---
title: "NVIDIA Employee Count Statistics 2026: Headcount, R&D, and Revenue"
date: 2026-08-03
author: "Sofia Ramirez"
featured_image: "https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nvidia-employee-count-statistics.jpg"
categories:
  - name: "Technology"
    url: "/technology.md"
tags:
  - name: "Statistics"
    url: "/tag/statistics.md"
---

# NVIDIA Employee Count Statistics 2026: Headcount, R&D, and Revenue

NVIDIA employed approximately **42,000** people across **38 countries** at the close of fiscal year 2026, with **31,000** in research and development and **11,000** in sales, marketing, operations, and administrative roles, according to Form 10-K filings on the SEC EDGAR system. That R&D-heavy mix has held for half a decade.

The single-question companion page tracks the same headcount answer in shorter form at the [Nvidia employee count headcount data](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/how-many-people-work-at-nvidia/).

## Key Takeaways

- NVIDIA’s workforce reached approximately **42,000** at the fiscal 2026 close, up from **18,975** at the end of fiscal 2021, an expansion of roughly **2.2x** over five years.
- **31,000** of approximately **42,000** employees work in research and development, roughly three-quarters of total headcount, the highest R&D share among large-cap semiconductor firms.
- More than **80%** of the workforce hold technical roles, and more than half hold an advanced degree, per the FY26 10-K Item 1 Human Capital disclosure.
- Fiscal 2026 turnover sat at **3.7%**, with over **40%** of new hires sourced from employee referrals, both retention signals the company calls out in its 10-K.
- Revenue per employee climbed to roughly **5.14** (in millions of dollars per head) in fiscal 2026, up from roughly **3.63** (in millions of dollars per head) in fiscal 2025.
- Stock-based compensation expense for fiscal 2026 reached **$6,386** (in millions), with **$4,676** routed to R&D headcount, roughly three-quarters of the total.
- NVIDIA withheld approximately **51 million** common shares valued at **$7.9 billion** during fiscal 2026 to cover employee tax obligations on vesting equity awards.

## Editor’s Choice

- Total headcount at fiscal 2026 close: approximately **42,000** employees across **38 countries**.
- R&D engineering and research staff: **31,000** people, the largest research-headcount block disclosed by any U.S. semiconductor company.
- Sales, marketing, operations, and administrative staff: **11,000** people.
- Net headcount additions in fiscal 2026 (FY25 to FY26): approximately **6,000** new positions, the second-largest single-year add on record after FY25’s **6,400** net adds.
- Headquarters footprint: approximately **3 million square feet** of owned and leased office and building space for its corporate headquarters.
- Executive officers named in the FY26 proxy disclosure: **5** named executive officers, led by founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang.

| Headline metric (fiscal 2026) | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total employees | ~42,000 | 10-K Item 1 |
| R&D employees | 31,000 | 10-K Item 1 |
| Non-R&D employees | 11,000 | 10-K Item 1 |
| Countries | 38 | 10-K Item 1 |
| Turnover rate | 3.7% | 10-K Item 1 |
| Stock-based compensation | $6,386 (in millions) | 10-K Note 3 |
| Shares withheld for taxes | 51 million ($7.9 billion) | 10-K Item 5 |

*Source: NVIDIA Corporation Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year (SEC EDGAR) and NVIDIA Q4 press release*

## Recent Developments

- Fiscal 2026 10-K filing: NVIDIA disclosed approximately **42,000** employees in **38 countries** in its fiscal 2026 Form 10-K filed with the SEC.
- **February 2026**: NVIDIA reported fiscal 2026 full-year revenue of **$215.9 billion**, up **65%** year over year, per the company’s Q4 FY2026 results.
- **February 2026**: R&D headcount reached **31,000** in fiscal 2026, representing the largest one-year R&D headcount increase (**3,900** net adds) on record.
- **February 2026**: Fiscal 2026 stock-based compensation expense totaled **$6,386** (in millions), with **$4,676** (in millions) routed to research and development.
- **February 2026**: Net share withholding for fiscal 2026 totaled approximately **51 million** common shares valued at **$7.9 billion** to cover employee tax obligations.
- **February 2026**: Aggregate unearned stock-based compensation stood at **$14.8 billion** at fiscal 2026 close, expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of **2.3 years** for RSUs and PSUs.

