U.S. News & World Report

What U.S. News & World Report does

U.S. News & World Report is an American digital media company founded in 1933 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., that publishes consumer advice, rankings, and editorial analysis across seven primary verticals: health, education, insurance, autos, money, travel, careers, and real estate. The company's core product is an annual rankings platform covering approximately 2,250+ global universities, 6,000+ hospitals, 3,900+ employers, 3,000+ senior living communities, and hundreds of vehicles, hotels, cruise lines, insurance products, and geographic locations, with methodology drawing on proprietary consumer surveys, government statistics (e.g., CMS Medicare data), and licensed data partnerships with Clarivate, Glassdoor, Revelio Labs, and The Harris Poll. The platform is delivered through usnews.com, iOS and Android applications, and topic-specific email newsletters.

Revenue is generated through a multi-stream model including display and sponsored advertising across the website and newsletters, subscription-based college advising through the wholly-owned CollegeAdvisor.com subsidiary, travel media content and trip offerings through the wholly-owned Culture Trip subsidiary acquired in February 2024, ranking brand and logo licensing to third parties (e.g., Charles Schwab), and B2B event sponsorships through the U.S. News Live division covering healthcare, leadership, and education forums. The business serves primarily consumer audiences (prospective students, healthcare consumers, vehicle buyers, job seekers, insurance shoppers, travelers, and real estate consumers) on a freemium basis, with a smaller enterprise customer base comprising advertisers, sponsors, ranking licensees, and event partners. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional ownership or venture capital backing, and operates with 251-500 employees.

Name

U.S. News & World Report

Legal name

U.S. News & World Report L.P.

Website

https://usnews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

U.S. News & World Report is a privately held American digital media company publishing consumer rankings, advice, and editorial content across health, education, autos, money, travel, careers, insurance, and real estate, serving consumer decision-makers and monetizing through advertising, subscription services, ranking licensing, and event sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Media and Consumer Rankings

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120), Directory and Mailing List Publishers (513140)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

National & General-Interest Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Journalism & News Intelligence Publishers (Indexes, Election/Market Data) (MPAJADAK), Syndication, Licensing & Content Partnerships (Columns, Features, Photos) (MPAJADAI)

Keywords

• Consumer rankings
• Digital news publishing
• Editorial content
• Consumer advice
• Product comparisons

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Sponsored Content: U.S. News generates revenue through display advertising, sponsored content, and native advertising placements across their website and newsletters. The site features third-party advertisements and promotional content from partners and sponsors.
2. Subscription Services: The company operates subscription-based services including CollegeAdvisor.com, which provides college admissions consulting services. These services operate under their own brands while leveraging U.S. News's editorial reputation.
3. Ranking Licensing: U.S. News licenses its rankings and brand to third parties. For example, Charles Schwab paid a licensing fee to U.S. News for use of award logos. The company also licenses its Best Countries and Best Universities brands for various applications.
4. Event Sponsorships: U.S. News Live hosts virtual and in-person events including Healthcare of Tomorrow, Best Leaders summits, and other industry forums. These events feature sponsored sessions and partnerships with healthcare, education, and business organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

U.S. News & World Report is a digital media company that publishes authoritative consumer rankings, news, and decision-support content across education, healthcare, autos, money, travel, careers, and real estate verticals. The company operates usnews.com and vertical subdomains, produces annual flagship rankings (Best Colleges, Best Hospitals, Best Companies to Work For, Best Global Universities, Best Senior Living), and monetizes primarily through display and native advertising, sponsored content, ranking and award logo licensing to enterprises, event sponsorships, and CollegeAdvisor.com college advising subscriptions.

