 | 2 | 35 |
| 37 | Alabama | 1 | 1 | 37 |
| 38 | Idaho | 1 | 1 | 38 |
| 39 | Utah | 1 | 1 | 39 |
| 40 | Alaska | 0 | 0 | 41 |
| 41 | Hawaii | 0 | 0 | 42 |
| 42 | Maine | 0 | 0 | 43 |
| 43 | Mississippi | 0 | 0 | 44 |
| 44 | Montana | 0 | 0 | 45 |
| 45 | New Hampshire | 0 | 0 | 46 |
| 46 | New Mexico | 0 | 0 | 47 |
| 47 | North Dakota | 0 | 1 | 40 |
| 48 | South Dakota | 0 | 0 | 48 |
| 49 | Vermont | 0 | 0 | 49 |
| 50 | West Virginia | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| 51 | Wyoming | 0 | 0 | 51 |