US News

What US News does

U.S. News & World Report is a privately-held American media company founded in 1933 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. The company publishes consumer-focused rankings, ratings, and award programs across a horizontal portfolio of verticals including graduate education, law firms, senior living, automobiles, mortgages, credit cards, banking, lending, insurance, and ambulatory healthcare. Its core products are proprietary ranking methodologies that synthesize third-party data (federal datasets, Glassdoor reviews, partner-provided health data from Arcadia, mortgage data from Zillow) and large-scale consumer surveys (e.g., 540,000+ senior living survey responses, 1,207+ homebuyer respondents) into annual published lists that attract 18M+ monthly unique visitors to usnews.com.

The company operates a portfolio of more than 15 named ranking and award products (Best Graduate Schools, Best Companies to Work For: Law Firms, Best Hybrid and Electric Cars, Best Cars for Families, Car Insurance Awards, Best Senior Living, Banking and Investing Platform Awards, Best Mortgage Lenders, Credit Card Awards, Lending Awards, Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Best Student Loans) plus add-on consumer tools including a Free Credit Monitoring Tool and the College Admissions Newsletter subscription. Distribution is centered on owned digital properties, email newsletters, PR Newswire press release distribution, and broadcast placements such as CBS Saturday Morning.

The business model combines digital advertising on owned properties, sponsored and branded content partnerships with financial institutions and automotive brands, and recurring fee-based newsletter subscriptions (notably the College Admissions Newsletter for parents and students). Monetization is fragmented across consumer categories rather than concentrated in any single B2B anchor, and pricing is not publicly disclosed for most services. Operating geographies are United States-only.

Name

US News

Website

https://usnewsmonitor.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

U.S. News & World Report is a privately-held American media company that publishes consumer rankings, ratings, and award programs across education, finance, automotive, healthcare, real estate, and senior living verticals, serving 18M+ monthly visitors through owned digital properties and newsletters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Rankings & Reviews

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer News & Digital Newsrooms (Web/App-First) (MPAJADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business, Financial & Trade News Publishers (MPAJADAC), Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership) (MPAJAMAD), Data Journalism & News Intelligence Publishers (Indexes, Election/Market Data) (MPAJADAK)

Keywords

• Consumer rankings publishing
• Digital news media
• Consumer advice content
• Media rankings platform
• Online ratings reviews

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Newsletter Subscriptions: Fee-based newsletter subscription services providing college admissions guidance and strategy content to parents and students.
2. Advertising: Digital advertising revenue from website traffic, sponsored content, and promotional features across financial, automotive, education, and lifestyle categories.
3. Content Marketing Partnerships: Sponsored and branded content partnerships with financial institutions, automotive brands, and educational service providers.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

US News is a digital media publisher that produces proprietary rankings, ratings, and editorial consumer advice across education, finance, automotive, healthcare, real estate, and senior living verticals. The company monetizes its audience through display advertising, sponsored content, and paid newsletter subscriptions (principally a college admissions newsletter), and operates free consumer tools such as a credit monitoring tool and downloadable playbooks.

