Employees per sales staff member

Across 126 named companies in 12 industries, the median is 12.3 employees per staff member, from 2.3 at The Sherwin-Williams Company to 402.1 at lululemon athletica inc.. Lean quartile 19.0, heavy quartile 8.0.

Quartiles. Lean quartile 19.0, heavy quartile 8.0 employees per staff member (lean = fewer people per unit, which on this metric is the 75th percentile (each staff member covers more); heavy = the 25th).

Definition

Counts people whose title places them in the function: an exact count for the org and a floor for the process, since someone in another function may perform part of it.

Also called: account management, business development, channel sales, customer retention & development, customer success, field / outside sales.

Building products manufacturers

Across 9 building products manufacturers, the median is 13.7 employees per staff member, from 4.9 at Simpson Strong-Tie to 34.7 at James Hardie. Lean quartile 20.6, heavy quartile 10.8.

Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of July 2026. The building products benchmark.

Tool & industrial manufacturers

Across 7 tool & industrial manufacturers, the median is 9.3 employees per staff member, from 4.5 at Snap-on Incorporated to 15.6 at IDEAL Industries. Quartiles are published at 8 or more companies; this cut has 7.

Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of July 2026. The tool & industrial benchmark.

Food & CPG companies

Across 13 food & CPG companies, the median is 12.6 employees per staff member, from 7.4 at The Kraft Heinz Company to 25.5 at Conagra Brands. Lean quartile 16.1, heavy quartile 11.3.

Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of July 2026. The food & CPG benchmark.

Toy & game companies

Across 9 toy & game companies, the median is 8.0 employees per staff member, from 4.5 at JAKKS Pacific, Inc. to 39.7 at The Pokémon Company International. Lean quartile 25.3, heavy quartile 6.8.

Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of August 2026. The toy & game benchmark.

Apparel & footwear companies

Across 12 apparel & footwear companies, the median is 19.9 employees per staff member, from 12.6 at VF Corporation to 402.1 at lululemon athletica inc.. Lean quartile 24.6, heavy quartile 15.9.

Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of August 2026. The apparel & footwear benchmark.

B2B software companies

Across 10 B2B software companies, the median is 9.8 employees per staff member, from 5.9 at Sprout Social to 52.6 at nCino. Lean quartile 17.6, heavy quartile 7.5.

Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of August 2026. The B2B software benchmark.

Furniture & furnishings makers

Across 9 furniture & furnishings makers, the median is 11.1 employees per staff member, from 3.7 at Bassett Furniture Industries to 19.5 at MillerKnoll, Inc.. Lean quartile 13.2, heavy quartile 7.8.

Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of September 2026. The furniture & furnishings benchmark.

Beverage companies

Across 12 beverage companies, the median is 9.3 employees per staff member, from 3.4 at The Vita Coco Company, Inc. to 26.6 at National Beverage Corp.. Lean quartile 15.8, heavy quartile 5.2.

Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of September 2026. The beverage benchmark.

Appliance & housewares makers

Across 10 appliance & housewares makers, the median is 8.6 employees per staff member, from 3.8 at Traeger, Inc. to 22.8 at Weber. Lean quartile 12.2, heavy quartile 5.6.

Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of September 2026. The appliance & housewares benchmark.

Coatings & specialty chemical makers

Across 13 coatings & specialty chemical makers, the median is 9.6 employees per staff member, from 2.3 at The Sherwin-Williams Company to 16.8 at Quaker Houghton. Lean quartile 10.4, heavy quartile 7.4.

Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of September 2026. The coatings & specialty chemical benchmark.

Packaging & container makers

Across 12 packaging & container makers, the median is 32.5 employees per staff member, from 10.5 at Sealed Air Corporation to 80.1 at Crown Holdings, Inc.. Lean quartile 52.6, heavy quartile 18.1.

Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of September 2026. The packaging & container benchmark.

Foodservice distribution distributors

Across 10 foodservice distribution distributors, the median is 11.2 employees per staff member, from 4.2 at Ben E. Keith Company to 120.0 at Golden State Foods. Lean quartile 22.8, heavy quartile 6.4.

Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of September 2026. The foodservice distribution benchmark.

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