Disney’s FY2025 10-K counts about 231,000 employees, and its 2026 proxy puts the median worker’s total pay at $56,932. This guide to Disney employee statistics covers headcount, the full-time and part-time mix, park staffing, the 2026 layoffs, pay and the Disney Aspire program, using SEC filings and Disney’s own fact sheets.
Disney Employee Statistics
How Many People Work at Disney? The FY2025 10-K Count
Disney employed about 231,000 people at fiscal year-end 2025, based on its FY2025 Form 10-K. About 172,000 worked in the U.S. and about 59,000 outside it.
U.S. headcount rose in each filing shown, from about 166,000 in FY2022 to about 172,000 in FY2025. National job counts for context sit in our U.S. employment statistics.
Outside the U.S., headcount fell from about 62,000 in FY2024 to about 59,000 in FY2025. The same filing reports that Disney’s Star India business moved into a joint venture with Reliance Industries on November 14, 2024.
This FY2025 total was measured before any of the 2026 job cuts described below.
Source: The Walt Disney Company Form 10-K, FY2022–FY2025 (headcount at each fiscal year-end)
Full-Time, Part-Time and Seasonal: Disney Employee Statistics by Contract Type
Full-time employees made up about 76% of Disney’s global workforce in FY2025, with part-time staff at 16% and seasonal staff at 8%.
| Fiscal year | Full-time | Part-time | Seasonal |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2022 | 78% | 15% | 7% |
| FY2023 | 77% | 16% | 7% |
| FY2024 | 76% | 16% | 8% |
| FY2025 | 76% | 16% | 8% |
Source: The Walt Disney Company Form 10-K, FY2022–FY2025 (approximate shares of global workforce)
The full-time share moved from 78% in FY2022 to 77% in FY2023 and 76% in FY2024, then held at 76%.
A significant number of employees, including theme park staff and writers, directors, actors and production personnel, are covered by collective bargaining agreements, the 10-K says.
80,000 Walt Disney World Cast Members, 36,000 at Disneyland Resort
Disney’s two U.S. resorts publish their own staffing counts. Their dates differ from the 10-K, so these figures should not be added to or subtracted from the company total.
How Many Employees Work at Disney World?
Walt Disney World lists 80,000 cast members in its employment fact sheet updated in September 2026. Disney calls the resort Central Florida’s largest employer.
More than 53,000 of those cast members are represented under 8 collective bargaining agreements. Over 300 people apply to work at the resort each day.
Disney says 4 out of 5 cast members choose to stay, and retention is one of the measures in our best companies to work for in the United States list. Full-time cast members in professional, leadership and skilled roles average 12 years of tenure.
Source: Walt Disney World Employment Experience Fact Sheet, September 2026
How Many Cast Members Work at Disneyland?
Disneyland Resort reports 36,000 cast members in a fact sheet posted in February 2026, the most in the resort’s history by Disney’s account.
More than 28,000 are represented by 27 unions. About 250 people apply for its hourly roles each day.
Three in four cast members live within 20 miles of the resort, and one in seven lives in Anaheim.
Source: Disneyland Resort Employment Experience Fact Sheet, posted February 2026
Is Disney Laying Off Employees in 2026?
Yes. Disney made cuts in April, July and September 2026 and offered executives early retirement in August, all after Josh D’Amaro became CEO in March.
In April, Disney eliminated about 1,000 positions across its marketing group, studio and TV businesses, ESPN, products and technology, and some corporate functions, Reuters reported.
July brought several hundred layoffs across multiple divisions. At least 116 of them hit Pixar’s headquarters in Emeryville, California, according to TheWrap.
Chief People Officer Sonia Coleman sent a Voluntary Early Retirement Offer in August to U.S.-based executives from director to executive vice president in Disney Entertainment, ESPN and corporate. Deadline reported that eligibility required 65 combined points of age and service, with a minimum age of 50 and 10 years of service.
Late September added a few hundred cuts in human resources and technology, a source told Reuters on September 29.
D’Amaro and CFO Hugh Johnston told shareholders in August that labor and SG&A reductions were among the cost levers under review. Shifts like these are tracked across sectors in our future of work statistics.
For dated context, Disney cut 7,000 jobs in 2023 as part of a $5.5 billion cost-savings effort, Reuters noted. Amazon’s 2025–2026 corporate reductions are covered in Amazon’s employee statistics.