## NVIDIA Total Headcount by Fiscal Year

- Fiscal 2026 (year ended January 25, 2026): approximately **42,000** employees.
- Fiscal 2025 (year ended January 26, 2025): approximately **36,000** employees.
- Fiscal 2024 (year ended January 28, 2024): approximately **29,600** employees in **36 countries**.
- Fiscal 2023 (year ended January 29, 2023): **26,196** employees in **35 countries**.
- Fiscal 2022 (year ended January 30, 2022): **22,473** employees in **32 countries**.
- Fiscal 2021 (year ended January 31, 2021): **18,975** employees in **29 countries**.
- Cumulative 5-year growth FY21 to FY26: approximately **23,025** net hires, a roughly **2.2x** workforce expansion.
- Two-year growth FY24 to FY26: **12,400** net adds, concentrated in the AI compute hiring window.

| Fiscal year | Year-end date | Total headcount | R&D | Non-R&D | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY26 | Jan 25, 2026 | ~42,000 | 31,000 | 11,000 | 38 |
| FY25 | Jan 26, 2025 | ~36,000 | 27,100 | 8,900 | 38 |
| FY24 | Jan 28, 2024 | ~29,600 | 22,200 | 7,400 | 36 |
| FY23 | Jan 29, 2023 | 26,196 | 19,532 | 6,664 | 35 |
| FY22 | Jan 30, 2022 | 22,473 | 16,242 | 6,231 | 32 |
| FY21 | Jan 31, 2021 | 18,975 | 13,532 | 5,443 | 29 |

*Source: NVIDIA Corporation Form 10-K filings across the six-year span (SEC EDGAR)*

Two periods stand out. The FY21 to FY24 phase added about 10,600 net heads across three years, while the FY24 to FY26 phase added 12,400 across two, meaning the [AI](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/artificial-intelligence-statistics/) compute era accelerated NVIDIA hiring by roughly **75%** relative to the immediate post-pandemic cycle. The same six-year time series approach drives our stats methodology, which compiles SEC 10-K headcount disclosures across the technology coverage map.

## NVIDIA R&D Headcount and Workforce Composition

- R&D engineering and research employees at fiscal 2026 close: **31,000** of approximately **42,000** total employees.
- R&D share of total workforce: roughly three-quarters of total headcount at fiscal 2026 close.
- One-year R&D headcount increase: **3,900** net additions over fiscal 2025, the largest such single-year increase across the time series.
- Technical-role concentration: more than **80%** of the workforce holds technical roles.
- Advanced-degree concentration: More than half of the workforce holds an advanced degree, per the FY26 Human Capital disclosure.
- Referral-driven hiring: over **40%** of new hires in fiscal 2026 came from employee referrals.
- Annual turnover: **3.7%** in fiscal 2026, a figure NVIDIA cites as evidence of its retention program.

![NVIDIA R&D Headcount Growth and Hiring Trends](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nvidia-r-d-headcount-growth-and-hiring-trends.jpg "NVIDIA R&D Headcount Growth and Hiring Trends")

> **By the numbers:** Per NVIDIA’s fiscal 2026 10-K, **31,000** of the company’s **42,000** employees engaged in research and development, roughly three-quarters of total headcount at the close of fiscal year. The R&D base grew by **3,900** heads year over year, the largest one-year R&D add in the company’s six-year disclosed time series.

## NVIDIA Revenue per Employee and Gross Profit per Employee

- Fiscal 2026 revenue per employee: approximately **$5.14 million** per head (revenue **$215.9 billion** divided by total headcount of approximately 42,000).
- Fiscal 2025 revenue per employee: approximately **$3.63 million** per head (revenue **$130.5 billion** divided by 36,000 employees).
- Fiscal 2024 revenue per employee: approximately **$2.06 million** per head (NVIDIA’s fiscal 2024 revenue of $60.92 billion, per the FY24 Q4 press release, divided by 29,600 employees).
- Two-year revenue-per-head expansion FY24 to FY26: a **2.5x** ratio over the AI compute hiring window.
- Fiscal 2026 gross profit per employee: approximately **$3.66 million** per head (applying the **71.1%** GAAP gross margin for fiscal 2026 to revenue, then dividing by headcount).
- Fiscal 2026 operating income per employee: approximately **$3.10 million** per head (operating income of **$130.4 billion** divided by headcount).
- Fiscal 2026 net income per employee: approximately **$2.86 million** per head (net income of **$120.1 billion** divided by headcount).

