Companies That Hire Felons In 2024 (Updated List Of Over 200+ Employers)

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While getting a job if you have a felony can be very hard, you should realize that there are THOUSANDS of places in the US that are willing to hire felons.

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, were the unemployment rate is growing and people lose existing jobs, hundreds of small and large business are still hiring workers for all kinds of positions.

Many large popular companies as well as medium and small size businesses from a wide range of industries have a hiring policy that does not discriminate against applicants who have a felony conviction.

We have put together a comprehensive list of large companies that have a history of hiring felons and ex-cons.

This list has just been updated with new felon friendly employers added for 2022. Moreover, we regularly review the list and add more companies when we learn that they are hiring felons.

To increase your chances of getting the job, it’s best to apply to as many open positions as possible. Don’t just stick to one industry, such as food delivery, or hospitality, or retail. Most people can do entry level work pretty much in any field of work, so don’t limit yourself!

Some people mistakenly assume that this means a company will definitely hire you, and get disappointed and discouraged when they get rejected. What the policy means is that they will not discriminate against you based on your felony or misdemeanor

However, you must still demonstrate that you are the best person for the job in order to be considered for employment.

List of top companies hiring felons

Keep in mind that the companies on this list are not necessarily hiring right now. They are listed because they have a history of hiring people with felony convictions.

When you click on the name of the company you will be taken directly to their hiring/careers page. Take a look at what positions they have currently open and if you find something that may work for you start filling out the application.

Its always a good idea to go back to companies that you liked and check whether any new positions have opened up.

To make your search easier, the list is broken down based on industry. Also, note that this is NOT a complete list. Across the US, there are hundreds more small companies, retail stores, restaurants, factories, construction businesses, offices, etc that are looking to hire employees on a regular basis.

To widen your search, look for local jobs on Craigslist and Indeed.com. While you may not know if a company will hire a felon, you can still apply. You don’t loose anything by trying!

Job Search Tip: you may be surprised to know that in addition to a criminal background check, many companies also run a credit check on prospective applicant. They want to see someone with good credit, as this shows a person’s ability to take responsibility and be a dependable worker.

Unfortunately many felons struggle with bad credit, and this can actually be a big hurdle to getting a job. The good news is that overtime it is possible to fix your bad credit, and raise your credit score back up.

While this may not seem important, you should actually make improving your credit a big priority. Experience shows that this helps felons get jobs!

Companies that have contacted us, stating they ARE hiring felons:

Alsco Uniforms (Charlotte NC) – part of a larger company with multiple locations.
Submitted by Michael Bridges – HR Manager

Old Dutch Mustard (Greenville, NH) – request submitted by Michael (603)878-2100 x210

7 manufacturing jobs available immediately. Please call 626-788-3813. Jon (Company name and location unknown). Submitted on Apr 21, 2021

Hammock Gear (Reynoldsburg OH) – Small business that manufactures camping equipment. Interested in working with people who may have been convicted of felonies in the past and are looking to turn over a new leaf. Please contact me at sally@hammockgear.com to discuss how we can better reach out to the community of felons who may be interested in joining our team of hard working and diverse individuals!

Coronado Stone Products (FONTANA, CA) – $14.00 PER HOUR PAID VACATION/SICK TIME FULL BENEFITS 401k PLAN APPLICANTS MUST APPLY IN PERSON ONLY/NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE MONDAY-FRIDAY 7 AM-1 PM 11191 CALABASH AVE FONTANA, CA 92337 **Hourly COVID Incentive paid out monthly**

Property Management Inc (PMI SK PROPERTIES – Boston MA) looking for hard workers knowledgeable in roofing. Sheriff – 978-836-3044

TO employers looking for workers (ex felons) – please post your jobs in COMMENTS section.

We are unable to process all requests which come through contact form, while comments are moderated on regular bases.

Grocery Stores

Many grocery stores are open to giving felons a second chance. Most likely you can get a job stocking products, bagging food, etc. Some stores may allow you to work the cash register, but that will depend on the nature of your felony and their discretion.

ShopRite
Trader Joe’s
Restaurant Depot
Costco – base salary for most locations starts at $14/hr. View available jobs.
Shaw’s
Stop and Shop
Publix – view available jobs & apply here

Safeway
Food Giant
Whole Foods Market
Krogers: includes 25 different brands, such as Metro Market, Gerbes, QFC, Ruler Foods, King Soopers, etc
Wegman’s
SuperValu
H.E.B.
Win Co. Foods
Ralphs

Hospitality

If you want to try your luck in the hotel industry, you can expect to work in the cleaning/maintenance services, helping customers with baggage, etc. These are strenuous jobs that usually pay at or slightly above minimum wage. However, they are a good way to start a track record of holding a steady job.

