How many employees work at Optum?
Optum, Inc. has approximately 141,066 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Optum’s total headcount has declined 0.3% from 141,422 employees in 2023 to 141,066 in 2026.
Is Optum hiring right now?
Yes, Optum is actively hiring. Optum had 9,707 active job postings in 2026, a 3.8% increase from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Optum’s Workforce
Optum, Inc. is a Healthcare and Wellness Services company that employs 141,066 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1980, the company is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Optum's workforce has held roughly steady from 2023 to 2026, down 1.0% year over year in 2026. Its workforce is concentrated most in South Asia (44.7%), followed by North America (43.8%) and Southeast Asia (7.3%).
Optum's functional groups are Finance and Operations (52.8%), Engineering (28.7%), and Sales and Marketing (18.5%). The average salary is $63,410, ranging from a median of $107,000 in North America to $7,000 in South Asia, down 3.3% year over year in 2026.
Optum's active job postings rose 3.8% in 2026 to 9,707, with new postings per month climbing from 3,702 in 2023 to 5,497 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is neutral but declining.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
- Headquarters
- Eden Prairie, Minnesota
- Founded
- 1980
- Industry
- Healthcare and Wellness Services
- Employees
- 141,066
- YoY
- -1.0% (-156)
As of March 2026
Optum workforce metrics
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Optum. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
Unlock MetricsOptum Annual Employee Count (2023-2026)
- Optum had 141,066 employees in 2026, a 1.0% decline (-156) from 2025.
- Optum had 143,235 employees in 2025, a 0.8% decline (+1,014) from 2024.
- Optum had 142,221 employees in 2024, a 0.5% decline (-2,786) from 2023.
- Optum had 145,007 employees in 2023, a 5.3% increase (+14,806) from 2022.
Optum's total workforce has declined from 141,422 employees in 2023 to 141,066 in 2026. Optum's headcount peaked at 145,012 in 2024.
Optum, Inc. quarterly employee count
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 141,066 | -156 | -1.0% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 143,235 | +1,014 | -0.8% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 144,409 | +1,161 | -0.5% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 143,272 | -951 | -0.8% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 141,222 | -3,790 | -1.6% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 142,221 | -2,786 | -0.5% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 143,248 | -904 | +0.5% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 144,223 | +2,801 | +2.1% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 145,012 | +7,705 | +4.1% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 145,007 | +14,806 | +5.3% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 144,152 | +20,508 | +7.3% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 141,422 | +24,724 | +8.5% |
See Optum's complete headcount history, including quarterly breakdowns.
Get the DataOptum Employee Count by Region (2026)
South Asia accounts for the largest share of Optum's global workforce with approximately 45% of total employees, followed by North America and Southeast Asia.
Optum employees by region
| Region | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| South Asia | 61,738 | 44.7% |
| North America | 60,468 | 43.8% |
| Southeast Asia | 10,134 | 7.3% |
| Northern Europe | 2,821 | 2.0% |
| Central America and the Caribbean | 1,662 | 1.2% |
| South America | 562 | 0.4% |
| Western Europe | 138 | 0.1% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 124 | 0.1% |
| Central and Western Asia | 99 | 0.1% |
| Arab States | 74 | 0.1% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region, and historic geographic shifts.
Unlock Geographic DataOptum Employee Count by Department (2026)
Optum's employee groups are Finance and Operations (52.8%), Engineering (28.7%), and Sales and Marketing (18.5%).
Optum employees by department
| Department | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 74,368 | 52.8% |
| Engineering | 40,473 | 28.7% |
| Sales and Marketing | 26,014 | 18.5% |
Compare Optum's department mix to industry peers.
See Full DataOptum Employee Salary by Region (2026)
Optum's average employee salary is $63,410 globally. Employees in North America receive the highest compensation, with median pay approximately 1.7x the global average. Pay is lowest in South Asia, at a median of $7,000.
Optum median employee salary by region (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| North America | $107,000 |
| Northern Europe | $91,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $73,000 |
| Western Europe | $68,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $68,000 |
| East Asia | $49,000 |
| Southern Europe | $40,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $37,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $29,000 |
| Arab States | $28,000 |
| North Africa | $15,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $9,000 |
| South America | $8,000 |
| Southeast Asia | $8,000 |
| South Asia | $7,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Optum's industry peers.
Unlock Salary DataOptum Job Openings and Hiring Trends (2023-2026)
- Optum had 9,707 active job postings in 2026, a 3.8% increase (+1,387) from 2025.
- Optum had 8,320 active job postings in 2025, a 4.6% increase (+375) from 2024.
- Optum had 7,945 active job postings in 2024, a 41.0% increase (+2,705) from 2023.
- Optum had 5,240 active job postings in 2023, a 11.7% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 5,497 new roles/month, down from 6,174 in 2025 and 4,666 in 2024.
Optum's hiring is accelerating: active job postings rose 3.8% in 2026 to 9,707, with new postings per month climbing from 3,702 in 2023 to 5,497 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Unlock Hiring DataOptum Employee Sentiment (2026)
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across Optum'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.
Unlock SentimentSimilar Companies
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Frequently Asked Questions About Optum
- How fast is Optum growing?
- In 2026, Optum's headcount shrank 1.0% to 141,066 employees, down from 141,222 in 2025.
- See the full headcount history
- Where are Optum employees located?
- Most Optum employees are based in South Asia (44.7% of headcount), followed by North America and Southeast Asia.
- Explore where the workforce is based
- What is the average salary at Optum?
- The average employee salary at Optum is approximately $63.4k per year.
- Analyze the salary distribution
- How many new job postings does Optum open per year?
- In Q1 2026, Optum opened 16,490 new job postings. In 2025, Optum opened 74,092 new job postings — about 6,174 per month.
- Track hiring trends by role
- When was Optum founded and where is it headquartered?
- Optum was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
- Compare Optum to industry peers
Speak with a workforce expert about Optum.
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