How many employees work at Build-A-Bear Workshop?
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (BBW) has approximately 5,485 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Build-A-Bear Workshop's total headcount has declined 4.1% from 5,720 employees in 2023 to 5,485 in 2026.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published July 2026
Is Build-A-Bear Workshop hiring right now?
Yes, Build-A-Bear Workshop is actively hiring. Build-A-Bear Workshop had 710 active job postings in 2026, a 20.5% increase from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Build-A-Bear Workshop's Workforce
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (BBW) is an Apparel Retail company that employs 5,485 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 11th-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1997, the company is headquartered in St Louis, Missouri and trades on the New York Stock Exchange.
Build-A-Bear Workshop's workforce has declined 4.1% from 2023 to 2026, down 0.7% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 5,485 in 2026 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in the United States (72.2%), followed by the United Kingdom (12.8%) and Canada (3.2%), with Ireland, its fastest-growing location.
Build-A-Bear Workshop's largest functional groups are Finance and Operations (39.8%), Engineering (31.8%), and Sales and Marketing (28.4%). Median employee tenure is 3.8 years. The average salary is $40,896, ranging from a median of $34,000 in Pacific Islands to $7,000 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Build-A-Bear Workshop's active job postings rose 20.5% in 2026 to 710, with new postings per month cooling from 537 in 2023 to 247 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is neutral but declining.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of March 2026
Build-A-Bear Workshop
workforce metrics
Headcount
5.5k
0.7% YoY
Avg. Salary
$40.9k
1.2% YoY
Tenure
3.8yr
0.1yr YoY
Growth Rate
-0.7%
2.6pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Build-A-Bear Workshop. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
- Build-A-Bear Workshop had 5,485 employees in 2026, a 0.7% decline (-106) from 2025.
- Build-A-Bear Workshop had 5,544 employees in 2025, a 0.5% decline (-103) from 2024.
- Build-A-Bear Workshop had 5,647 employees in 2024, a 1.1% increase (-52) from 2023.
- Build-A-Bear Workshop had 5,699 employees in 2023, a 1.9% increase (+35) from 2022.
Build-A-Bear Workshop's total workforce has declined from 5,720 employees in 2023 to 5,485 in 2026.
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. — quarterly employee count (2023–2026)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 5,485 | -106 | -0.7% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 5,544 | -103 | -0.5% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 5,590 | -41 | +0.3% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 5,608 | +4 | +1.4% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 5,591 | +0 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 5,647 | -52 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 5,631 | -84 | +0.5% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 5,604 | -116 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 5,591 | -45 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 5,699 | +35 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 5,715 | +93 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 5,720 | +99 | +3.9% |
Want to see Build-A-Bear Workshop's complete headcount history back to 2008, including quarterly breakdowns?
The United States accounts for the largest share of Build-A-Bear Workshop's global workforce with approximately 72% of total employees, followed by the United Kingdom and Canada. Build-A-Bear Workshop's headcount in Ireland is growing fastest among its major locations, up 3.4% year over year in 2026.
Build-A-Bear Workshop employees by country — 2026
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3,946 | 72.2% | -2.2% |
| United Kingdom | 702 | 12.8% | -1.4% |
| Canada | 175 | 3.2% | -1.2% |
| Australia | 122 | 2.2% | -2.6% |
| United Arab Emirates | 86 | 1.6% | -0.1% |
| South Africa | 59 | 1.1% | -5.8% |
| Ireland | 48 | 0.9% | +3.4% |
| India | 39 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| Mexico | 35 | 0.6% | +7.2% |
| Germany | 25 | 0.5% | +57.6% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
Build-A-Bear Workshop's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (39.8%), Engineering (31.8%), and Sales and Marketing (28.4%).
Build-A-Bear Workshop employees by department — 2026
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 2,121 | 39.8% | -2.1% |
| Engineering | 1,691 | 31.8% | -2.0% |
| Sales and Marketing | 1,511 | 28.4% | -0.3% |
Compare Build-A-Bear Workshop's department mix to industry peers.
Build-A-Bear Workshop's average employee salary is $40,896 globally. Employees in Pacific Islands receive the highest compensation. Pay is lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa, at a median of $7,000.
Build-A-Bear Workshop median employee salary by region — 2026 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Pacific Islands | $34,000 |
| Northern Europe | $33,000 |
| Northern America | $32,000 |
| Western Europe | $24,000 |
| Eastern Asia | $23,000 |
| Arab States | $23,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $15,000 |
| Southern America | $13,000 |
| Northern Africa | $12,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $12,000 |
| Southern Europe | $11,000 |
| South-Eastern Asia | $9,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $7,000 |
| Southern Asia | $4,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $3,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Build-A-Bear Workshop's industry peers.
- Build-A-Bear Workshop had 710 active job postings in 2026, a 20.5% increase (+235) from 2025.
- Build-A-Bear Workshop had 475 active job postings in 2025, a 31.7% increase (+130) from 2024.
- Build-A-Bear Workshop had 345 active job postings in 2024, a 68.1% decline (-356) from 2023.
- Build-A-Bear Workshop had 701 active job postings in 2023, a 21.7% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 247 new roles/month, up from 239 in 2025 and 285 in 2024. New metric
Build-A-Bear Workshop's active job postings rose 20.5% in 2026 to 710, with new postings per month cooling from 537 in 2023 to 247 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across Build-A-Bear Workshop's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is neutral and has declined year over year in 2026.
Overall
Unlock the full sentiment breakdown by department, tenure, and trend over time.
- How fast is Build-A-Bear Workshop growing?
- In 2026, Build-A-Bear Workshop's headcount shrank 0.7% to 5,485 employees, down from 5,591 in 2025.
- Where are Build-A-Bear Workshop employees located?
- Most Build-A-Bear Workshop employees are based in the United States (72.2% of headcount), followed by the United Kingdom and Canada.
- What is the average salary at Build-A-Bear Workshop?
- The average employee salary at Build-A-Bear Workshop is approximately $40.9k per year.
- How many people does Build-A-Bear Workshop hire per year?
- In 2026, Build-A-Bear Workshop opened roughly 2,964 new roles — about 247 per month.
- When was Build-A-Bear Workshop founded and where is it headquartered?
- Build-A-Bear Workshop was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in St Louis, Missouri.
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