How many employees work at El Pollo Loco Holdings?
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) has approximately 4,157 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. El Pollo Loco Holdings’s total headcount has declined 11.1% from 4,675 employees in 2023 to 4,157 in 2026.
Is El Pollo Loco Holdings hiring right now?
Yes, El Pollo Loco Holdings is actively hiring. El Pollo Loco Holdings had 745 active job postings in 2026, a 1.2% increase from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About El Pollo Loco Holdings’s Workforce
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) is a Hospitality and Tourism Management company that employs 4,157 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 7th-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1980, the company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California and trades on the NASDAQ.
El Pollo Loco Holdings's workforce has declined 11.1% from 2023 to 2026, down 1.5% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 4,142 in 2025 Q3 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in North America (94.1%), followed by Central America and the Caribbean (2.7%) and South America (1.0%).
El Pollo Loco Holdings's functional groups are Engineering (67.7%), Finance and Operations (20.3%), and Sales and Marketing (12.0%). The average salary is $44,414, ranging from a median of $35,000 in North America to $6,000 in Southeast Asia, up 0.8% year over year in 2026.
El Pollo Loco Holdings's active job postings rose 1.2% in 2026 to 745, with new postings per month cooling from 497 in 2023 to 415 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is negative and declining.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
- Ticker
- NASDAQ: LOCO
- Headquarters
- Costa Mesa, California
- Founded
- 1980
- Industry
- Hospitality and Tourism Management
- Employees
- 4,157
- YoY
- -1.5% (-37)
As of March 2026
El Pollo Loco Holdings workforce metrics
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for El Pollo Loco Holdings. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
Unlock MetricsEl Pollo Loco Holdings Annual Employee Count (2023-2026)
- El Pollo Loco Holdings had 4,157 employees in 2026, a 1.5% decline (-37) from 2025.
- El Pollo Loco Holdings had 4,147 employees in 2025, a 1.9% decline (-89) from 2024.
- El Pollo Loco Holdings had 4,236 employees in 2024, a 2.6% decline (-225) from 2023.
- El Pollo Loco Holdings had 4,461 employees in 2023, a 1.4% decline (-341) from 2022.
El Pollo Loco Holdings's total workforce has grown from 4,142 employees in 2025 to 4,157 in 2026. El Pollo Loco Holdings's headcount peaked at 4,675 in 2023 before declining in 2025 and recovering through 2026.
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. quarterly employee count
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 4,157 | -37 | -1.5% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 4,147 | -89 | -1.9% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 4,142 | -153 | -2.5% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 4,196 | -201 | -3.1% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 4,194 | -240 | -3.3% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 4,236 | -225 | -2.6% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 4,295 | -284 | -2.9% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 4,397 | -278 | -2.6% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 4,434 | -297 | -1.0% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 4,461 | -341 | -1.4% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 4,579 | -295 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 4,675 | -372 | +0.4% |
See El Pollo Loco Holdings's complete headcount history, including quarterly breakdowns.
Get the DataEl Pollo Loco Holdings Employee Count by Region (2026)
North America accounts for the largest share of El Pollo Loco Holdings's global workforce with approximately 94% of total employees, followed by Central America and the Caribbean and South America.
El Pollo Loco Holdings employees by region
| Region | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| North America | 3,888 | 94.1% |
| Central America and the Caribbean | 114 | 2.7% |
| South America | 41 | 1.0% |
| Southern Europe | 39 | 0.9% |
| Southeast Asia | 28 | 0.7% |
| Western Europe | 10 | 0.2% |
| Eastern Europe | 9 | 0.2% |
| South Asia | 1 | 0.0% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region, and historic geographic shifts.
Unlock Geographic DataEl Pollo Loco Holdings Employee Count by Department (2026)
El Pollo Loco Holdings's employee groups are Engineering (67.7%), Finance and Operations (20.3%), and Sales and Marketing (12.0%).
El Pollo Loco Holdings employees by department
| Department | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering | 2,750 | 67.7% |
| Finance and Operations | 827 | 20.3% |
| Sales and Marketing | 488 | 12.0% |
Compare El Pollo Loco Holdings's department mix to industry peers.
See Full DataEl Pollo Loco Holdings Employee Salary by Region (2026)
El Pollo Loco Holdings's average employee salary is $44,414 globally. Employees in North America receive the highest compensation. Pay is lowest in Southeast Asia, at a median of $6,000.
El Pollo Loco Holdings median employee salary by region (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| North America | $35,000 |
| Southern Europe | $23,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $16,000 |
| South America | $11,000 |
| Southeast Asia | $6,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to El Pollo Loco Holdings's industry peers.
Unlock Salary DataEl Pollo Loco Holdings Job Openings and Hiring Trends (2023-2026)
- El Pollo Loco Holdings had 745 active job postings in 2026, a 1.2% increase (+109) from 2025.
- El Pollo Loco Holdings had 636 active job postings in 2025, a 19.2% decline (-135) from 2024.
- El Pollo Loco Holdings had 771 active job postings in 2024, a 12.9% decline (-106) from 2023.
- El Pollo Loco Holdings had 877 active job postings in 2023, a 55.6% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 415 new roles/month, down from 950 in 2025 and 490 in 2024.
El Pollo Loco Holdings's active job postings rose 1.2% in 2026 to 745, with new postings per month cooling from 497 in 2023 to 415 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Unlock Hiring DataEl Pollo Loco Holdings Employee Sentiment (2026)
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across El Pollo Loco Holdings's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is negative and has declined year over year in 2026.
Overall
Unlock the full sentiment breakdown by department, tenure, and trend over time.
Unlock SentimentSimilar Companies
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Frequently Asked Questions About El Pollo Loco Holdings
- How fast is El Pollo Loco Holdings growing?
- In 2026, El Pollo Loco Holdings's headcount shrank 1.5% to 4,157 employees, down from 4,194 in 2025.
- See the full headcount history
- Where are El Pollo Loco Holdings employees located?
- Most El Pollo Loco Holdings employees are based in North America (94.1% of headcount), followed by Central America and the Caribbean and South America.
- Explore where the workforce is based
- What is the average salary at El Pollo Loco Holdings?
- The average employee salary at El Pollo Loco Holdings is approximately $44.4k per year.
- Analyze the salary distribution
- How many new job postings does El Pollo Loco Holdings open per year?
- In Q1 2026, El Pollo Loco Holdings opened 1,246 new job postings. In 2025, El Pollo Loco Holdings opened 11,402 new job postings — about 950 per month.
- Track hiring trends by role
- When was El Pollo Loco Holdings founded and where is it headquartered?
- El Pollo Loco Holdings was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California.
- Compare El Pollo Loco Holdings to industry peers
Speak with a workforce expert about El Pollo Loco Holdings.
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