2026 Best Places to Work in Insurance: Winners and Employee Engagement Data

The 2026 Best Places to Work in Insurance rankings point to a business issue as much as a workplace one: firms competing for talent are trying to make flexibility, development and employee support part of how they operate. Leavitt Group, Scott Insurance and Davidson & Associates Insurance topped the large, medium and small employer categories, respectively. Employee survey results also show the widest gaps between top-ranked companies and other employers in leadership, training and engagement.

How the rankings are built

Business Insurance and Best Companies Group produce the annual program, which recognizes 100 insurance companies ranging in size from 25 employees to more than 10,000. Best Companies Group, based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, assesses each organization using an employer questionnaire covering policies, practices and workforce demographics, alongside a confidential employee survey.

The assessment covers eight areas: leadership and planning; corporate culture and communications; role satisfaction; work environment; relationships with supervisors; training, development and resources; pay and benefits; and overall engagement. Employers are grouped by U.S. headcount: small companies have 25 to 249 employees, medium-sized companies have 250 to 999, and large companies have at least 1,000.

The rankings offer a snapshot of employee sentiment, rather than a direct measure of financial performance. Still, the results give firms a way to compare how workers describe leadership, workplace conditions and their prospects for growth—factors that can shape an employer’s ability to attract and retain staff.

SMALL EMPLOYER CATEGORY
(25-249 U.S. Employees):
Davidson & Associates Insurance

MEDIUM EMPLOYER CATEGORY
(250-999 U.S. Employees):
Scott Insurance

LARGE EMPLOYER CATEGORY
(1,000+ U.S. Employees):
Leavitt Group

View the Best Places to Work overall rankings (1-100) here.

Large employers: Leavitt Group leads

Cedar City, Utah-based Leavitt Group won the large employer category. The privately held brokerage has more than 3,200 employees and operates through more than 290 locations in 31 states. It offers commercial insurance, employee benefits and personal insurance, with local agencies retaining ownership and leadership while drawing on the wider organization’s resources. The company says its people-first culture emphasizes flexibility, connection and professional development.

Waukee, Iowa-based Holmes Murphy placed second. The independent brokerage employs more than 1,300 people and provides risk management and benefits consulting. Its stated workplace message is to “love what you do and who you do it with,” alongside recognition of employees’ individual contributions.

IMA Financial Group, headquartered in Denver, finished third. The independent brokerage has more than 2,800 employees. Its workplace offerings include unlimited personal days, flexible work-from-home schedules and social activities, according to the report.

These companies compete at different scales, but the descriptions suggest a shared focus on employees’ day-to-day experience. At a large firm with offices across many states, maintaining local relationships while providing broader resources is part of Leavitt Group’s model. Holmes Murphy and IMA, meanwhile, point to culture and schedule flexibility in describing their employee proposition.

Medium employers: ownership and flexibility feature prominently

Scott Insurance took first place among medium-sized employers. Founded in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1864, the independent agency is 100% employee-owned and has more than 400 employee owners. Its work spans property and casualty insurance, employee benefits, captives and surety bonds. The company’s employee offerings include a hybrid work program, professional development and celebrations for employee owners.

Dallas-based wholesale brokerage Brown & Riding placed second. The firm is owned internally by its producers and executive leadership, and its more than 400 employees cited flexible schedules and benefits among the workplace features described in the report. Its office culture also includes mid-day opportunities for ping pong and cornhole.

The Partners Group, a Portland, Oregon-based insurance, consulting and financial services firm, ranked third. More than one-third of its employees are shareholders. Its office amenities range from fitness classes to a game room and relaxation areas, with cold brew and kombucha available during the summer.

Scott’s employee ownership is a notable feature in this category, where the winning firm connects employees’ ownership stake with its broader culture of service and continuous improvement. The other ranked companies describe a mix of ownership, benefits, schedule flexibility and workplace amenities.

Small employers and specialist categories

Davidson & Associates Insurance won the small employer category. The Vancouver, Washington-based independent brokerage has 29 employees and has operated locally for more than 30 years. Its teams serve personal, commercial and life and benefits insurance clients. Employees have access to work-from-home options, unlimited paid time off, paid family medical leave and an annual company-sponsored beach retreat. The office is described as pet-friendly.

Dallas-based TexCap Insurance, which serves small businesses, middle-market companies and niche industries, was runner-up. The agency’s employee activities include holiday celebrations, team-building events and volunteer opportunities. Roswell, Georgia-based BIS Benefits placed third. The group health and business insurance brokerage offers an annual wellness stipend, unlimited paid time off and early-close Fridays.

Davidson & Associates also ranked first in the Agents/Brokers category. The company marks employees’ birthdays and work anniversaries with gifts and holds team events twice a month, from happy hours to bowling and picnics. Its “Fun Fridays” policy gives employees one paid Friday off each month.

Rockford Mutual Insurance Company took first place in the Insurers/Providers category. The Rockford, Illinois-based insurer offers home, auto, business and farm coverage. Its 91 employees cited monthly activities, an open-door policy and a casual dress code. The company also devotes a week to customer service appreciation, with games, meals and prizes.

Engagement scores show where top employers differ

The workforce challenge behind the rankings is substantial. A 2025 industry survey cited in the report found that 51% of independent agency employees experienced burnout, 87% had seen their workloads rise over the prior year, and nearly four in 10 frontline employees were considering leaving their jobs. The report identifies flexibility, meaningful work, supportive leadership and opportunities to learn as priorities for workers.

Across the eight assessment areas, the sharpest differences between companies on the list and those not ranked appeared in leadership, training and engagement. At top employers, an average of 90% of surveyed employees responded positively about understanding company strategy, trusting leadership and believing leaders were open and attentive to employee well-being. The comparable average for other companies was 76%.

For corporate culture and communications, positive responses averaged 88% at ranked employers, against 75% elsewhere. Role satisfaction reached 90% at top companies and 80% at others. The scores reflect employees’ views of autonomy, work-life balance and whether they feel valued.

Differences were narrower on physical working conditions and supervisor relationships. Positive responses on the work environment averaged 93% at ranked companies and 91% at others. For supervisor fairness, respect, trust and openness to feedback, the averages were 93% and 90%, respectively.

Training, development and resources drew positive responses from 87% of employees at top employers, compared with 73% elsewhere. The measure includes onboarding and ongoing training, equipment, advancement opportunities and recognition for good work. Pay and benefits scored 85% at ranked companies versus 79% at other employers, covering views of compensation and benefits such as paid leave, health insurance and retirement plans.

Overall engagement averaged 92% at companies on the list and 81% at those not ranked. That measure includes job satisfaction, a sense of purpose and pride in the employer. Taken together, the figures suggest that top scores reflect more than office perks: employee views of leadership, growth and the work itself show some of the largest gaps.

¹Liberty Mutual Insurance “Burnout 2025,” accessed Aug. 11, 2026.

Eligibility for the 2027 program

Organizations must be for-profit or nonprofit, publicly or privately held, have a U.S. facility, employ at least 25 people in the United States and have been in business for at least one year. Eligible organizations include retail agents and brokers, wholesale brokers and managing general agents, reinsurance intermediaries, claims services companies, benefits brokers and consultants, property and casualty insurers, group life and health insurers, and reinsurers. Nonprofit insurance associations and service organizations aligned with the commercial insurance industry may also participate.

For information about the 2027 program, the report lists Susan Stilwill at [email protected] and 312-636-7222, as well as www.BestPlacesToWorkIns.com. The 2026 results put a clear focus on the employee experience: flexibility and benefits matter, while leadership and development show especially pronounced differences in employee feedback.