ST. LOUIS (Aug. 13, 2026) – For the eighth consecutive time, Mercy has been named one of the best employers in Missouri. Across the country, more than 245,000 individual surveys were conducted, asking employees in numerous industries about the culture, salary, working conditions, atmosphere and development offered by their organizations.
Mercy also earned the distinction for the sixth time in Arkansas.
“At Mercy, while exceptional patient care is always our first priority, we believe the culture we create on a daily basis is a huge factor in delivering that care. We always strive to take care of our caregivers so they can take care of our patients,” said Mark Moir, senior vice president and chief people officer. “This particular award is especially meaningful because it comes straight from caregivers who took the time to respond to surveys and share their thoughts and appreciation for the culture we’ve carefully curated here at Mercy.”
Mercy’s recognition as a top employer is reflected in strong overall retention of caregivers and low turnover. In particular, the 90-day retention rate in every community in Missouri and Arkansas has consistently been at a minimum 85% since October 2025. Mercy’s current retention rate throughout the organization is nearly 88%, with more than 52,000 caregivers.
To be eligible for consideration, organizations must have at least 500 employees and be part of the industries analyzed including manufacturing, retail, finance and professional services, media, communications, healthcare and more. In order to identify the best employers, regardless of the sector, all were assessed on a statewide basis and across different industries.
As part of its mission to care for the communities it serves, Mercy offers all caregivers paid volunteer time off, which encourages them to give their time to the nonprofits and community organizations they care about most. Mercy also offers paid parental leave, tuition assistance and on-the-job training to make it easier for caregivers to get the training and schooling they need to grow professionally at no cost to them.
This distinction is based on results across a three-year period to ensure a representative sample of employee opinion and reward sustained, highlighting consistent positive results rather than short-term success. An employer’s final score is determined on a state-by-state basis and is primarily built upon willingness to recommend employers.
Mercy, one of the 15 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation’s largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state healthcare system including 55 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 5,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 50,000 caregivers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2025 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.