U.S. Bancorp and Target Corporation are among the 100 “most valuable” brands in the world, according to research firm Millward Brown.

The two Minneapolis-based companies were included in the firm’s recently released annual BrandZ Top 100 list, which ranks companies based on the value of their brands.

U.S. Bancorp, with a brand value of $11.5 billion, ranked 72nd on the list—up 12 spots from last year. The company’s brand value increased 9 percent compared to last year.

Target, meanwhile, fell 11 spots and ranked 76th. Its brand value of $10.5 billion represented a 16 percent decline from last year.

More than 50,000 brands across the globe were considered for the list. To calculate brand value, Millward Brown surveyed more than 2 million consumers to obtain their viewpoints. It also analyzed companies’ financial data to determine how much of their earnings can be attributed to their brands and to predict future earnings from each brand.

Technology giants Apple, IBM, and Google rounded out the top three spots, with brand values of $183 billion, $116 billion, and $107.9 billion, respectively. Fast-food chain McDonald’s took the fourth spot, followed by yet another technology giant, Microsoft.

Target’s brand value placed it sixth in the retail category. Richfield-based Best Buy Company, Inc., also made the top retail-brand list, coming in at 19 with a brand value of $3.3 billion—down 36 percent from last year.

Meanwhile, U.S. Bancorp ranked 14th in the financial institutions category, and Golden Valley-based Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America took the number six spot on the insurance list with a brand value of $2.9 billion—down 45 percent from last year.

Millward Brown estimated that the 100 brands on the list are collectively worth $2.4 trillion—a 66 percent increase from 2006, when the first BrandZ list was compiled. However, nearly half of the brands in the top 100 declined in value this year, a trend that also occured during the worst part of the 2009 recession, the research firm said.