Today, Inc. revealed the 2025 Inc. 5000 list, our annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America. It’s the latest installment in a 40-year-plus tradition of celebrating entrepreneurial success, and represents a remarkable achievement for these honorees.

Methodology - Updated 2025

Step 1: The application

We collect information such as when the company was founded, who is the CEO, and what the annual revenue is. As you might expect, the application carries a processing fee to help offset the eight months of work we do in producing the program. This step also helps determine whether a company meets the key requirements.

To be eligible for the Inc. 5000, a company must:

• Be privately held, for-profit, based in the U.S., and independent (not a subsidiary or division of another company)
• Have generated revenue by March 31, 2021
• Have generated at least $100,000 in revenue in 2021
• Have generated at least $2 million in revenue in 2024

Note that Inc. does not publish revenue figures with the list. However, if our editors decide to write about an honoree, in keeping with journalistic best practices, we will ask to include revenue in the article.

Step 2: Revenue verification

The Inc. 5000 honors the fastest-growing companies in America as determined by a three-year revenue growth rate. Thus, companies must provide gross annual revenue for the base year (2021) and for 2024 with financial statements, which must be signed by the CEO and a credentialed third party.  

These statements can include tax documents such as business tax returns or audited financial statements. Inc. defines revenue as gross receipts minus returns. In the case of unique cases and very high-growth companies, Inc. reserves the right to ask for additional documentation.  

Step 3: Growth percentage calculation

Companies on the Inc. 5000 list are ranked according to their percentage growth of their annual revenue over a three-year period, from the base year (2021) to 2024.

Step 4: Vetting

Finally, the list goes to our editorial team for a second round of vetting. While this list is revenue–based, Inc.’s research department will conduct background research on applicants and interview select founders. All companies must meet standard editorial guidelines, which emphasize accuracy, fairness, transparency, and ethics. A company that does not meet such standards may be disqualified.