Source: Reuters, September 29, 2026 (April and September rounds); TheWrap via FOX Television Stations, July 24, 2026; Deadline and Fox Business, August 2026
Median Pay vs. CEO Pay in Disney Employee Statistics, FY2023–FY2025
| Fiscal year | Median employee pay | CEO total pay (Bob Iger) | Pay ratio | Median employee tenure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 54,010 | 32,123,717 | 595:1 | Over 12 years |
| 2024 | 55,111 | 41,122,670 | 746:1 | Over 7 years |
| 2025 | 56,932 | 45,851,157 | 805:1 | Over 8 years |
Source: The Walt Disney Company proxy statements filed in 2024, 2025 and 2026 (pay ratio disclosures for fiscal 2023–2025)
Disney’s median employee earned $56,932 in fiscal 2025. That worker holds a full-time hourly parks job, and the figure includes base salary, overtime and Disney’s health insurance contribution.
Bob Iger’s comparable total was $45,851,157, putting the ratio at 805:1, up from 746:1 in fiscal 2024.
The median employee’s listed tenure was over twelve years in fiscal 2023 and over seven years in fiscal 2024. Disney’s fiscal 2023 disclosure says it reused the median employee identified for fiscal 2022.
S&P Global Market Intelligence ranked Disney’s 746x ratio the highest among the top 20 U.S. media and telecom companies that disclosed 2024 figures. It put median employee pay for that sector at $122,611 in 2024.
Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence, September 2025 (2024 pay ratio disclosures)
What Do Disney Cast Members Earn to Start?
Walt Disney World’s September 2026 fact sheet lists starting rates of $19 to $23 an hour for part-time and full-time roles. Many skilled roles start above $23.
Ride and show technicians start at $33.40 and electricians at $29.59. Merchandise and attractions roles start at $19.00, and Costco’s hourly wage scale offers one retail reference point.
Source: Walt Disney World Employment Experience Fact Sheet, September 2026
Disneyland Resort Rates and the 2024 Union Contract
| Role | Starting rate per hour |
|---|---|
| Entertainment | $25.20 |
| Housekeeping | $25.50 |
| Security | $26.00 |
| Hotel guest services | $29.75 |
| Electrician | $40.02 |
Source: Disneyland Resort Employment Experience Fact Sheet, posted February 2026
Disneyland Resort’s sheet lists general starting rates of $21.13 to $25.00 an hour, with many skilled roles above $26.
Contracts ratified on July 29, 2024, set a $24.00 starting rate for cast members represented by the Master Services Council, rising to $26.00 over the three-year term. Cast members then at $19.90 received a nearly 21% initial raise.
New hires after July 29, 2024, earn 90% of the starting rate for their first 52 weeks of consecutive employment. Longevity increases add $0.50 for 10+ years of service and $2.00 for current cast members past 20 years.
Source: Disneyland Resort contract announcement, July 2024
In Florida, the Services Trades Council Union’s 2023 agreement set an $18 minimum for current union workers that year. It scheduled $20.50 by October 2026 for then-current workers and $20 for those hired after December 3, 2023.
Source: Services Trades Council Union agreement terms, March 2023
Disney Employee Statistics for Aspire: 7.3K+ Enrolled in July 2026
Disney Aspire pays tuition up front for eligible hourly full-time and part-time U.S. employees. The July 2026 fact sheet counts 91K+ eligible employees and 10+ in-network learning providers.
| Metric | Total | Walt Disney World | Disneyland Resort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Currently enrolled | 7.3K+ | ~5.2K+ | 1.9K+ |
| Current graduates | 6.6K+ | 4.7K+ | 1.4K+ |
Source: Disney Aspire Program Fact Sheet 2026, July 2026 update
About 8% of graduates have enrolled in another program. One in four applicants to U.S. hourly Disney roles cites Aspire as a primary reason for applying, Disney says.
FAQs
How many employees does Disney have?
About 231,000 at fiscal year-end 2025, per Disney’s FY2025 10-K. Roughly 172,000 worked in the U.S. and 59,000 outside it. The count predates Disney’s 2026 layoff rounds.
How many people work at Walt Disney World?
Walt Disney World lists 80,000 cast members in its September 2026 employment fact sheet. More than 53,000 of them are represented under 8 collective bargaining agreements.
What is the average salary of a Disney employee?
Disney discloses a median, not an average. The median employee earned $56,932 in total compensation in fiscal 2025, including overtime and Disney’s health insurance contribution. That employee works a full-time hourly parks job.
Did Disney lay off employees in 2026?
Yes. Disney cut about 1,000 positions in April 2026, several hundred in July and a few hundred in HR and technology in September, per Reuters and TheWrap. Executives received an early-retirement offer in August.
Before trusting Reddit pay threads, what starting pay does Disney publish?
Per Disney’s September 2026 fact sheet, Walt Disney World starting rates run $19 to $23 an hour for part-time and full-time roles. Disneyland Resort’s February 2026 sheet lists $21.13 to $25.00.
Sources
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1744489/000174448925000155/dis-20250927.htm
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1744489/000174448926000013/dis-20260122.htm
