Amazon employed 1,576,000 people worldwide as of December 31, 2025, according to the company’s annual SEC filing. That figure makes it the second-largest private employer on the planet, behind only Walmart and its 2.1 million associates. This post covers Amazon’s workforce size, historical growth, country distribution, demographic breakdown, compensation data, and the 2025-2026 layoffs reshaping its corporate ranks.
Amazon Employee Statistics 2026 – TL;DR
Amazon reported 1,576,000 full-time and part-time employees at year-end 2025, a 1.29% increase from 1,556,000 in 2024.
Approximately 1.1 million Amazon employees (70% of the total) are based in the United States.
Amazon cut roughly 30,000 corporate roles between October 2025 and May 2026 under an internal restructuring dubbed “Project Dawn.”
Revenue per employee reached $454,900 in fiscal 2025, up 10.95% from the prior year.
Fulfillment and warehouse workers earn an average starting wage of $18 to $19 per hour. Average annual salary across all US-based roles is roughly $74,600 as of May 2026.
How Many People Work at Amazon?
Amazon’s headcount stood at 1,576,000 as of December 31, 2025. The number includes full-time and part-time staff but excludes contractors and temporary workers. This was a net addition of 20,000 employees over the previous year.
The company also hires seasonal workers during peak periods. For the 2024 holiday season, Amazon brought on 250,000 additional temporary staff across its fulfillment and transportation networks. These seasonal hires are not reflected in the year-end total.
Amazon Employee Count by Year (2017-2025)
Amazon’s workforce nearly tripled between 2017 and 2021, driven mostly by a pandemic-era hiring spree that added 500,000 workers in 2020 alone. The count peaked at 1,608,000 in 2021 before the company began cutting back. Headcount dropped to 1,525,000 by 2023 and has since recovered slightly.
| Year | Employees | Year-over-Year Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 566,000 | – |
| 2018 | 647,500 | +14.4% |
| 2019 | 798,000 | +23.2% |
| 2020 | 1,298,000 | +62.7% |
| 2021 | 1,608,000 | +23.9% |
| 2022 | 1,541,000 | -4.2% |
| 2023 | 1,525,000 | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 1,556,000 | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 1,576,000 | +1.3% |
Source: Amazon SEC filings, MacroTrends, StockAnalysis
Amazon Employees by Country
The United States accounts for about 70% of Amazon’s total workforce, with roughly 1.1 million employees spread across 47 states. California leads with over 170,000 workers. Alaska, Vermont, and Wyoming have no Amazon employees.
India ranks second globally with approximately 100,000 employees, followed by the United Kingdom at 75,000 and Germany at 60,000. Amazon operates fulfillment centers, corporate offices, and AWS data centers across more than 25 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
| Country | Estimated Employees | Share of Total |
|---|---|---|
| United States | ~1,100,000 | ~70% |
| India | ~100,000 | ~6.4% |
| United Kingdom | ~75,000 | ~4.8% |
| Germany | ~60,000 | ~3.8% |
| Other (25+ countries) | ~241,000 | ~15% |
Source: AMZ Prep, WisePPC
Amazon Employee Demographics
Amazon publishes annual workforce diversity data covering gender globally and race/ethnicity within the US. The most recent figures are from December 31, 2024.
Gender Distribution (Global)
Men made up 56.2% of Amazon’s global workforce in 2024, while women accounted for 43.7%. The remaining 0.1% selected other or declined to specify. Within the US specifically, the split was narrower: 53.2% male and 46.6% female, with 0.2% identifying as LGBTQ+.
Source: Amazon Official Workforce Data 2024
US Race and Ethnicity Breakdown
White employees represent 28.4% of Amazon’s US workforce, followed closely by Black or African American at 26.5% and Hispanic or Latino at 26.2%. Asian employees make up 14.3%, with the remainder distributed among multiracial and other groups. This makes Amazon one of the more racially diverse large employers in the country, ranking second among S&P 100 companies for Black/African American representation according to DiversIQ.
| Race/Ethnicity | Share of US Workforce |
|---|---|
| White | 28.4% |
| Black or African American | 26.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 26.2% |
| Asian | 14.3% |
| Multiracial and Other | 4.6% |
Source: Amazon Official Workforce Data 2024, PushPullAgency
Amazon Employee Salary and Compensation
Amazon’s pay varies widely by role. Warehouse and fulfillment workers earn a starting wage of $18 to $19 per hour, with the company reporting an average of $23 per hour with benefits for regular employees as of 2026. Hourly pay across all positions averages $19.93, per PayScale data from April 2026.
On the salaried side, average annual compensation for US-based Amazon employees is approximately $74,619 as of May 2026 according to ZipRecruiter, though Salary.com places the figure at $80,547. At the upper end, Director-level software development roles pay up to $645,689 per year based on Glassdoor data from 535,897 self-reported salaries. Amazon invested over $1 billion in 2025 to raise employee pay and reduce healthcare costs. For context on how Amazon’s pay compares to retailers like Costco, starting rates are in a similar range.
| Role Category | Estimated Compensation |
|---|---|
| Warehouse Worker (hourly) | $18 – $19/hr starting |
| Average Hourly (all roles) | $19.93/hr |
| Average Annual (salaried) | $74,619 – $80,547 |
| Software Engineering Manager (VP) | Up to $1,893,500/yr |
| Director of Software Development | Up to $645,689/yr |
Source: PayScale, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, Levels.fyi (May 2026)
Amazon Revenue and Profit per Employee
Amazon generated $454,900 in revenue per employee during fiscal year 2025, a 10.95% increase from $410,000 in 2024. Net income per employee reached $49,280, up 29.43% from $38,080 the previous year. The company’s total revenue for 2025 was approximately $716.4 billion, with net income of $77.67 billion. These numbers reflect how AI and automation are reshaping workforce productivity across large employers.