Marriott Hotels includes 30 brands, such as Ritz Carlton, Westin, Sheraton, W hotels, Gaylord Hotels, AC Hotels, Four Points, Courtyard by Marriot, etc.
IHG: includes Holiday Inn, Intercontinental, Kimpton, Crowne Plaza, Even Hotels and Hotel Indigo
Hilton Hotels
Homewood Suites by Hilton
Hyatt Hotels
Radisson Hotel Group: includes Radisson, Park Plaza, Red Raddison, Park Inn, Country Inn & Suites, Prizeotel.
Eldorado Resorts
Wyndham Hotels

Cellular/Cable

AT&T
Verizon
Motorola
T-Mobile
Sprint
US Cellular
Comcast
Clear Talk Wireless

Food Services/Restaurants

One of the easiest jobs for a felon to get is working at a restaurant or fast food service chain. Don’t expect a high salary, but if you work hard, there is a good chance of being promoted to a better position within the restaurant.

McDonald’s
Chick-fil-A
Red Lobster
Burger King
Taco Bell
KFC
Captain D’s
Pizza Hut
Wingstop
Domino’s Pizza
Jersey Mike’s Subs
Marco’s Pizza
Boston Market
Legal Seafoods
Golden Corral Buffet
TGI Friday’s
Chili’s
Old Country Buffet
Outback Steakhouse
Pancho’s Mexican Restaurant
Olive Garden
Sizzler
Cici’s Pizza
iHop
Shoney’s
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Papa Murphy’s Pizza
Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Panera Bread
Subway
Applebee’s
Texas Roadhouse
O’Charley’s
Buffalo Wild Wings
Red Robin Burgers
Maggiano’s Little Italy
The Cheesecake Factory
Qdoba Mexican Eats
Ben & Jerry’s
Dunkin Donuts
Wendy’s
Starbucks
Baskin Robbins
Village Inn
Dairy Queen

Food Production/Processing

There are huge food production and packaging facilities scattered all across the US. Workers are always needed in these places because the pay is usually minimum wage and the labor is strenuous. If you have had no luck finding a job, this may be a good industry to consider.

Tyson Foods
General Mills
Smithfield Foods
ConAgra Foods
Kraft
JBS USA
Coca Cola
Pepsi Co
US Foods
McLane Food Services
Food Services of America
Campbell’s Soup Co
Pactiv
Aramark
Del Monte Foods

Health Care & Wellness

Foundations Wellness Center (Drug and Alcohol addiction treatment) – They HIRE felons! We were contacted directly by their representative Carol, to inform us the they do hire people with felony convictions, and asking to get listed. This company is located in Port St. Lucie, FL.

While this is only one (so far), many other similar establishments are open to hire ex felons, so be sure to try your local drug and alcohol rehabs!

Manufacturing

Entry level jobs in manufacturing are often manual labor and require a lot of physical strength. Some require working with heavy equipment and robots. Because these are huge companies there also may be opportunities for growth and improvement in salary, once you prove yourself in the first job.

Boeing
Exxon Mobile
Apple
General Motors
Ford
General Electric
Chevron
Phillips66
Microsoft
Tesla
Sealed Air Corporation
Stanley Black and Decker
Lubrizol Corp
The Washington Post
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Chemtura Corporation
General Cable
Lennox International (located in Texas)
SPX Corp (located in Charlotte, North Carolina)
Broadcom (located in California)
HollyFrontier Corp (located in Texas)
FMC Technologies (located in Houston, Texas)
Western Refining (located in El Paso, Texas)

Airlines

Delta
British Air
American Airlines
United Airlines
Spirit Airlines
Jet Blue Airlines
Virgin Atlantic
Alaska Airlines

Delivery Services

Delivery drivers are always in demand, but this job may be particularly hot during the holiday seasons. Starting from November through December may be your best chance of getting your foot in the door.

Amazon Flex jobs (Amazon order delivery service – view details)
UPS
FedEx
DoorDash food delivery – apply to be a driver here.

Allied Van Lines

Retail

There are many retail stores around, both large chains, and privately owned ones. Many are willing to hire people with past felonies. You will need to do the leg work and apply to as many local stores as possible, to maximize your chances of getting hired.