Product overview

U.S. News & World Report operates a multi-category rankings platform offering consumer-focused rankings and guidance across education, health, business, travel, autos, insurance, and personal finance. The core offering is the Best Rankings Platform encompassing Best Colleges, Best Hospitals, Best Companies to Work For, Best Hotels, Best Cars, and numerous other ranking categories. The company has expanded through acquisitions (CollegeAdvisor.com for college advising, Culture Trip for travel content) and partnerships (ScoreSmart for test prep integration). Key sub-products include the Hospital Compare tool for side-by-side hospital comparison, the Best Leaders podcast series, and the Durable Skills Assessment for career planning. The platform provides editorial content, data-driven rankings, and comparison tools to help consumers make informed decisions across major life categories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Best Rankings Platform Comprehensive ranking and decision-support platform covering U.S. News's flagship annual rankings and editorial content across seven verticals — education (Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools, Best Online Programs, Best Global Universities), healthcare (Best Hospitals, Best Senior Living, Best Home Health, Best OTC Medicine), autos (Best Cars, Best Hybrid and Electric Cars, Best Adventure Vehicles), money (banking, investing, credit cards, insurance, mortgages, personal loans), travel (Best Hotels, Best Cruise Lines, Best Conference Cities/Hotels), careers (Best Jobs, Best Companies to Work For, Best Companies to Work For: Law Firms), and real estate (Best Places to Live). Designed for individual consumers and families making major life and purchasing decisions, with content freely accessible and monetized through advertising.
• Best Companies to Work For Ratings Annual workplace rankings for the United States evaluating companies on factors including pay, work-life balance, job stability, and career development, with methodology leveraging employee sentiment data from Glassdoor, Revelio Labs, and Good Jobs First. Includes dedicated Law Firms rankings in partnership with SurePoint Technologies and Revelio Labs, plus a Durable Skills Assessment tool for job seekers.
• Hospital Compare Tool Interactive patient-facing tool launched in 2026 that allows users to compare up to five hospitals side-by-side across more than 6,000 hospitals and 37 adult specialties (plus 11 pediatric specialties), and book appointments with participating facilities directly from the comparison screen.
• Best Senior Living Ratings Consumer survey-based ratings of U.S. senior living communities covering over 3,000 communities and approximately 540,000 survey responses, evaluating safety, caregiving, activities, management, staff, food, and value. Now in its fifth year and supported by strategic partnership with Argentum.
• Best Global Universities Rankings Annual ranking of over 2,250 universities across more than 100 countries based on academic research performance and global reputation, powered by bibliometric and reputation data from Clarivate's Web of Science Core Collection and InCites benchmarking tools.
• Best Home Health Ratings Inaugural February 2026 launch of U.S. News's first home health ratings, evaluating over 12,000 Medicare-certified home health agencies across the United States using CMS Medicare data, with 1,319 agencies earning a High Performing distinction.
• CollegeAdvisor.com Subscription-based college advising service acquired by U.S. News & World Report from NCSA in February 2023, providing college admissions consulting to students and families and operating under its own brand while leveraging U.S. News's editorial reputation.
• Culture Trip Travel website and tour operator acquired by U.S. News & World Report from Culture Trip Travel UK Ltd. in February 2024, providing curated travel guides and insider-led trips to enhance the company's travel content offerings.
• Best Leaders Podcast U.S. News podcast hosted by Executive Chairman Eric Gertler with co-host Arun Gupta, highlighting top leaders shaping healthcare, education, business, and public service sectors, accompanied by nominations for the annual Best Leaders Awards.
• U.S. News Live Events Virtual and in-person events hosted by U.S. News, including the Healthcare of Tomorrow forum, Best Leaders summits, and other industry-specific conferences featuring sponsored sessions, executive dialogue, and industry research.

Quantifiable outcome

• Best Global Universities rankings cover 2,250+ institutions across 100+ countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ScoreSmartcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026U.S. News & World Report announced a partnership with ScoreSmart, a digital platform for SAT and ACT practice tests, to help college-bound students connect their test practice scores with admissions data. The integration aims to give students earlier and more complete information to make informed decisions about college applications and school fit. Both companies serve the same audience of students and families but provide complementary pieces of the admissions process.
• ArgentumcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 June 2026U.S. News & World Report and Argentum announced a strategic partnership at the Healthcare of Tomorrow 2026 conference to advance research, promote standardized resident engagement measures, and elevate stories about senior living communities. U.S. News' Best Senior Living ratings program, now in its fifth year, captured perspectives from over half a million residents and families across 3,000 communities. The two organizations collaborate on quality working groups, consumer research, and U.S. News serves as media partner for Argentum's I Love Senior Living campaign.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Forbes: Forbes is a privately held American business and consumer media brand that combines news with authoritative lists and rankings (e.g., Forbes 30 Under 30, Best-in-State lists) — directly comparable to U.S. News's ranking-driven editorial model.
• Newsweek: Newsweek is a U.S. news publication that, like U.S. News, has pivoted heavily into rankings and consumer advice content (Best Hospitals, Best Specialized Hospitals, etc.), making it a direct peer in both news publishing and the rankings business.
• Niche: Niche compiles K-12 school, college, and neighborhood rankings using a mix of U.S. Department of Education data and user reviews, directly overlapping with U.S. News's Best Colleges and Best Places platforms and serving the same college-bound and relocation audiences.
• The Princeton Review: The Princeton Review combines test prep, college admissions advising, and school rankings — directly comparable to U.S. News's Best Colleges franchise and its CollegeAdvisor.com acquisition, serving the same college-bound students and families.
• Money.com: Money.com (formerly Money Magazine) publishes personal finance rankings, product comparisons, and advice across banking, investing, credit cards, and insurance — directly overlapping with U.S. News's Money vertical and serving similar advertising and affiliate audiences.

Emerging players

• Statista: Statista is a data and statistics platform that publishes ranked insights, charts, and consumer-facing reports — comparable to U.S. News's data-driven rankings and a potential B2B data partner/competitor in monetizing ranked information.
• NerdWallet: NerdWallet is a personal finance comparison platform that ranks credit cards, loans, banks, and insurance products, monetizing via affiliate leads. It competes directly with U.S. News's Money vertical and represents the deeper-product, transactional model U.S. News's CollegeAdvisor acquisition mirrors.
• Healthgrades: Healthgrades is a healthcare provider directory and rankings platform that connects patients with doctors, hospitals, and care facilities — directly comparable to U.S. News's Best Hospitals, Best Doctors, and Hospital Compare products, with deeper transactional booking integrations.
• Bankrate: Bankrate is a financial product comparison and ranking platform covering mortgages, credit cards, banking, and insurance, monetizing largely through affiliate leads. It competes directly with U.S. News's Best Insurance and Money rankings, with a heavier transactional bent.

Broad incumbents

• Bloomberg: Bloomberg combines global business news with Bloomberg Businessweek rankings, lists, and proprietary indices. It serves overlapping financial-services advertising and licensing customers to U.S. News's Money and Business verticals at significantly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/usnews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/usnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/usnewsandworldreport
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/u-s-news-world-report

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments8 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about U.S. News & World Report