The 10 largest companies in the S&P 500

The S&P 500 is market-cap weighted, which means the largest companies pull the most weight — literally. At the top of the index, the same handful of names show up every year: the “mega-caps.”

Together, the top 10 holdings typically make up roughly 30–35% of the entire S&P 500. If you own an S&P 500 index fund, those ten names dominate your exposure. Here's a snapshot of who they are.

1. Apple (AAPL)

The world's most valuable consumer brand. Apple sells iPhones, Macs, iPads, Watches, and AirPods, plus a fast-growing services business (App Store, iCloud, Apple Music, Apple Pay). Its size makes it a barometer for both U.S. consumer spending and the global supply chain.

2. Microsoft (MSFT)

Once known mostly for Windows and Office, Microsoft today is built on three legs: Azure (cloud), Microsoft 365 (productivity software), and an aggressive AI strategy anchored by its partnership with OpenAI. Microsoft is the most consistent beneficiary of enterprise AI spending.

3. Nvidia (NVDA)

The chip company at the center of the AI build-out. Nvidia's H100 and Blackwell GPUs are the default compute for training and running large language models. Its rise from a gaming-graphics name to a top-three S&P 500 component is one of the great market stories of the decade.

4. Alphabet (GOOGL / GOOG)

Google's parent. Search and YouTube still drive most of the revenue, but Google Cloud, Waymo (autonomous vehicles), and DeepMind (Gemini AI models) are the long-term bets. Alphabet has two share classes in the index — GOOGL (voting) and GOOG (non-voting) — which sometimes makes its index weight look split.

5. Amazon (AMZN)

Three businesses in one: the retail platform (Amazon.com plus third-party marketplace), AWS (the largest public cloud), and an advertising business that's now the third-largest in the U.S. AWS is the highest-margin piece and the one most institutional investors focus on.

6. Meta Platforms (META)

Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads — and Reality Labs (the VR/AR division behind the Quest headsets). Meta is the second-largest digital ad platform after Google, and one of the most profitable consumer companies in the world.

7. Tesla (TSLA)

Electric vehicles plus energy storage and a long-promised autonomous driving / robotics future. Tesla's market cap fluctuates more than any other mega-cap because investors disagree dramatically about whether to value it as a car company, an AI company, or something else.

8. Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B)

Warren Buffett's conglomerate. Owns insurance (GEICO, reinsurance), railroads (BNSF), energy utilities, and a sprawling portfolio of public stocks. Berkshire is the only top-10 component whose biggest business is not technology, which makes it a useful diversifier within the top weights.

9. JPMorgan Chase (JPM)

The largest U.S. bank by assets. Investment banking, retail banking, asset management, and credit cards (Chase). When the financial sector outperforms, JPM is usually the largest single beneficiary inside the S&P 500.

10. UnitedHealth Group (UNH)

Health insurance (UnitedHealthcare) plus the fast-growing services arm (Optum) covering pharmacy benefit management, data analytics, and care delivery. UNH has been one of the most consistent compounders in the S&P 500 for the past two decades.

Why this matters

Three observations:

• Sector concentration is real.Seven of the top ten are technology, communications, or consumer-internet platforms. When tech struggles, the entire S&P 500 feels it.
• Active funds usually lose to this top-heavy reality. Beating the index over decades is hard partly because the biggest weights have been spectacular performers.
• The list rotates over time. A decade ago, ExxonMobil was top-five. A decade before that, General Electric was the largest company in America. Compositions change.

See the full list

You can browse every S&P 500 company on the full tickers list, or drill into a sector like Information Technology or Financials.