Walmart (view positions and apply here)
Kmart
Sam’s Club
Target
Kohl’s
Macy’s
Bed Bath and Beyond
PetSmart
Christmas Tree Shops
HH Gregg
Home Depot (click here to apply)
Lowe’s
Ace Hardware
La-Z-Boy Furniture
Fred’s
Dollar Tree
Dollar General
Family Dollar
Bob’s Discount Furniture
Party City
Walgreens
Men’s Wear House
Best Buy
IKEA
Pilot Travel Centers
QuickTrip

Ride Sharing Services (UBER, LYFT, etc)

If you like driving, you can try making some cash in the ride sharing industry. Drivers are in high demand, and many felons report having success driving for Lyft and Uber. The benefits are flexible schedule, and ability to work as much or as little as you want.

Lyft
Uber

Automotive and Car Rental Services

If you like cars and are good at fixing/servicing them, the automotive industry is a good place to start looking for a job. Many places will be open to hiring an ex-con, especially if you have relevant skills and experience.

Avis
Budget
Enterprise
Hertz
Sixt
Firestone Services
Pep Boys
Meineke
O’Reilly Auto Parts
AAMCO
AutoZone
Jiffy Lube
Good Year Tire
Valvoline Instant Oil Change

Trucking

This industry is considered to be felon friendly. Many companies even offer on the job training for qualifying applicants. Its a hard job, since you are alone on the road for many days. However, the big perks are decent pay and independence.

Check out our detailed overview of truck driving jobs for felons (both local and over the road or OTR).

Here are trucking companies that hire felons (with some restrictions):

National Carrier
Knight Transportation
Swift Transportation
Trans Am Transportation
TMC
J.B.Hunt
Boyd Bros. Transportation
Stevens Transport
Crete Carrier
Western Express
CR England
PGT Trucking
deBoer Transportation
Carolina Cargo
Celadon Trucking
Roehl
Trans Way
Uhaul
Cheeseman Transportation

Freelancing / Online Jobs

If you are into coding, blogging, web design, etc, you can get a freelancing job online. There is no background check or formal interview with HR required.

All you need is a portfolio of previous work and a few good reviews on your page. This is a great way to start your own business and make a 6 figure salary! If you don’t have any technical skills now, consider learning them, because this is a great way to earn a living.

As a freelancer, you are pretty much not limited by your conviction at all, as most clients that will hire you, will never even consider running a background check on you – these are usually small businesses and solopreneurs that need some remote (usually programming or graphics design or writing) job done.

Also, your pay is usually directly related to your skills. For example, if you are a decent software developer, you can easily earn $35-70/hr or more.

Consider learning a mobile app development or some popular web programming language, such as JavaScript, Ruby on Rails, or even PHP!

See our complete Freelance Jobs for Felons guide.

Upwork – biggest freelance job marketplace – has most clients who can hire you, but also, biggest competition of freelancers around the world.
Craigslist
TranscriptionJobsHQ.com
Fiverr – Also a very popular remote jobs listings site. Don’t be confused by the name – most projects go well beyond $5, and can range from $50 for a quick logo render, to several hundreds or even thousands, for big projects.
Zirtual
iFreelance
SimplyHired

Warehouse

Working at a warehouse requires a lot of physical strength and endurance. This is by no means an easy job, and the pay is often minimal wage. However, historically many people with felony convictions have been able to land a job at a warehouse. Hence, this may be a good place to start!

Caruso Logistics
Champion Logistics
Common Wealth Inc
DM Fulfillment
Distribution Alternatives
Preferred Freezer Services
RIM Logistics
Reliable Transportation Solutions
Source Logistics
Amazon Warehouse (Amazon’s minimum salary start at $15/hr. View available positions and apply here)

Oil and Gas

One booming industry that is very open to hiring ex cons is oil and gas. Oil and gas jobs are growing at an unprecedented rate and this growth will continue in the coming years. There are plenty of high-paying jobs in this field but many people don’t want them because of how demanding the work is.

Oil and gas companies are willing to hire qualified felons, and you don’t even need a high school diploma to be considered. Most positions offer on the job training, and there are professional growth opportunities for people who want to stay in this career for the long haul.

Most gas and oil fracking jobs are located in California, Texas, Oklahoma, Alaska, Utah, North Dakota, Colorado, Pennsylvania.

ExxonMobile
Chesapeake Energy
OXY (formerly Anadarko)
Chevron
Southwestern Energy
Halliburton
ConocoPhillips
Devon Energy
Eastern Propane&Oil
Williams Energy
ENSERVCO
Bosque Systems
BP
Encana
Arnold Oil Company

In addition to the giant corporations on this list, there are actually over 14,000 small companies that are in the oil and gas drilling business. This means that if you have the stamina to endure hard work, you will most likely find a job in this field.

