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The 10 most profitable companies in the U.S are not always the 10 biggest companies, as we’ll see.

To be successful in the U.S. markets, it’s all about the profit and customer satisfaction. Let’s take a look at the top 10 from 2015.

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1. Apple

Apple is the fifth-largest Fortune 500 company but reports higher annual profits than any other company. Earnings for Apple totaled $39.5 billion in 2014, a 6.7% increase from a year earlier.

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2. Exxon Mobile

Even thought Exxon Mobil’s earnings slipped to $32.5 billion, that still put them in second place in terms of profitability on the Fortune 500 list. Not a bad spot to be…

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3. Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo had strong gains with 5.4% profit growth to nearly $23.1 billion last year. The San Francisco-based bank said increasing loans, deposits and a larger customer base was the reason for it’s spectacular growth.

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4. Microsoft

Even though Microsoft is one of just two tech giants in the Fortune 500, it trailed Apple significantly with only 1% growth in profit to $22.1 billion.

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5. J.P. Morgan Chase

New York-based J.P. Morgan had a comeback in 2014.  Even though they reported their first quarterly loss in 2013 since 2004, results were much stronger in 2014 with profit jumping 21% to $21.8 billion.

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6. Berkshire Hathaway

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway’s profit grew just 2% to $19.9 billion. Diversified into dozens of industries, the profit was stabilized by the growth of its huge insurance operation.

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7. Chevron

Chevron profits declined significantly, down 10% to $19.2 billion for 2014. Sharp crude oil price drops hurt the giant, and resulted in the lower profit for its main business, but gains tied to asset sales offset weak crude oil prices.

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8. Walmart Stores

Revenues are through the roof for the largest company in the U.S, but Walmart posted a slim 2% increase in profit, climbing to $19.2 billion. Specializing in low-margins and high volume, Walmart is still an incredibly healthy company.

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9. Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson was second in this list with the second-largest profit growth in 2014 after J.P. Morgan increasing profit by 18% to $16.3 billion. Strong revenue growth in pharmaceuticals lifted sales.

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10. General Electric

General Electric gained $15.2 billion profit, an increase of nearly 17%. Almost every segment reported an increase in profit, especially in oil and gas, aviation, and appliances and light.

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