How many employees work at Norfolk Southern?
Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC) has approximately 17,109 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Norfolk Southern's total headcount has declined 3.0% from 17,640 employees in 2023 to 17,109 in 2026.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published July 2026
Is Norfolk Southern hiring right now?
Yes, Norfolk Southern is actively hiring. Norfolk Southern had 112 active job postings in 2026, a 44.4% decline from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Norfolk Southern's Workforce
Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC) is a Logistics and Transportation company that employs 17,109 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 10th-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1980, the company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and trades on the New York Stock Exchange.
Norfolk Southern's workforce has declined 3.0% from 2023 to 2026, down 0.4% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 17,109 in 2026 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in the United States (98.4%), followed by India (0.5%) and Canada (0.2%), with Canada, its fastest-growing location, up 8.1%.
Norfolk Southern's largest functional groups are Finance and Operations (48.8%), Engineering (28.9%), and Sales and Marketing (22.2%). Median employee tenure is 7.2 years. The average salary is $88,613, ranging from a median of $82,000 in Northern America to $6,000 in Southern Asia.
Norfolk Southern's active job postings fell 44.4% in 2026 to 112, with new postings per month cooling from 423 in 2023 to 59 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is negative but improving.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of March 2026
Norfolk Southern
workforce metrics
Headcount
17.1k
0.4% YoY
Avg. Salary
$88.6k
0.6% YoY
Tenure
7.2yr
0.1yr YoY
Growth Rate
-0.4%
2.1pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Norfolk Southern. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
- Norfolk Southern had 17,109 employees in 2026, a 0.4% decline (-63) from 2025.
- Norfolk Southern had 17,146 employees in 2025, a 0.5% decline (-89) from 2024.
- Norfolk Southern had 17,235 employees in 2024, a 3.1% decline (-549) from 2023.
- Norfolk Southern had 17,784 employees in 2023, a 3.1% increase (+544) from 2022.
Norfolk Southern's total workforce has declined from 17,640 employees in 2023 to 17,109 in 2026.
Norfolk Southern Corp. — quarterly employee count (2023–2026)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 17,109 | -63 | -0.4% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 17,146 | -89 | -0.5% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 17,211 | -75 | -0.4% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 17,271 | -191 | -1.1% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 17,172 | -428 | -2.5% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 17,235 | -549 | -3.1% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 17,286 | -438 | -2.5% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 17,462 | -178 | -1.0% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 17,600 | +271 | +1.6% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 17,784 | +544 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 17,724 | +580 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 17,640 | +495 | +2.8% |
Want to see Norfolk Southern's complete headcount history back to 2008, including quarterly breakdowns?
The United States accounts for the largest share of Norfolk Southern's global workforce with approximately 98% of total employees, followed by India and Canada. Norfolk Southern's headcount in Canada is growing fastest among its major locations, up 8.1% year over year in 2026.
Norfolk Southern employees by country — 2026
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 16,756 | 98.4% | -0.7% |
| India | 93 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| Canada | 29 | 0.2% | +8.1% |
| Brazil | 15 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| New Zealand | 11 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| Zambia | 10 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| Italy | 10 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| Georgia | 10 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| Peru | 8 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| Ghana | 7 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
Norfolk Southern's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (48.8%), Engineering (28.9%), and Sales and Marketing (22.2%).
Norfolk Southern employees by department — 2026
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 8,060 | 48.8% | -0.4% |
| Engineering | 4,774 | 28.9% | -1.0% |
| Sales and Marketing | 3,668 | 22.2% | -0.9% |
Compare Norfolk Southern's department mix to industry peers.
Norfolk Southern's average employee salary is $88,613 globally. Employees in Northern America receive the highest compensation. Pay is lowest in Southern Asia, at a median of $6,000.
Norfolk Southern median employee salary by region — 2026 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Western Europe | $107,000 |
| Northern America | $82,000 |
| Northern Europe | $61,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $51,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $42,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $37,000 |
| Southern Europe | $31,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $23,000 |
| Southern America | $14,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $7,000 |
| Southern Asia | $6,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Norfolk Southern's industry peers.
- Norfolk Southern had 112 active job postings in 2026, a 44.4% decline (-94) from 2025.
- Norfolk Southern had 206 active job postings in 2025, a 78.4% increase (+116) from 2024.
- Norfolk Southern had 90 active job postings in 2024, a 93.8% decline (-159) from 2023.
- Norfolk Southern had 249 active job postings in 2023, a 46.1% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 59 new roles/month, down from 215 in 2025 and 181 in 2024. New metric
Norfolk Southern's hiring is slowing: active job postings fell 44.4% in 2026 to 112, with new postings per month cooling from 423 in 2023 to 59 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across Norfolk Southern'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 Norfolk Southern growing?
- In 2026, Norfolk Southern's headcount shrank 0.4% to 17,109 employees, down from 17,172 in 2025.
- Where are Norfolk Southern employees located?
- Most Norfolk Southern employees are based in the United States (98.4% of headcount), followed by India and Canada.
- What is the average salary at Norfolk Southern?
- The average employee salary at Norfolk Southern is approximately $88.6k per year.
- How many people does Norfolk Southern hire per year?
- In 2026, Norfolk Southern opened roughly 708 new roles — about 59 per month.
- When was Norfolk Southern founded and where is it headquartered?
- Norfolk Southern was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
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