Interactively Mapping the U.S. ESOP
ESOP Map of the U.S. 2022 UPDATE
ESOPs are the main vehicle for broad-based employee ownership in the U.S., and they are also the only one for which comprehensive information can be obtained to construct a nationwide map like this. See below the map for explanations, instructions, and links to our ESOP company databases. We have a full-screen version as well.
How to Use This Map
This map is composed of thousands of map pointers representing individual ESOP companies. When you first load the page, you will see groups of companies represented as circular clusters, with a number in the center of each circle denoting the number of companies in that region. Click to zoom in and drill down to that region (this in turn may reveal groups of smaller clusters and individual pointers). When you see individual pointers, you can hover over a pointer to see company names and locations or click a pointer to pop up a company's name, NAICS industry code, and sector. Click and drag on the surrounding map area if you need to move the popup window.
For purposes of color-coding on this map, companies are divided into industry sectors as shown in the set of colored pointers and corresponding labels under the map. To limit the companies to those in one or more industry sectors, click a colored pointer or its label (like "Manufacturing"). To reset the map to the original view of all sectors, click the small circular arrow in the upper left area of the map. Alternatively, once you have selected one or more sectors, you may click the tag that appears for a sector to remove it from your view.
Searching for a Company
You can explore the map by zooming in and out or by using the search box at the upper right of the map to find a company or city. Remember that a company name may be spelled differently in the Form 5500 data, and thus this map, than the name you have; instead of copying and pasting a name, start typing it instead, and look at any search results that start to appear below the search box. Also try alternate spellings (e.g., with or without an apostrophe, comma, dash, etc.) and again look at the search results that start to appear, and backtrack and try a different spelling if nothing matches.
Selecting a search result will limit the map to that company. To reset the map to its original appearance, click the small circular arrow in the upper left area of the map.
About the Data
The data for this map is drawn from the NCEO's most recent national ESOP database. We produce this database annually using Form 5500 filing records from the Department of Labor and searches of ESOP company websites. Most data is from the 2020 plan year, the most recent year for which Form 5500 records are broadly available. The database has a number of additional fields beyond what is shown here.