How many employees work at Costco Wholesale?
Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) has approximately 239,749 total employees worldwide as of December 2025, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Costco Wholesale's total headcount has declined 1.1% from 242,330 employees in 2023 to 239,749 in 2025.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published June 2026
Is Costco Wholesale hiring right now?
Yes, Costco Wholesale is actively hiring. Costco Wholesale had 25,150 active job postings in 2025, a 189.9% increase from 2024 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Costco Wholesale's Workforce
Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) is a Retail and Consumer Goods company that employs 239,749 people worldwide as of December 2025. It is the 2nd-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1983, the company is headquartered in Issaquah, Washington and trades on the NASDAQ.
Costco Wholesale's workforce has declined 1.1% from 2023 to 2025, down 1.8% year over year in 2025. It fell to a low of 239,749 in 2025 Q4 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in the United States (62.7%), followed by Canada (21.2%) and Mexico (5.2%), with Australia, its fastest-growing location.
Costco Wholesale's largest functional groups are Finance and Operations (45.4%), Engineering (32.7%), and Sales and Marketing (21.9%). Median employee tenure is 6.2 years. The average salary is $52,307, ranging from a median of $43,000 in Northern America to $11,000 in Central America and the Caribbean.
Costco Wholesale's active job postings rose 189.9% in 2025 to 25,150, with new postings per month climbing from 461 in 2023 to 3,311 in 2025. Overall employee sentiment is neutral but improving.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of December 2025
Costco Wholesale
workforce metrics
Headcount
239.7k
1.8% YoY
Avg. Salary
$52.3k
0.7% YoY
Tenure
6.2yr
0.0yr YoY
Growth Rate
-1.8%
0.7pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Costco Wholesale. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
- Costco Wholesale had 239,749 employees in 2025, a 1.8% decline (-4,371) from 2024.
- Costco Wholesale had 244,120 employees in 2024, a 1.1% decline (-2,751) from 2023.
- Costco Wholesale had 246,871 employees in 2023, a 0.5% increase (+1,179) from 2022.
Costco Wholesale's total workforce has declined from 242,330 employees in 2023 to 239,749 in 2025.
Costco Wholesale Corp. — quarterly employee count (2023–2025)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Q4 | 239,749 | -4,371 | -1.8% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 240,911 | -4,838 | -2.0% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 241,403 | -4,881 | -2.0% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 241,542 | -3,293 | -1.4% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 244,120 | -2,751 | -1.1% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 245,749 | -2,142 | -0.9% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 246,284 | +1,167 | +0.5% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 244,835 | +2,505 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 246,871 | +1,179 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 247,891 | +333 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 245,117 | -3,340 | -1.4% |
| 2023 | Q1 | 242,330 | -3,041 | -1.2% |
Want to see Costco Wholesale's complete headcount history back to 2017, including quarterly breakdowns?
The United States accounts for the largest share of Costco Wholesale's global workforce with approximately 63% of total employees, followed by Canada and Mexico. Costco Wholesale's headcount in Australia is growing fastest among its major locations, up 2.7% year over year in 2025.
Costco Wholesale employees by country — 2025
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 149,889 | 62.7% | -0.2% |
| Canada | 50,607 | 21.2% | -1.0% |
| Mexico | 12,379 | 5.2% | -2.0% |
| United Kingdom | 6,640 | 2.8% | -0.2% |
| Australia | 6,122 | 2.6% | +2.7% |
| Spain | 2,414 | 1.0% | +1.6% |
| Japan | 1,386 | 0.6% | -6.3% |
| China | 1,262 | 0.5% | -0.1% |
| Taiwan | 1,065 | 0.4% | +2.7% |
| France | 1,057 | 0.4% | +0.5% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
Costco Wholesale's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (45.4%), Engineering (32.7%), and Sales and Marketing (21.9%).
Costco Wholesale employees by department — 2025
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 107,830 | 45.4% | -0.3% |
| Engineering | 77,585 | 32.7% | -0.6% |
| Sales and Marketing | 52,007 | 21.9% | -0.4% |
Compare Costco Wholesale's department mix to industry peers.
Costco Wholesale's average employee salary is $52,307 globally. Employees in Northern America receive the highest compensation. Pay is lowest in Central America and the Caribbean, at a median of $11,000.
Costco Wholesale median employee salary by region — 2025 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Western Europe | $46,000 |
| Northern America | $43,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $42,000 |
| Northern Europe | $35,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $34,000 |
| Southern Europe | $29,000 |
| Eastern Asia | $26,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $21,000 |
| Arab States | $15,000 |
| South-Eastern Asia | $14,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $11,000 |
| Northern Africa | $10,000 |
| Southern America | $9,000 |
| Southern Asia | $8,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $6,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Costco Wholesale's industry peers.
- Costco Wholesale had 25,150 active job postings in 2025, a 189.9% increase (+24,499) from 2024.
- Costco Wholesale had 651 active job postings in 2024, a 9.7% increase (+60) from 2023.
- Costco Wholesale had 591 active job postings in 2023, a 38.5% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2025: 3,311 new roles/month, up from 448 in 2024 and 461 in 2023. New metric
Costco Wholesale's hiring is accelerating: active job postings rose 189.9% in 2025 to 25,150, with new postings per month climbing from 461 in 2023 to 3,311 in 2025.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across Costco Wholesale's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is neutral and has improved year over year in 2025.
Overall
Unlock the full sentiment breakdown by department, tenure, and trend over time.
Similar Retail and Consumer Goods Companies by Employee Count
- How fast is Costco Wholesale growing?
- In 2025, Costco Wholesale's headcount shrank 1.8% to 239,749 employees, down from 244,120 in 2024.
- Where are Costco Wholesale employees located?
- Most Costco Wholesale employees are based in the United States (62.7% of headcount), followed by Canada and Mexico.
- What is the average salary at Costco Wholesale?
- The average employee salary at Costco Wholesale is approximately $52.3k per year.
- How many people does Costco Wholesale hire per year?
- In 2025, Costco Wholesale opened roughly 39,732 new roles — about 3,311 per month.
- When was Costco Wholesale founded and where is it headquartered?
- Costco Wholesale was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Issaquah, Washington.
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