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U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report, led by Eric Gertler, is a digital publisher earning revenue by licensing its rankings data to the institutions it evaluates.
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report was founded in 1933 by David Lawrence, initially as a print news magazine. Eric Gertler, formerly a publishing executive at AOL and Time Inc., took over as executive chairman in 2020 after the company was acquired by the investment firm Aurelius Capital Management. The magazine shifted fully to digital in 2010, shedding its print circulation to focus on rankings. Its business model centers on creating and monetizing trust-based rankings: Best Colleges, Best Hospitals, Best Financial Advisors, and Best Cars are the core products. The company licenses its methodology and data to the institutions it ranks, earns advertising from consumer traffic, and operates a subscription service called U.S. News 360. No external investments or venture capital deployment are part of its operations. The company employs approximately 350 staff across offices in Santa Monica, Washington DC, and New York. In 2023, the firm launched a Best Cruise Lines ranking, expanding its vertical beyond education and healthcare. A sister entity, U.S. News Venture Capital, was registered but shows no public deal activity. What distinguishes U.S. News is its closed-loop revenue model: the institutions under evaluation pay for the tools and visibility that the rankings create. This conflicts with traditional journalism's advertising-reliant framework, but it has sustained the firm as a standalone private entity owned by a single investment group.
General information
Firm type
other
Year founded
1933
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Santa Monica
Corporate office
Santa Monica, CA, United States
Additional offices
Washington, DC · New York, NY
Principals
Eric Gertler
Executive Chairman
Bill Holiber
Chief Executive Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who owns U.S. News & World Report?
U.S. News & World Report is privately held and owned by Aurelius Capital Management, an investment firm that acquired it in 2020 (per the firm, 2020). Eric Gertler, a former AOL executive, serves as executive chairman.
How does U.S. News make money if the rankings are free to consumers?
U.S. News generates revenue by selling access to its rankings data and analytics tools to the institutions it evaluates — universities, hospitals, financial advisory firms, and car manufacturers. It also runs a subscription product called U.S. News 360, which provides personalized content recommendations.
Does U.S. News operate as a family office or investment vehicle?
No. U.S. News & World Report is a media and data-publishing company, not a family office or investment firm. Its operations are entirely focused on content creation and licensing.
What is the relationship between U.S. News and its sister entities?
A subsidiary named U.S. News Venture Capital has been registered, but no publicly disclosed investments or portfolio companies exist. The core operations remain the rankings and media business.
Why is U.S. News included on a family-office profile platform?
U.S. News is included here as an informational reference or data source for wealth-management rankings, not as an investment entity itself. Institutions like RIA or family offices may use its resources.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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