"Top" is a word we take seriously. This page explains exactly what firms are included, how they're scored, how sourcing works, and how, and how not, sponsorship affects rankings.
The research universe currently covers 140 commercial insurance brokerage firms in two tiers. Tier 1 (100 firms) is Insurance Journal's 2026 Top 100 Property/Casualty Agencies, published August 17, 2026 and ranked by property/casualty agency revenue the agencies report to Insurance Journal. Tier 2 (40 firms) adds brokers that list does not cover: publicly traded and major national brokers ranked in Business Insurance's list of the 100 largest brokers of U.S. business, and independent regional firms identified through the Assurex Global partner network and Big "I" Best Practices recognition.
Brokerage ownership changes quickly. Before adding a Tier 2 firm we confirm it still operates independently under its own name; firms recently acquired by a broker already in the universe (for example, Risk Strategies by Brown & Brown, Woodruff Sawyer by Gallagher, or Newfront by WTW) are not counted twice.
Industry, coverage, and client-size tags come from each firm's own website: we record the specialties a firm names and map them to our standard categories with a fixed keyword list. 96 of 140 firms publish itemized industry specialties; firms that do not are shown without tags rather than guessed.
We do not treat a publisher's revenue ranking as our own editorial ranking. Our methodology scores firms across ten inputs, weighted toward commercial relevance rather than raw size alone:
| Scoring Input | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Commercial P&C Scale | Commercial-lines revenue or brokerage scale |
| Commercial Specialization | Percentage and depth of commercial (vs. personal lines) business |
| Industry Specialization | Evidence of industry-focused practices and teams |
| Coverage Breadth | Breadth of commercial coverage and specialty programs offered |
| Client Fit | Ability to serve the relevant business-size segment |
| Geographic Reach | Local, regional, national, or international capability |
| Risk Advisory Capabilities | Risk analytics, claims advocacy, loss control, captive consulting |
| Recognized Performance | Credible third-party recognition |
| Data Quality | How much independently verifiable information exists on the firm |
| Market Presence | Documented commercial insurance market presence |
We prioritize primary sources, firm websites, SEC and public filings, state licensing records, and official press releases, followed by strong industry sources (Insurance Journal, Business Insurance, Big "I", Reagan Consulting, MarshBerry, AM Best) and reputable financial publications where relevant.
We never manufacture financial or operational figures. Every data point is tagged with a provenance level: Firm Published, Third-Party Verified, Estimated, or Unknown.
Sponsored profiles, featured placements, and category sponsorships exist as future monetization but are always clearly labeled and never factor into editorial scoring.
Brokerages can request factual corrections by emailing info@topcommercialinsurancebrokers.com with supporting evidence.