The coal industry's struggles knocked Peabody Energy off this year's leaving eight St. Louis companies on the list.
Fortune magazine ranks the nation's largest companies by revenue. Peabody's revenue fell 17% in 2019, moving it to 582nd place from 499th a year ago.
The St. Louis area has had between 7 and 10 companies on the list over the past 20 years. While former Fortune 500 stalwarts like Express Scripts and Monsanto have been acquired, companies such as Post Holdings have grown large enough to make the list.
Centene, the St. Louis area's largest public company, climbed to 42nd place on this year's list from 51st a year ago. It should jump higher next year based on its acquisition of WellCare Health Plans in January.
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Walmart Stores remains the largest U.S. company, followed by Amazon, Exxon Mobil, Apple and CVS Health.
Here are the St. Louis companies on this year's Fortune 500, with 2019 rank in parentheses:
- 42. Centene (51)
- 176. Emerson (178)
- 225. Reinsurance Group of America (251)
- 336. Edward Jones (356)
- 415. Graybar Electric (423)
- 481. Olin (434)
- 488. Ameren (468)
- 499. Post Holdings (471)
A total of 14 St. Louis companies made the Fortune 1000. The lower half of the list includes Peabody, Stifel Financial, Caleres, Energizer Holdings, Belden and Arch Resources.
Meet the top-paid CEOs in St. Louis
Meet the 26 top-paid CEOs in St. Louis
26. Foresight Energy
Foresight Energy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief in March, joining Murray Energy, its parent coal company, in efforts to restructure amid continued industry turbulence.
25. Allied Healthcare Products
The medical supplies manufacturer is based on Sublette Avenue; the shares nearly tripled in value over two days in spring 2020.
24. Huttig Building Products
23. Enterprise Financial Services
Lally earned 20 times as much as the median Enterprise Financial employee. The bank calculated a median of $67,305 for its workers.
22. Avadel Pharmaceuticals
21. Build-A-Bear
Sharon John received more in 2019 than the previous year, but has taken a salary cut this year.
20. BellRing Brands
BellRing Brands is Post Holding’s active nutrition business. Its initial public offering was in October 2018.
19. Arch Coal
Eaves earned 28 times as much as Arch's median employee, whose pay the company calculates at $106,668. He is retiring effective April 30.
18. Cass Information Systems
17. Commerce Bancshares
Kemper earned 63 times as much as the median Commerce employee. The company calculated median pay of $58,414 for its 4,755 full-time, part-time and seasonal workers.
16. Aegion Corporation
In March 2020, the company announced that its CEO would take a 100% cash wage reduction; his base salary is nearly $707,000
15. Esco Technologies
14. Spire
Sitherwood earned 44 times as much as the median Spire employee. Median pay for the company's 3,536 workers was $103,826.
13. Perficient
Davis earned 61 times as much as the median Perficient employee. Median pay for the company's 3,000 workers was $98,094.
12. Energizer
Hoskins earned 192 times as much as his median employee, whose pay Energizer calculated at $35,464.
Energizer is a Fortune 1000 company.
11. Caleres
The median Caleres employee earned $23,767 last year, so Sullivan made 288 times as much as the typical worker. Caleres noted that a large number of its 11,379 employees are part-time, temporary or seasonal.
Caleres is a Fortune 1000 company.
10. Olin
Olin calculates that Fischer earned 67 times much as its median employee, whom it described as a lab technician earning $107,139.
Olin is a Fortune 500 company.
9. Belden
Stroup earned 177 times as much as Belden's median worker, whose pay was calculated at $42,232.
Belden is a Fortune 1000 company.
8. Peabody Energy
Peabody's median employee earned $113,592, so Kellow's pay was 67 times as high as that of a typical worker.
Peabody was a Fortune 500 company, but recently fell to a Fortune 1000 company.
7. Reinsurance Group
Manning earned 72 times as much as the median Reinsurance Group employee. The company calculated median pay of $113,479 for its 3,426 employees.
Reinsurance Group is a Fortune 500 company.
6. Stifel
Kruszewski earned 84 times as much as the median Stifel employee. The company calculated median pay of $97,326 for 9,960 employees.
Stifel Financial is on the Fortune 1000 list.
5. Ameren
Baxter earned 66 times as much as the median Ameren employee, whose pay the company calculated at $147,127.
Ameren is a Fortune 500 company.
4. Post Holdings
Vitale earned 169 times as much as a typical Post worker. The Brentwood-based food company calculated that its median employee earned $67,082.
Post Holdings is a Fortune 500 company.
3. Bunge
* The CEO was named as acting CEO on January 2019, so his previous salary wasn't used for the increase.
Bunge moved headquarters from New York to Chesterfield in the summer of 2019.
Bunge is a Fortune 500 company.
2. Emerson
An activist hedge fund urged Emerson to split the company, sparking a review of its operations and structure. The company will remain whole, but is implementing cost-saving measures.
Emerson is a Fortune 500 company.
1. Centene
The company calculates that Neidorff earned 383 times as much as its median employee, who earned $68,897.
Centene is a Fortune 500 company.
