How many employees work at BNSF Railway?
BNSF Railway Co. has approximately 18,390 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. BNSF Railway's total headcount has declined 4.0% from 19,149 employees in 2023 to 18,390 in 2026.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published July 2026
Is BNSF Railway hiring right now?
Yes, BNSF Railway is actively hiring. BNSF Railway had 123 active job postings in 2026, a 3.3% increase from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About BNSF Railway's Workforce
BNSF Railway Co. is a Logistics and Transportation company based in Fort Worth, Texas, founded in 1995. It employs 18,390 people worldwide as of March 2026 and sits as the 8th-largest by headcount among its peers.
BNSF Railway’s workforce declined 4% from 2023 to 2026, and it cooled by 0.7% year over year in 2026. The company’s headcount peaked prior to 2026, with a low point at 18,241 reached in 2025 Q4 before recovering. Its footprint remains heavily concentrated in the United States (98.4%), with Canada at 0.3% and India at 0.8%; Canada is noted as the fastest-growing location, rising 0.7%.
BNSF Railway’s largest groups by headcount are Finance and Operations (53.7%), Sales and Marketing (23.2%), and Engineering (23.1%), with Sales and Marketing the fastest-growing of those groups (up 1%). The average tenure is 8.1 years, and the average salary stands at $104,031, with regional medians of $101,000 in Northern America and $9,000 in Southern Asia.
BNSF Railway’s hiring activity shows continued expansion, with the latest quarter in 2026 posting up 3.3% year over year to 123 postings. Hiring velocity has varied by year, with postings per month: 231 in 2023, 127 in 2024, 118 in 2025, and 130 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is negative but improving.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of March 2026
BNSF Railway
workforce metrics
Headcount
18.4k
0.7% YoY
Avg. Salary
$104k
0.1% YoY
Tenure
8.1yr
0.2yr YoY
Growth Rate
-0.7%
1.2pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for BNSF Railway. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
- BNSF Railway had 18,390 employees in 2026, a 0.7% decline (-123) from 2025.
- BNSF Railway had 18,241 employees in 2025, a 1.7% decline (-317) from 2024.
- BNSF Railway had 18,558 employees in 2024, a 2.8% decline (-527) from 2023.
- BNSF Railway had 19,085 employees in 2023, a 0.7% increase (+136) from 2022.
BNSF Railway's total workforce has grown from 18,241 employees in 2025 to 18,390 in 2026. BNSF Railway's headcount peaked at 19,149 in 2023 before declining in 2025 and recovering through 2026.
BNSF Railway Co. — quarterly employee count (2023–2026)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 18,390 | -123 | -0.7% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 18,241 | -317 | -1.7% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 18,281 | -367 | -2.0% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 18,463 | -280 | -1.5% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 18,513 | -349 | -1.9% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 18,558 | -527 | -2.8% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 18,648 | -396 | -2.1% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 18,743 | -406 | -2.1% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 18,862 | -107 | -0.6% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 19,085 | +136 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 19,044 | +133 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 19,149 | +227 | +1.2% |
Want to see BNSF Railway's complete headcount history back to 2008, including quarterly breakdowns?
The United States accounts for the largest share of BNSF Railway's global workforce with approximately 98% of total employees, followed by India and Canada. BNSF Railway's headcount in Canada is growing fastest among its major locations, up 0.7% year over year in 2026.
BNSF Railway employees by country — 2026
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 18,054 | 98.4% | -0.3% |
| India | 154 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| Canada | 52 | 0.3% | +0.7% |
| Mexico | 16 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| China | 14 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| Burkina Faso | 5 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| Italy | 5 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| Germany | 4 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| Iran | 4 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| Australia | 4 | 0.0% | +45.2% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
BNSF Railway's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (53.7%), Sales and Marketing (23.2%), and Engineering (23.1%).
BNSF Railway employees by department — 2026
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 9,613 | 53.7% | -0.7% |
| Sales and Marketing | 4,145 | 23.2% | +1.0% |
| Engineering | 4,137 | 23.1% | -0.5% |
Compare BNSF Railway's department mix to industry peers.
BNSF Railway's average employee salary is $104,031 globally. Employees in Northern America receive the highest compensation. Pay is lowest in Southern Asia, at a median of $9,000.
BNSF Railway median employee salary by region — 2026 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Northern America | $101,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $83,000 |
| Eastern Asia | $75,000 |
| Southern Europe | $55,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $25,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $17,000 |
| Southern Asia | $9,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to BNSF Railway's industry peers.
- BNSF Railway had 123 active job postings in 2026, a 3.3% increase (-4) from 2025.
- BNSF Railway had 127 active job postings in 2025, a 20.9% increase (+24) from 2024.
- BNSF Railway had 103 active job postings in 2024, a 89.8% decline (-168) from 2023.
- BNSF Railway had 271 active job postings in 2023, a 10.8% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 130 new roles/month, up from 118 in 2025 and 127 in 2024. New metric
BNSF Railway's active job postings rose 3.3% in 2026 to 123, with new postings per month cooling from 231 in 2023 to 130 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across BNSF Railway's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is negative and has improved year over year in 2026.
Overall
Unlock the full sentiment breakdown by department, tenure, and trend over time.
Similar Logistics and Transportation Companies by Employee Count
- How fast is BNSF Railway growing?
- In 2026, BNSF Railway's headcount shrank 0.7% to 18,390 employees, down from 18,513 in 2025.
- Where are BNSF Railway employees located?
- Most BNSF Railway employees are based in the United States (98.4% of headcount), followed by India and Canada.
- What is the average salary at BNSF Railway?
- The average employee salary at BNSF Railway is approximately $104k per year.
- How many people does BNSF Railway hire per year?
- In 2026, BNSF Railway opened roughly 1,560 new roles — about 130 per month.
- When was BNSF Railway founded and where is it headquartered?
- BNSF Railway was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.
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