How many employees work at Nelnet?
Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) has approximately 6,022 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Nelnet's total headcount has declined 4.1% from 6,281 employees in 2023 to 6,022 in 2026.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published July 2026
Is Nelnet hiring right now?
Yes, Nelnet is actively hiring. Nelnet had 113 active job postings in 2026, a 16.3% decline from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Nelnet's Workforce
Nelnet, Inc. (NNI) is an Information Technology Services company that employs 6,022 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 8th-largest by headcount among its peers, founded in 1977, headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange.
Nelnet's workforce has declined 4.1% from 2023 to 2026, though it is up 0.5% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 5,926 in 2025 Q3 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in the United States (88.7%), followed by Canada (2.0%) and India (1.8%), with Romania, its fastest-growing location.
Nelnet's largest functional groups are Finance and Operations (44.5%), Engineering (30.4%), and Sales and Marketing (25.1%), with Engineering growing fastest (up 2.4%). Median employee tenure is 4.7 years. The average salary is $68,421, ranging from a median of $71,000 in Pacific Islands to $4,000 in Southern Asia.
Nelnet's active job postings fell 16.3% in 2026 to 113, with new postings per month cooling from 112 in 2023 to 75 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is neutral but improving.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of March 2026
Nelnet
workforce metrics
Headcount
6k
0.5% YoY
Avg. Salary
$68.4k
0.8% YoY
Tenure
4.7yr
0.2yr YoY
Growth Rate
0.5%
5.2pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Nelnet. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
- Nelnet had 6,022 employees in 2026, a 0.5% increase (+28) from 2025.
- Nelnet had 5,932 employees in 2025, a 2.0% decline (-121) from 2024.
- Nelnet had 6,053 employees in 2024, a 4.9% decline (-305) from 2023.
- Nelnet had 6,358 employees in 2023, a 1.7% decline (-109) from 2022.
Nelnet's total workforce has grown from 5,926 employees in 2025 to 6,022 in 2026. Nelnet's headcount peaked at 6,361 in 2023 before declining in 2025 and recovering through 2026.
Nelnet, Inc. — quarterly employee count (2023–2026)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 6,022 | +28 | +0.5% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 5,932 | -121 | -2.0% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 5,926 | -166 | -2.8% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 5,936 | -235 | -3.9% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 5,994 | -293 | -4.8% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 6,053 | -305 | -4.9% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 6,092 | -269 | -4.3% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 6,171 | -110 | -1.8% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 6,287 | -92 | -1.4% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 6,358 | -109 | -1.7% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 6,361 | -135 | -2.1% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 6,281 | -194 | -3.1% |
Want to see Nelnet's complete headcount history back to 2008, including quarterly breakdowns?
The United States accounts for the largest share of Nelnet's global workforce with approximately 89% of total employees, followed by Canada and India. Nelnet's headcount in Romania is growing fastest among its major locations, up 100.0% year over year in 2026.
Nelnet employees by country — 2026
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 5,204 | 88.7% | -0.2% |
| Canada | 118 | 2.0% | +72.0% |
| India | 108 | 1.8% | -0.9% |
| Philippines | 84 | 1.4% | -2.8% |
| Australia | 64 | 1.1% | -5.6% |
| Romania | 26 | 0.4% | +100.0% |
| Malaysia | 23 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| United Kingdom | 21 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| Chile | 18 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| Brazil | 14 | 0.2% | +15.6% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
Nelnet's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (44.5%), Engineering (30.4%), and Sales and Marketing (25.1%).
Nelnet employees by department — 2026
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 2,622 | 44.5% | +0.3% |
| Engineering | 1,791 | 30.4% | +2.4% |
| Sales and Marketing | 1,481 | 25.1% | +0.2% |
Compare Nelnet's department mix to industry peers.
Nelnet's average employee salary is $68,421 globally. Employees in Pacific Islands receive the highest compensation. Pay is lowest in Southern Asia, at a median of $4,000.
Nelnet median employee salary by region — 2026 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Pacific Islands | $71,000 |
| Western Europe | $63,000 |
| Northern America | $59,000 |
| Northern Europe | $45,000 |
| Eastern Asia | $41,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $39,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $32,000 |
| Arab States | $30,000 |
| Southern Europe | $28,000 |
| Southern America | $17,000 |
| South-Eastern Asia | $16,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $12,000 |
| Northern Africa | $11,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $11,000 |
| Southern Asia | $4,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Nelnet's industry peers.
- Nelnet had 113 active job postings in 2026, a 16.3% decline (+17) from 2025.
- Nelnet had 96 active job postings in 2025, a 19.4% increase (+17) from 2024.
- Nelnet had 79 active job postings in 2024, a 43.1% increase (+28) from 2023.
- Nelnet had 51 active job postings in 2023, a 116.0% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 75 new roles/month, up from 69 in 2025 and 71 in 2024. New metric
Nelnet's hiring is slowing: active job postings fell 16.3% in 2026 to 113, with new postings per month cooling from 112 in 2023 to 75 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across Nelnet's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is neutral and has improved year over year in 2026.
Overall
Unlock the full sentiment breakdown by department, tenure, and trend over time.
Similar Information Technology Services Companies by Employee Count
- How fast is Nelnet growing?
- In 2026, Nelnet's headcount grew 0.5% to 6,022 employees, up from 5,994 in 2025.
- Where are Nelnet employees located?
- Most Nelnet employees are based in the United States (88.7% of headcount), followed by Canada and India.
- What is the average salary at Nelnet?
- The average employee salary at Nelnet is approximately $68.4k per year.
- How many people does Nelnet hire per year?
- In 2026, Nelnet opened roughly 900 new roles — about 75 per month.
- When was Nelnet founded and where is it headquartered?
- Nelnet was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska.
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