| Metric | FY 2024 | FY 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue per Employee | $410,000 | $454,900 | +10.95% |
| Net Income per Employee | $38,080 | $49,280 | +29.43% |
| Total Revenue | $637.8B | $716.4B | +12.3% |
| Total Net Income | $59.2B | $77.67B | +31.2% |
Source: Bullfincher, StockAnalysis, Amazon SEC filings
Amazon Workforce by Division
Amazon’s 1.576 million employees split across several operating segments. The majority work in fulfillment, logistics, and delivery. Corporate staff number around 350,000, covering product development, marketing, finance, HR, and other business functions. These corporate workers are concentrated in tech hubs like Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, Austin, and Arlington, Virginia.
AWS employs a smaller but highly compensated workforce focused on cloud engineering, sales, and support. The Whole Foods acquisition in 2017 added roughly 90,000 retail grocery workers. Average tenure across all roles sits at just 1.8 years, down from earlier estimates of 2.7 years. Amazon’s mandatory return-to-office policy, which took effect in 2025, may be one factor behind the high turnover rate.
Amazon Layoffs in 2025 and 2026
Amazon cut approximately 30,000 corporate roles between October 2025 and May 2026, making it the largest workforce reduction in the company’s history. The restructuring, internally called “Project Dawn,” targeted middle management and corporate overhead across AWS, retail, Prime Video, and HR.
The first wave in October 2025 eliminated about 14,000 positions. A second round in January 2026 cut another 16,000 roles. WARN notices filed in Washington, California, Maryland, New York, and Virginia detailed specific layoff dates, with the largest share of cuts concentrated in Washington state (about 2,600 jobs) and California (1,500 jobs). Amazon also closed all 14 Amazon Go stores and more than 50 Amazon Fresh locations.
CEO Andy Jassy framed the cuts as a move to flatten hierarchies and free up capital for AI. Amazon spent $125 billion on data center construction in 2025 alone and has committed $200 billion to its broader AI strategy. SVP Beth Galetti stated the cuts were about “reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy.” The company simultaneously hired software development interns and early-career engineers with AI and machine learning skills, even as it reduced headcount elsewhere. The broader pattern of tech firms reshaping headcount around AI is visible across the industry.
Amazon Robots and Automation
Amazon plans to integrate more than 500,000 robots into its fulfillment centers as part of its long-term cost-reduction strategy. The company has already deployed hundreds of thousands of robotic units across its warehouses. These systems handle tasks like sorting, moving inventory, and packaging.
Company leadership has said AI will allow Amazon to “operate with fewer corporate workers” over time. The automation push applies primarily to warehouse operations, where repetitive tasks such as logistics coordination, rule-based communication, and standardized data processing are most exposed to replacement. For perspective on similar patterns among Google and other Big Tech employers, headcount reallocation toward AI roles is becoming standard.
How Amazon Employee Statistics Compare to Other Tech Employers
Amazon’s workforce dwarfs every other major tech company. Anthropic, the AI startup Amazon has invested $8 billion in, had between 2,300 and 5,000 employees by early 2026. The size difference reflects the fact that Amazon’s headcount is driven overwhelmingly by fulfillment, warehousing, and logistics rather than software engineering.
| Company | Employees (Latest) | Revenue per Employee |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | 1,576,000 | $454,900 |
| Walmart | 2,100,000 | ~$310,000 |
| Microsoft | 228,000 | ~$1,100,000 |
| Alphabet (Google) | 190,820 | ~$1,900,000 |
| Apple | 166,000 | ~$2,400,000 |
| Meta | 78,865 | ~$2,200,000 |
Source: SEC filings via StockAnalysis, MacroTrends (latest fiscal year data)
Amazon’s revenue per employee of $454,900 is far below pure tech peers like Apple and Google because most of its staff work in warehousing and delivery. Companies that employ fewer people relative to revenue tend to have a higher share of software and services roles. The remote work patterns across major employers also vary significantly — Amazon’s mandatory five-day office return contrasts with more flexible policies at other tech firms.
FAQ
How many employees does Amazon have in 2026?
Amazon reported 1,576,000 full-time and part-time employees worldwide as of December 31, 2025. The company also hires up to 250,000 seasonal workers during peak periods.
What is the average Amazon employee salary?
Average annual pay for US-based Amazon employees ranges from $74,619 to $80,547 depending on the source. Fulfillment workers start at $18 to $19 per hour, while senior tech roles pay over $500,000 per year.
How many employees did Amazon lay off in 2025-2026?
Amazon eliminated approximately 30,000 corporate positions between October 2025 and May 2026. The cuts targeted middle management, AWS, retail, HR, and Prime Video divisions.
What percentage of Amazon employees are in the United States?
About 70% of Amazon’s workforce (roughly 1.1 million people) is based in the US. California has the most employees of any state at over 170,000.
What is Amazon’s gender breakdown among employees?
Globally, 56.2% of Amazon employees are men and 43.7% are women (2024 data). In the US, the split narrows to 53.2% male and 46.6% female.
Sources:
https://stockanalysis.com/stocks/amzn/employees/
https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/our-workforce-data
https://bullfincher.io/companies/amazoncom/revenue-per-employee