![NVIDIA Revenue and Profit per Employee Analysis](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nvidia-revenue-and-profit-per-employee-analysis.jpg "NVIDIA Revenue and Profit per Employee Analysis")

> **Key finding:** Per NVIDIA’s fiscal 2026 disclosures, fiscal 2026 revenue reached **$215.9 billion**, up **65%** year over year. Against 42,000 employees, that works out to roughly **5.14** in millions of dollars per head. Few large-cap technology workforces show that kind of two-year revenue-per-head expansion. The AI-pure-play companies tracked in our [OpenAI employee count](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/how-many-people-work-at-openai/) coverage operate at a smaller scale but show a similar revenue-per-head trajectory.

## NVIDIA Stock-Based Compensation and Equity Awards

- Total fiscal 2026 stock-based compensation expense: **$6,386** (in millions), per Note 3 of the FY26 10-K.
- R&D share of stock-based compensation: **$4,676** (in millions), roughly three-quarters of total SBC.
- Sales, general and administrative SBC: **$1,449** (in millions) for fiscal 2026.
- Cost of revenue SBC: **$261** (in millions) for fiscal 2026.
- RSU, PSU, and market-based PSU shares granted in fiscal 2026: **70** (in millions of shares).
- Estimated total grant-date fair value of fiscal 2026 awards: **$9,389** (in millions).
- Weighted average grant-date fair value per share: **$133.97** per share for fiscal 2026 grants.
- Aggregate unearned stock-based compensation at fiscal 2026 close: **$14.8 billion**, expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of **2.3 years** for RSUs and PSUs and **0.9 years** for the employee stock purchase plan.
- Stock-based compensation per employee, fiscal 2026: roughly **152** (in thousands of dollars per head) (total SBC of $6,386 million divided by approximately 42,000 employees).

![NVIDIA SBC Expense Breakdown by Category](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nvidia-sbc-expense-breakdown-by-category.jpg "NVIDIA SBC Expense Breakdown by Category")

> **Worth noting:** Per NVIDIA’s fiscal 2026 Note 3, stock-based compensation reached **$6,386** (in millions), with **$4,676** (in millions) flowing to research and development, roughly three-quarters of the total. Aggregate unearned stock-based compensation stood at **$14.8 billion** at fiscal 2026 close, expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of **2.3 years** for RSUs and PSUs.

## NVIDIA RSU Share Withholding and Tax-Settlement Outflow

- Fiscal 2026 net share withholding total: approximately **51 million** common shares withheld under net-settlement equity programs.
- Aggregate value of fiscal 2026 net share withholding: **$7.9 billion** in withholding-related share value.
- Average implied share value at withholding: roughly **155** (in dollars per share) across the fiscal 2026 withholding events.
- Withholding pattern: NVIDIA cites that the program covers tax withholding obligations of awards under its employee equity incentive program.
- Relative scale: the $7.9 billion outflow is roughly five-sixths of the fiscal 2026 grant-date fair value of new RSU and PSU awards, showing tax-driven dilution offset roughly tracking new grant value at this period.
- Per-employee tax settlement value: roughly **188** (in thousands of dollars per head) of withheld share value (total $7.9 billion divided by approximately 42,000 employees).

| Equity outflow metric | FY26 disclosed value |
|---|---|
| Net shares withheld | ~51 million |
| Aggregate withholding value | $7.9 billion |
| Implied price per withheld share (dollars) | ~155 |
| Coverage scope | Net share settlement on RSU and PSU vests |

*Source: NVIDIA Corporation Form 10-K Item 5 Restricted Stock Unit Share Withholding (SEC EDGAR)*

