undamentalytics Newsletter

Costco number of employees

Costco reported 355,000 employees at August 30, 2026 in its latest annual report, up 14,000 (4.1%) on the year before. That compares with 304,000 at August 28, 2022. Revenue per employee was $853,955.

Headcount by year

Fiscal year endEmployeesChangeRevenue per employeeSource
August 30, 2026 355,000 +14,000 (4.1%) $853,955 10-K, filed October 7, 2026
August 31, 2025 341,000 +8,000 (2.4%) $807,141 10-K, filed October 8, 2025
September 1, 2024 333,000 +17,000 (5.4%) $764,123 10-K, filed October 9, 2024
September 3, 2023 316,000 +12,000 (3.9%) $766,741 10-K, filed October 11, 2023
August 28, 2022 304,000 — $746,559 10-K, filed October 5, 2022

What the annual reports say

  • Employee Base At the end of 2026, we employed 355,000 employees worldwide. 2026 annual report
  • Employee Base At the end of 2025, we employed 341,000 employees worldwide. 2025 annual report
  • Employee Base At the end of 2024, we employed 333,000 employees worldwide. 2024 annual report
  • Compensation and benefits for employees is our largest expense after the cost of merchandise and is carefully monitored. 5 Table of Contents Employee Base At the end of 2023, we employed 316,000 employees worldwide. 2023 annual report
  • Employee Base At the end of 2022, we employed 304,000 employees worldwide. 2022 annual report

Headcount as the company states it in Item 1 of its annual report (some count full-time equivalents or exclude part-time and temporary staff), at the date it gives. Years where the report states no clear total are left out rather than estimated. Changes can reflect acquisitions and disposals as well as hiring and job cuts.

Compare with peers

Head to head: COST vs WMTCOST vs TGTCOST vs DG

More: Consumer Staples Merchandise Retail stocks compared, Consumer Staples sector, rankings of US companies

Figures from Costco's SEC filings (10-K and 10-Q), retrieved October 20, 2026. How we read and check them: methodology and data sources. Not investment advice. Back to Costco.