Sales staff as a share of all employees
Across 126 named companies in 12 industries, the median is 8.14% % of employees, from 0.25% at lululemon athletica inc. to 43.55% at The Sherwin-Williams Company. Lean quartile 5.27%, heavy quartile 12.48%.
Quartiles. Lean quartile 5.27%, heavy quartile 12.48% % of employees (lean = 25th percentile of staffing intensity (fewer people per unit), heavy = 75th).
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 7.30% % of employees, from 2.88% at James Hardie to 20.60% at Simpson Strong-Tie. Lean quartile 4.86%, heavy quartile 9.26%.
Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of July 2026. The building products benchmark.
| Company | Ticker | Sales headcount | Employees | Revenue, $B | % of employees | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Hardie | JHX | 216 | 7,500 | 3.87 | 2.88% | estimated |
| Masonite International | 381 | 10,000 | 2.83 | 3.81% | estimated | |
| Louisiana-Pacific | LPX | 209 | 4,300 | 2.71 | 4.86% | estimated |
| The AZEK Company | 133 | 2,276 | 1.44 | 5.84% | estimated | |
| UFP Industries | UFPI | 1,008 | 13,800 | 6.32 | 7.30% | estimated |
| JELD-WEN | JELD | 1,277 | 13,900 | 3.21 | 9.19% | estimated |
| Gibraltar Industries | ROCK | 213 | 2,300 | 1.14 | 9.26% | estimated |
| Trex Company | TREX | 203 | 1,839 | 1.18 | 11.04% | estimated |
| Simpson Strong-Tie | SSD | 618 | 3,000 | 2.33 | 20.60% | estimated |
Tool & industrial manufacturers
Across 7 tool & industrial manufacturers, the median is 10.75% % of employees, from 6.39% at IDEAL Industries to 22.06% at Snap-on Incorporated. 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.
| Company | Ticker | Sales headcount | Employees | Revenue, $B | % of employees | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IDEAL Industries | 160 | 2,502 | n/a | 6.39% | estimated | |
| Enerpac Tool Group | EPAC | 168 | 2,100 | 0.62 | 8.00% | estimated |
| Klein Tools | 204 | 2,500 | n/a | 8.16% | estimated | |
| Stanley Black & Decker | SWK | 4,678 | 43,500 | 15.10 | 10.75% | estimated |
| Apex Tool Group | 572 | 5,300 | n/a | 10.79% | estimated | |
| Kennametal Inc. | KMT | 1,225 | 8,100 | 1.97 | 15.12% | estimated |
| Snap-on Incorporated | SNA | 2,868 | 13,000 | 4.74 | 22.06% | estimated |
Food & CPG companies
Across 13 food & CPG companies, the median is 7.91% % of employees, from 3.92% at Conagra Brands to 13.57% at The Kraft Heinz Company. Lean quartile 6.21%, heavy quartile 8.86%.
Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of July 2026. The food & CPG benchmark.
| Company | Ticker | Sales headcount | Employees | Revenue, $B | % of employees | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conagra Brands | CAG | 682 | 17,400 | 11.28 | 3.92% | estimated |
| Hormel Foods | HRL | 1,029 | 20,000 | 12.10 | 5.15% | estimated |
| The Campbell's Company | CPB | 799 | 13,700 | 10.25 | 5.83% | estimated |
| Ingredion | INGR | 695 | 11,200 | 7.20 | 6.21% | estimated |
| McCormick & Company | MKC | 952 | 14,100 | 6.84 | 6.75% | estimated |
| International Flavors & Fragrances | IFF | 1,679 | 21,500 | 10.89 | 7.81% | estimated |
| General Mills | GIS | 2,609 | 33,000 | 18.40 | 7.91% | estimated |
| The J.M. Smucker Company | SJM | 650 | 8,000 | 9.10 | 8.12% | estimated |
| Mondelez International | MDLZ | 7,743 | 91,000 | 38.50 | 8.51% | estimated |
| Church & Dwight | CHD | 492 | 5,550 | 6.20 | 8.86% | estimated |
| The Hershey Company | HSY | 2,290 | 20,000 | 11.69 | 11.45% | estimated |
| The Clorox Company | CLX | 890 | 7,600 | 7.10 | 11.71% | estimated |
| The Kraft Heinz Company | KHC | 4,749 | 35,000 | 25.00 | 13.57% | estimated |
Toy & game companies
Across 9 toy & game companies, the median is 12.48% % of employees, from 2.52% at The Pokémon Company International to 22.39% at JAKKS Pacific, Inc.. Lean quartile 3.95%, heavy quartile 14.75%.
Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of August 2026. The toy & game benchmark.
| Company | Ticker | Sales headcount | Employees | Revenue, $B | % of employees | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Pokémon Company International | 67 | 2,663 | n/a | 2.52% | estimated | |
| Mattel, Inc. | MAT | 1,198 | 31,000 | 5.35 | 3.86% | estimated |
| The LEGO Group | 1,305 | 33,000 | n/a | 3.95% | estimated | |
| Crayola LLC | 151 | 2,464 | n/a | 6.13% | estimated | |
| Hasbro, Inc. | HAS | 564 | 4,520 | 4.70 | 12.48% | estimated |
| Spin Master Corp. | TOY.TO | 400 | 3,000 | n/a | 13.33% | estimated |
| MGA Entertainment, Inc. | 177 | 1,200 | n/a | 14.75% | estimated | |
| Funko, Inc. | FNKO | 168 | 1,104 | 0.91 | 15.22% | estimated |
| JAKKS Pacific, Inc. | JAKK | 146 | 652 | 0.57 | 22.39% | estimated |
Apparel & footwear companies
Across 12 apparel & footwear companies, the median is 5.04% % of employees, from 0.25% at lululemon athletica inc. to 7.91% at VF Corporation. Lean quartile 4.10%, heavy quartile 6.29%.
Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of August 2026. The apparel & footwear benchmark.
| Company | Ticker | Sales headcount | Employees | Revenue, $B | % of employees | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| lululemon athletica inc. | LULU | 97 | 39,000 | 11.10 | 0.25% | estimated |
| Oxford Industries, Inc. | OXM | 179 | 6,000 | 1.48 | 2.98% | estimated |
| Under Armour, Inc. | UAA | 530 | 14,100 | 4.97 | 3.76% | estimated |
| Tapestry, Inc. | TPR | 844 | 19,000 | 8.00 | 4.44% | estimated |
| Ralph Lauren Corporation | RL | 1,073 | 23,600 | 8.12 | 4.55% | estimated |
| Deckers Outdoor Corporation | DECK | 289 | 6,000 | 5.47 | 4.82% | estimated |
| Columbia Sportswear Company | COLM | 507 | 9,620 | 3.40 | 5.27% | estimated |
| Carter's, Inc. | CRI | 845 | 15,400 | 2.90 | 5.49% | estimated |
| PVH Corp. | PVH | 1,621 | 26,000 | 8.95 | 6.23% | estimated |
| Levi Strauss & Co. | LEVI | 1,204 | 19,000 | 6.28 | 6.34% | estimated |
| Crocs, Inc. | CROX | 568 | 8,010 | 4.04 | 7.09% | estimated |
| VF Corporation | VFC | 2,057 | 26,000 | 9.61 | 7.91% | estimated |
B2B software companies
Across 10 B2B software companies, the median is 10.34% % of employees, from 1.90% at nCino to 17.03% at Sprout Social. Lean quartile 5.67%, heavy quartile 13.30%.
Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of August 2026. The B2B software benchmark.
| Company | Ticker | Sales headcount | Employees | Revenue, $B | % of employees | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nCino | NCNO | 32 | 1,684 | 0.59 | 1.90% | estimated |
| Olo | OLO | 39 | 915 | 0.28 | 4.26% | estimated |
| Zuora | ZUO | 68 | 1,200 | 0.43 | 5.67% | estimated |
| BlackLine | BL | 138 | 1,850 | 0.70 | 7.46% | estimated |
| PagerDuty | PD | 107 | 1,155 | 0.49 | 9.26% | estimated |
| Semrush | SEMR | 179 | 1,567 | 0.44 | 11.42% | estimated |
| Amplitude | AMPL | 97 | 795 | 0.34 | 12.20% | estimated |
| Yext | YEXT | 149 | 1,120 | 0.45 | 13.30% | estimated |
| Domo | DOMO | 140 | 876 | 0.32 | 15.98% | estimated |
| Sprout Social | SPT | 232 | 1,362 | 0.46 | 17.03% | estimated |
Furniture & furnishings makers
Across 9 furniture & furnishings makers, the median is 9.01% % of employees, from 5.14% at MillerKnoll, Inc. to 26.88% at Bassett Furniture Industries. Lean quartile 7.59%, heavy quartile 12.77%.
Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of September 2026. The furniture & furnishings benchmark.
| Company | Ticker | Sales headcount | Employees | Revenue, $B | % of employees | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MillerKnoll, Inc. | MLKN | 542 | 10,544 | 3.84 | 5.14% | estimated |
| Flexsteel Industries, Inc. | FLXS | 75 | 1,200 | 0.46 | 6.25% | estimated |
| HNI Corporation | HNI | 1,405 | 18,500 | 5.64 | 7.59% | estimated |
| La-Z-Boy Incorporated | LZB | 918 | 10,200 | 2.13 | 9.00% | estimated |
| Haworth | 721 | 8,000 | n/a | 9.01% | estimated | |
| Virco Manufacturing Corporation | VIRC | 67 | 731 | 0.20 | 9.17% | estimated |
| Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. | ETD | 391 | 3,062 | 0.58 | 12.77% | estimated |
| Interface, Inc. | TILE | 516 | 3,570 | 1.39 | 14.45% | estimated |
| Bassett Furniture Industries | BSET | 321 | 1,194 | 0.34 | 26.88% | estimated |
Beverage companies
Across 12 beverage companies, the median is 10.73% % of employees, from 3.76% at National Beverage Corp. to 29.76% at The Vita Coco Company, Inc.. Lean quartile 6.33%, heavy quartile 19.34%.
Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of September 2026. The beverage benchmark.
| Company | Ticker | Sales headcount | Employees | Revenue, $B | % of employees | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Beverage Corp. | FIZZ | 63 | 1,677 | 1.18 | 3.76% | estimated |
| MGP Ingredients, Inc. | MGPI | 26 | 617 | 0.54 | 4.21% | estimated |
| Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. | KDP | 1,855 | 30,600 | 16.60 | 6.06% | estimated |
| Constellation Brands, Inc. | STZ | 621 | 9,400 | 9.14 | 6.61% | estimated |
| Primo Brands Corporation | PRMB | 991 | 12,000 | 6.66 | 8.26% | estimated |
| Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. | COKE | 1,660 | 16,000 | 7.23 | 10.38% | estimated |
| Molson Coors Beverage Company | TAP | 1,797 | 16,200 | 11.14 | 11.09% | estimated |
| Brown-Forman Corporation | 803 | 4,900 | 3.93 | 16.39% | estimated | |
| The Boston Beer Company, Inc. | SAM | 488 | 2,736 | 2.09 | 17.84% | estimated |
| Celsius Holdings, Inc. | CELH | 312 | 1,497 | 2.52 | 20.84% | estimated |
| Monster Beverage Corporation | MNST | 1,361 | 6,332 | 8.29 | 21.49% | estimated |
| The Vita Coco Company, Inc. | COCO | 100 | 336 | 0.61 | 29.76% | estimated |
Appliance & housewares makers
Across 10 appliance & housewares makers, the median is 11.58% % of employees, from 4.39% at Weber to 26.33% at Traeger, Inc.. Lean quartile 8.21%, heavy quartile 17.91%.
Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of September 2026. The appliance & housewares benchmark.
| Company | Ticker | Sales headcount | Employees | Revenue, $B | % of employees | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weber | WEBER | 189 | 4,302 | n/a | 4.39% | estimated |
| Whirlpool Corporation | WHR | 2,905 | 41,000 | 15.52 | 7.09% | estimated |
| SharkNinja, Inc. | SN | 340 | 4,143 | 6.40 | 8.21% | estimated |
| Newell Brands Inc. | NWL | 2,216 | 21,900 | 7.20 | 10.12% | estimated |
| Cricut, Inc. | CRCT | 81 | 700 | 0.71 | 11.57% | estimated |
| Helen of Troy Limited | HELE | 215 | 1,854 | 1.79 | 11.60% | estimated |
| Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company | HBB | 100 | 650 | 0.61 | 15.38% | estimated |
| YETI Holdings, Inc. | YETI | 249 | 1,390 | 1.87 | 17.91% | estimated |
| Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. | SPB | 660 | 3,000 | 2.81 | 22.00% | estimated |
| Traeger, Inc. | COOK | 114 | 433 | 0.56 | 26.33% | estimated |
Coatings & specialty chemical makers
Across 13 coatings & specialty chemical makers, the median is 10.47% % of employees, from 5.94% at Quaker Houghton to 43.55% at The Sherwin-Williams Company. Lean quartile 9.59%, heavy quartile 13.52%.
Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of September 2026. The coatings & specialty chemical benchmark.
| Company | Ticker | Sales headcount | Employees | Revenue, $B | % of employees | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quaker Houghton | KWR | 279 | 4,700 | 1.89 | 5.94% | estimated |
| Cabot Corporation | CBT | 246 | 4,064 | 3.71 | 6.05% | estimated |
| Innospec Inc. | IOSP | 191 | 2,450 | 1.78 | 7.80% | estimated |
| RPM International Inc. | RPM | 1,683 | 17,546 | 7.86 | 9.59% | estimated |
| PPG Industries, Inc. | PPG | 4,443 | 43,500 | 15.88 | 10.21% | estimated |
| Sensient Technologies Corporation | SXT | 425 | 4,070 | 1.61 | 10.44% | estimated |
| Avient Corporation | AVNT | 942 | 9,000 | 3.26 | 10.47% | estimated |
| Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. | AXTA | 1,521 | 12,200 | 5.12 | 12.47% | estimated |
| H.B. Fuller Company | FUL | 938 | 7,100 | 3.47 | 13.21% | estimated |
| Ashland Inc. | ASH | 392 | 2,900 | 1.82 | 13.52% | estimated |
| Ecolab Inc. | ECL | 8,783 | 48,000 | 16.08 | 18.30% | estimated |
| WD-40 Company | WDFC | 171 | 714 | 0.62 | 23.95% | estimated |
| The Sherwin-Williams Company | SHW | 27,982 | 64,249 | 23.57 | 43.55% | estimated |
Packaging & container makers
Across 12 packaging & container makers, the median is 3.08% % of employees, from 1.25% at Crown Holdings, Inc. to 9.50% at Sealed Air Corporation. Lean quartile 2.00%, heavy quartile 5.53%.
Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of September 2026. The packaging & container benchmark.
| Company | Ticker | Sales headcount | Employees | Revenue, $B | % of employees | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crown Holdings, Inc. | CCK | 287 | 23,000 | 12.37 | 1.25% | estimated |
| Silgan Holdings Inc. | SLGN | 229 | 17,320 | 6.48 | 1.32% | estimated |
| O-I Glass, Inc. | OI | 296 | 19,000 | 6.43 | 1.56% | estimated |
| AptarGroup, Inc. | ATR | 342 | 14,000 | 3.78 | 2.44% | estimated |
| Ball Corporation | BALL | 462 | 16,000 | 13.16 | 2.89% | estimated |
| Sonoco Products Company | SON | 660 | 22,000 | 7.52 | 3.00% | estimated |
| Amcor plc | AMCR | 2,365 | 75,000 | 23.51 | 3.15% | estimated |
| Greif, Inc. | GEF | 570 | 12,000 | 4.29 | 4.75% | estimated |
| Graphic Packaging Holding Company | GPK | 1,227 | 23,000 | 8.62 | 5.33% | estimated |
| Packaging Corporation of America | PKG | 961 | 16,800 | 8.99 | 5.72% | estimated |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | AVY | 2,475 | 35,000 | 8.86 | 7.07% | estimated |
| Sealed Air Corporation | SEE | 1,529 | 16,100 | n/a | 9.50% | estimated |
Foodservice distribution distributors
Across 10 foodservice distribution distributors, the median is 9.13% % of employees, from 0.83% at Golden State Foods to 23.79% at Ben E. Keith Company. Lean quartile 4.39%, heavy quartile 15.51%.
Estimated: department tallies corrected by individually classified public job titles, as of September 2026. The foodservice distribution benchmark.
| Company | Ticker | Sales headcount | Employees | Revenue, $B | % of employees | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden State Foods | 50 | 6,000 | n/a | 0.83% | estimated | |
| Shamrock Foods Company | 167 | 5,000 | n/a | 3.34% | estimated | |
| Performance Food Group Company | PFGC | 1,920 | 43,780 | 67.84 | 4.39% | estimated |
| United Natural Foods, Inc. | UNFI | 1,950 | 25,600 | 31.78 | 7.62% | estimated |
| Dot Foods | 498 | 6,300 | n/a | 7.90% | estimated | |
| The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. | CHEF | 534 | 5,156 | 4.15 | 10.36% | estimated |
| Sysco Corporation | SYY | 7,845 | 75,000 | 84.55 | 10.46% | estimated |
| Gordon Food Service | GFS | 3,412 | 22,000 | n/a | 15.51% | estimated |
| US Foods Holding Corp. | USFD | 6,307 | 30,000 | 39.42 | 21.02% | estimated |
| Ben E. Keith Company | 1,332 | 5,600 | n/a | 23.79% | estimated |
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