## NVIDIA Office Locations and Geographic Footprint

- Corporate headquarters: Santa Clara, California, where NVIDIA was incorporated in California in April 1993 and reincorporated in Delaware in April 1998.
- Total corporate real estate: approximately **3 million square feet** of owned and leased office and building space for corporate headquarters.
- Domestic data center footprint: leased data center space in Santa Clara, California.
- Primary international footprint: China, India, Israel, and Taiwan for data centers, R&D, and sales and administrative purposes.
- Country count, fiscal 2026: **38 countries** total, up from **29 countries** at fiscal 2021 close.
- Country additions FY21 to FY26: **9 net new countries** added over the AI hiring window.
- Acquisition expansion context: the acquisition of Mellanox in 2020 expanded offerings to include networking and seeded the international DPU and networking footprint.

| Geographic dimension | Fiscal 2026 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Santa Clara, California |
| Corporate real estate | ~3 million sq ft |
| Total countries | 38 |
| Primary international locations | China, India, Israel, Taiwan |
| Country additions vs FY21 | +9 |

*Source: NVIDIA Corporation Form 10-K Item 1 Business and Item 2 Properties (SEC EDGAR)*

## NVIDIA Leadership Tenure, Attrition, and Retention

- Named executive officers at fiscal 2026 close: **5** executive officers, disclosed in the FY26 10-K Item 1.
- Founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang: age **63**, co-founded NVIDIA in 1993 and has served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board of Directors since inception, a tenure of more than three decades.
- CFO Colette M. Kress: age **58**, joined NVIDIA in 2013 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
- EVP Worldwide Field Operations Ajay K. Puri: age **71**, joined NVIDIA in 2005 as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales, and became Executive Vice President, Worldwide Field Operations in 2009.
- EVP Operations Debora Shoquist: age **71**, joined NVIDIA in 2007 as Senior Vice President of Operations.
- EVP and General Counsel Timothy S. Teter: age **59**, joined NVIDIA in 2017.
- Fiscal 2026 employee turnover: **3.7%**, a retention signal the company calls out in its Human Capital Management disclosure.
- Referral hiring share, fiscal 2026: over **40%** of new hires came from employee referrals.
- Compensation and benefits design intent: NVIDIA states that compensation and benefits are designed to reward performance and align employee interests with those of shareholders through equity participation and comprehensive health and financial wellness programs.

| Executive officer | Age | Role | Joined NVIDIA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jen-Hsun Huang | 63 | President and CEO | 1993 (co-founder) |
| Colette Kress | 58 | EVP and CFO | 2013 |
| Ajay Puri | 71 | EVP, Worldwide Field Operations | 2005 (SVP); 2009 (EVP) |
| Debora Shoquist | 71 | EVP, Operations | 2007 |
| Timothy Teter | 59 | EVP and General Counsel | 2017 |

*Source: NVIDIA Corporation Form 10-K Item 1 Information About Our Executive Officers (SEC EDGAR)*

Across SQ Magazine’s coverage of large-cap workforces, ecosystem lock-in and equity-driven retention tend to predict tenure better than satisfaction scores alone. The five-officer cohort at NVIDIA averages over a decade of company tenure each, with founder Jen-Hsun Huang at more than three decades, and the company’s **3.7%** turnover signals that pattern extending to the broader 42,000-person base.

Peer workforce trajectories sit in the same band of SEC-10-K-driven coverage. [Tesla workforce data](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/how-many-people-work-at-tesla/) tracks an EV-manufacturing labor pattern that contrasts sharply with NVIDIA’s R&D-heavy mix.

## Conclusion

NVIDIA’s **42,000**-person workforce, roughly three-quarters of it in research and development, anchors a revenue base that crossed **$215.9 billion** in fiscal 2026, a **2.5x** revenue-per-employee expansion since fiscal 2024. The R&D-heavy mix, **3.7%** turnover, and over **40%** referral hiring share point to a workforce built for engineering depth, with stock-based compensation expense of **$6,386** (in millions) and **$14.8 billion** of unearned awards over a 2.3-year vesting horizon.

The six-year time series from 18,975 to 42,000 employees offers the cleanest disclosed signal of how AI compute demand reshaped semiconductor labor.