Product overview

U.S. News & World Report is a media and consumer information company offering a portfolio of rankings, ratings, and award programs across multiple consumer categories. The company operates primarily as a platform of distinct ranking and rating products rather than a unified integrated product. Core offerings include Best Graduate Schools Rankings (covering law, business, medicine, engineering, education, nursing, and fine arts), Best Companies to Work For: Law Firms, Best Hybrid and Electric Cars Awards, Best Cars for Families Awards, Car Insurance Awards, Best Senior Living Ratings, Banking and Investing Platform Awards, Best Mortgage Lenders Rankings, Credit Card Awards, Lending Awards, Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers Ratings, and Best Student Loans Ratings. Additional services include a Free Credit Monitoring Tool, College Admissions Newsletter, and College Admissions Playbook. The products work as independent ranking/rating systems that compile data from third-party sources (such as Glassdoor reviews, Arcadia health data, and Zillow mortgage data) and expert assessments to help consumers make informed decisions across education, finance, healthcare, insurance, and automotive categories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Best Graduate Schools Rankings Annual ranked editorial list of the best graduate schools across disciplines, used by prospective students to compare programs and by schools for reputational benchmarking.
• Best Companies to Work For: Law Firms Rankings Ranked list of the best U.S. law firms and legal-industry employers to work for, used by legal professionals evaluating prospective employers.
• Best Hybrid and Electric Cars Awards Editorial awards recognizing the best hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles, targeted at U.S. consumers shopping for fuel-efficient and electric cars.
• Best Cars for Families Awards Annual awards identifying the best vehicles for family buyers, evaluated on safety, reliability, and family-friendly features, targeted at U.S. family vehicle shoppers.
• Car Insurance Awards Annual awards and editorial ratings identifying the best car insurance providers for U.S. consumers shopping for auto coverage.
• Best Senior Living Ratings Editorially independent ratings of senior living communities across categories such as assisted living, memory care, and independent living, targeted at U.S. families evaluating senior care options.
• Banking and Investing Platform Awards Editorial awards recognizing the best banking and investing platforms available to U.S. consumers, used to compare banks, brokerages, and investment products.
• Best Mortgage Lenders Rankings Annual ranked list of the best mortgage lenders in the U.S., used by prospective homebuyers to compare lenders on rates, terms, and customer experience.
• Credit Card Awards Annual awards recognizing the best credit cards across categories such as rewards, cash back, travel, and balance transfer, used by consumers comparing card options.
• Lending Awards Editorial awards recognizing the best personal, student, and other lending products for U.S. consumers comparing loan options.
• Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers Ratings Ratings of the best ambulatory surgery centers for outpatient surgical care, used by U.S. consumers and patients evaluating outpatient surgical facilities.
• Best Student Loans Ratings Ratings of the best student loan providers and products for U.S. students and families, used to compare loan terms, rates, and repayment options.
• Free Credit Monitoring Tool Free tool offered by US News to help U.S. consumers monitor their credit and access personalized credit and financial information.
• College Admissions Newsletter Paid email newsletter subscription offering advice and guidance throughout the college admissions process, targeted at U.S. high school students and parents navigating college applications.
• College Admissions Playbook Free, downloadable guide covering college admissions decisions, used by U.S. high school students and parents as a primer on the college admissions process.
• Online CLE Platform Online platform providing Continuing Legal Education (CLE) courses for attorneys and legal professionals fulfilling mandatory CLE requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 62% of homebuyers waiting for mortgage rates to fall before purchasing
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SurePoint TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026Data partnership for Best Companies to Work For: Law Firms rankings. U.S. News partnered with SurePoint Technologies and Revelio Labs using employee sentiment data from Glassdoor reviews to evaluate law firms on pay, work-life balance, job stability, and professional development. Minimum eligibility required 10 U.S.-based Glassdoor reviews with written comments from 2020-2025.
• Revelio LabscoreTechnology or Integration · 28 April 2026Labor analytics partnership for law firm rankings, providing workforce data and employee sentiment analytics to supplement Glassdoor review data for the 2026 Best Companies to Work For: Law Firms evaluation.
• ArcadiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026Health data firm partnership for third annual Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers ratings. Arcadia provided health data for evaluating 4,421 ASCs across Colonoscopy & Endoscopy, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics & Spine, and Urology specialties.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bankrate: Owned by Red Ventures, Bankrate publishes rankings and editorial content for mortgages, credit cards, banking, and insurance. Direct overlap with U.S. News's financial product rankings and the same revenue model of advertiser- and affiliate-funded consumer advice.
• SmartAsset: Financial decision platform offering rankings of advisors, mortgages, banking, and tax tools, with strong affiliate monetization. Comparable to U.S. News on the consumer-financial-ranking methodology and the affiliate-driven revenue model.
• Credit Karma: Personal finance platform offering credit monitoring, credit card, and loan recommendations. Highly comparable to U.S. News on the consumer credit decision-making journey and the integration of credit-monitoring tools with affiliate recommendations.
• NerdWallet: Public consumer financial advice company that publishes rankings, reviews, and comparisons of credit cards, mortgages, banking, and insurance products. Closely comparable to U.S. News in monetization model (advertising + affiliate) and target audience (high-intent financial decision-makers).
• Money.com: Personal finance and consumer advice publication producing rankings of credit cards, banks, mortgages, and investment platforms. Comparable to U.S. News in both the ranking-product model and the strategy of monetizing financial decision-making search traffic.

Emerging players

• WalletHub: Consumer financial comparison platform providing credit card and loan rankings with editor-driven scorecards. Comparable to U.S. News on credit card and lending rankings, but with a narrower vertical focus and product-led rather than editorial-led approach.
• The Zebra: Insurance comparison and ranking platform. Comparable to U.S. News as an emerging category-focused ranking publisher using affiliate monetization, particularly relevant given U.S. News's recently launched Car Insurance Awards.

Others

• Statista: Data and rankings publisher serving professionals with statistics and studies. Comparable to U.S. News as a data-driven publisher selling access to curated and proprietary data products, though focused on B2B rather than consumer audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Consumer Reports: Established non-profit consumer product testing and ratings organization. Comparable to U.S. News as a long-standing consumer-advocate brand producing trusted product ratings, though operating on a subscription/membership model rather than advertising/affiliate.
• Forbes: Major business media brand that publishes rankings (colleges, employers, financial products) adjacent to U.S. News's. Comparable as a diversified media company monetizing high-trust rankings, though with a broader news mix and different ownership structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about US News