Temp Agencies

Many felons report having luck getting employed when they go through a temp agency. The benefit of working with a temp agency when you have a felony conviction is that they will only offer you jobs that they think you can actually get. The temp agency already has a contract with an employer and they know exactly who is qualified to get a job. This makes your job search less of a desperate shot in the dark.

Additionally temp agencies enable you to apply to multiple positions at once. When you sign up with a temp agency and submit your resume and references, they do the job search for you. Once they find something, you just have to be ready to take it.

Signing up with a temp agency will not cost you any money. This is because they get paid by the employers when they recruit someone for an open position.

Keep in mind that most temp agencies will run a background check on you, and some will reject you because of the criminal record. However, many temp agencies regularly work with felons and help them find good jobs.

While temp jobs can be very frustrating because they last a few weeks to a few months, its still a step in the right direction and some cash flow in your pocket.

Although not ideal long term, having various temping jobs helps you build your resume and demonstrates to prospective employers that you are serious about working hard and holding down a job.

Part time and seasonal jobs

If your felony has been preventing you from finding full time work, it may be time to consider part time or seasonal work opportunities. While the money you earn at a part time job may not be enough to pay your bills, it is still a good idea to take a part time job for the following reasons:

– having a job will boost your self-confidence that you are worthy of having good paying work
– working will help you stay out of trouble, drugs, alcohol, crime, etc
– any real job will improve your resume and will show future employers that you are a reliable worker
– if you work hard, a part time job can be a springboard for getting a full time position

All of the above benefits apply to seasonal positions. Most large retail stores, shipping companies and grocery chains are always hiring during their busy seasons. The biggest hiring rush is obviously around Thanksgiving/Christmas time.

While this job may only last 3-5 weeks, it can be a great learning experience and a resume booster. Plus, a little extra cash in your pocket:)

Will the company preform a criminal background check?

The short answer is “yes”. By law, the company is allowed to check criminal records and other types of legal and financial history of every prospective employee. However, depending on the state and the company, there are different policies regarding criminal background check .

For most companies the standard policy is to look back at criminal records up to 7 years. In some places, this time period is as little as 3 or 5 years. Some states allow the company to access records without a time limit. This means that if you committed a felony 35 years ago, the company will still find out about it.

There are a number of states that report even the None-Guilty verdicts (Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming).

Unfortunately, what this means is that you may have an easier or harder time getting a job as a felon, simply depending on where you live. If you have been struggling without a job and continuously get turned down, consider moving to a state with more lenient laws when it comes to background checks.

These are: California, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Texas, and Washington.

Employment is offered on a case by case basis

employment opportunities for felons

When you are looking through the list of felon friendly employers and filling out applications, the most important thing to keep in mind is that each company will judge your felony on a case by case basis.

For example, a trucking company will be more concerned with driving violations, drug related crimes, car theft, etc, than other types of violations. Similarly, a hotel will be more worried about theft and violent crimes than other felonies.

This means that you need to think about whether your felony would be admissible in the type of work your are pursuing. Don’t apply to be a cashier if you have theft or other financial fraud charges on your record!

Also, be ready to take up entry level, minimum wage jobs that don’t require any major skills. Most companies will also be hesitant to hire a felon for positions where a lot of customer service is involved.

In general, registered sex offenders, and people with history of violent crimes and assault, will have the hardest time getting employment.

Your goal should be just to get your foot in the door. Once you land your first job as a felon, you will have much easier time looking for better, higher paying jobs in the future. You will also have a chance to move up in rank with the company that hired you in the first place.

Still no luck finding a job?

Many felons come to us for advice because they have applied to all kinds of jobs and just continue getting rejected. The mantra: “just keep trying!” does not seem to work anymore. In this case, maybe you need to shift your gears all together and start thinking outside the box.

Instead of looking for manual labor, entry-level jobs, you need to consider opening up a small business, improving your education, getting technical training, etc.

If you are considering opening up your business but are worried that you don’t have any start up money, there is good news. There are a number of federal and state business loan programs for felons that want to start their own business.

Moreover, on-demand economy is rapidly growing in the US. These jobs are like freelancing, they often don’t require interviews or background checks, just your skills, and willingness to work hard. Perhaps you can look for a job in this niche.

Share your feedback and let us know whether you have been hired by any of the companies on our list.

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