How TIME and Statista Determined America's Best Brands, According to Each Generation

TIME · 10/28/2026, 12:05:28 PM

—Photo-Illustration by TIME; Source images from top left: MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle, Arun Nevader, Smith Collection/Gado, Tomohiro Ohsumi, SOPA Images, AFP, Jerod Harris, Roberto Machado Noa, T3, Kevin Mazur, NurPhoto, SOPA Images, Kevin Carter, Bruce Bennett, Icon Sportswire, Kevin Carter, Pascal Le Segretain—Getty Images The ranking "America's Best Brands, According to Each Generation" is based on surveys of more than 33,000 Americans, featuring Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. The analysis was primarily based on user experience, customer service, reputation for quality, and likelihood of recommendation. Methodology The America’s Best Brands According to Each Generation 2026 rankings were identified from the results of an independent survey of participants who have either made purchases, used services, or looked for further information about a brand within the past three years either in person or online. Customers evaluated several brands: in total over 220,000 cross-demographic evaluations were collected. The survey was conducted on brands and service providers from 112 categories, providing results for a broad spectrum of customer experiences across demographic groups via a national online panel. For each category, the most relevant brands were included in the scope of the survey according to user experience, customer service, and reputation for quality. For most categories, brands must be available to U.S. consumers. Categories involving location-dependent services must be present in at least two census regions. In total, the survey took an average of 10 minutes to complete, and the field period ran from March to May 2026. The final assessment and rankings were based on the Likelihood of Recommendation (50% of the final score) and three equally weighted evaluation criteria (also 50% of the final score): 1. User Experience: measures the end-to-end journey, including easy access, clear information, meaningful personalization and intuitive technolo