How many employees work at Southwest Airlines?
Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) has approximately 55,347 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Southwest Airlines's total headcount has declined 0.8% from 55,819 employees in 2023 to 55,347 in 2026.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published July 2026
Is Southwest Airlines hiring right now?
Yes, Southwest Airlines is actively hiring. Southwest Airlines had 108 active job postings in 2026, a 137.5% increase from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Southwest Airlines's Workforce
Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) is a Commercial Aviation company that employs 55,347 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 4th-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1967, the company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas and trades on the New York Stock Exchange.
Southwest Airlines's workforce has declined 0.8% from 2023 to 2026, down 0.2% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 54,921 in 2025 Q3 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in the United States (98.3%), followed by India (0.4%) and Mexico (0.2%), with Canada, its fastest-growing location.
Southwest Airlines's largest functional groups are Finance and Operations (43.3%), Sales and Marketing (40.8%), and Engineering (15.9%), with Sales and Marketing growing fastest (up 0.8%). Median employee tenure is 7.2 years. The average salary is $94,182, ranging from a median of $77,000 in Northern Europe to $6,000 in Southern Asia.
Southwest Airlines's active job postings rose 137.5% in 2026 to 108, with new postings per month cooling from 240 in 2023 to 221 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is neutral but declining.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of March 2026
Southwest Airlines
workforce metrics
Headcount
55.3k
0.2% YoY
Avg. Salary
$94.2k
0.5% YoY
Tenure
7.2yr
0.1yr YoY
Growth Rate
-0.2%
2.5pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Southwest Airlines. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
- Southwest Airlines had 55,347 employees in 2026, a 0.2% decline (-98) from 2025.
- Southwest Airlines had 55,037 employees in 2025, a 2.0% decline (-1,111) from 2024.
- Southwest Airlines had 56,148 employees in 2024, a 1.3% decline (-718) from 2023.
- Southwest Airlines had 56,866 employees in 2023, a 5.4% increase (+3,004) from 2022.
Southwest Airlines's total workforce has grown from 54,921 employees in 2025 to 55,347 in 2026. Southwest Airlines's headcount peaked at 56,925 in 2024 before declining in 2025 and recovering through 2026.
Southwest Airlines Co. — quarterly employee count (2023–2026)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 55,347 | -98 | -0.2% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 55,037 | -1,111 | -2.0% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 54,921 | -1,600 | -2.9% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 54,999 | -1,812 | -3.2% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 55,445 | -1,480 | -2.6% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 56,148 | -718 | -1.3% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 56,521 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 56,811 | +992 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 56,925 | +2,023 | +3.6% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 56,866 | +3,004 | +5.4% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 56,527 | +3,660 | +6.7% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 55,819 | +3,677 | +6.8% |
Want to see Southwest Airlines's complete headcount history back to 2008, including quarterly breakdowns?
The United States accounts for the largest share of Southwest Airlines's global workforce with approximately 98% of total employees, followed by India and Mexico. Southwest Airlines's headcount in Canada is growing fastest among its major locations, up 4.7% year over year in 2026.
Southwest Airlines employees by country — 2026
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 54,135 | 98.3% | +0.4% |
| India | 212 | 0.4% | +0.3% |
| Mexico | 113 | 0.2% | +4.1% |
| Canada | 47 | 0.1% | +4.7% |
| United Kingdom | 45 | 0.1% | -3.1% |
| Puerto Rico | 40 | 0.1% | -22.3% |
| Switzerland | 32 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| Georgia | 30 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| Burkina Faso | 26 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| Costa Rica | 23 | 0.0% | -10.1% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
Southwest Airlines's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (43.3%), Sales and Marketing (40.8%), and Engineering (15.9%).
Southwest Airlines employees by department — 2026
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 23,762 | 43.3% | +0.1% |
| Sales and Marketing | 22,393 | 40.8% | +0.8% |
| Engineering | 8,740 | 15.9% | +0.2% |
Compare Southwest Airlines's department mix to industry peers.
Southwest Airlines's average employee salary is $94,182 globally. Employees in Northern Europe receive the highest compensation. Pay is lowest in Southern Asia, at a median of $6,000.
Southwest Airlines median employee salary by region — 2026 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Eastern Asia | $87,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $79,000 |
| Northern Europe | $77,000 |
| Western Europe | $67,000 |
| Northern America | $67,000 |
| Arab States | $57,000 |
| Southern Europe | $45,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $45,000 |
| Southern America | $29,000 |
| South-Eastern Asia | $25,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $23,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $22,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $14,000 |
| Northern Africa | $9,000 |
| Southern Asia | $6,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Southwest Airlines's industry peers.
- Southwest Airlines had 108 active job postings in 2026, a 137.5% increase (+39) from 2025.
- Southwest Airlines had 69 active job postings in 2025, a 124.7% increase (+53) from 2024.
- Southwest Airlines had 16 active job postings in 2024, a 142.9% decline (-80) from 2023.
- Southwest Airlines had 96 active job postings in 2023, a 93.0% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 221 new roles/month, down from 223 in 2025 and 205 in 2024. New metric
Southwest Airlines's active job postings rose 137.5% in 2026 to 108, with new postings per month cooling from 240 in 2023 to 221 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across Southwest Airlines'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.
Similar Commercial Aviation Companies by Employee Count
- How fast is Southwest Airlines growing?
- In 2026, Southwest Airlines's headcount shrank 0.2% to 55,347 employees, down from 55,445 in 2025.
- Where are Southwest Airlines employees located?
- Most Southwest Airlines employees are based in the United States (98.3% of headcount), followed by India and Mexico.
- What is the average salary at Southwest Airlines?
- The average employee salary at Southwest Airlines is approximately $94.2k per year.
- How many people does Southwest Airlines hire per year?
- In 2026, Southwest Airlines opened roughly 2,652 new roles — about 221 per month.
- When was Southwest Airlines founded and where is it headquartered?
- Southwest Airlines was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
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