Strategy & chief of staff staff per 1,000 employees

Across 126 named companies in 12 industries, the median is 24.9 staff per 1,000 employees, from 6.0 at James Hardie to 142.8 at The Sherwin-Williams Company. Lean quartile 16.4, heavy quartile 39.2.

Quartiles. Lean quartile 16.4, heavy quartile 39.2 staff per 1,000 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: acquisitions, corporate strategy, digital transformation, executive, mergers & acquisitions, project & program management.

Building products manufacturers

Across 9 building products manufacturers, the median is 20.0 staff per 1,000 employees, from 6.0 at James Hardie to 45.3 at Simpson Strong-Tie. Lean quartile 14.1, heavy quartile 21.8.

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 26.0 staff per 1,000 employees, from 7.6 at Klein Tools to 33.8 at Kennametal Inc.. 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 26.1 staff per 1,000 employees, from 15.2 at Hormel Foods to 43.2 at General Mills. Lean quartile 19.9, heavy quartile 30.5.

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 29.0 staff per 1,000 employees, from 14.1 at The LEGO Group to 64.4 at JAKKS Pacific, Inc.. Lean quartile 16.1, heavy quartile 57.3.

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 26.0 staff per 1,000 employees, from 12.0 at Carter's, Inc. to 86.6 at Levi Strauss & Co.. Lean quartile 20.3, heavy quartile 31.2.

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 39.0 staff per 1,000 employees, from 13.1 at Olo to 63.4 at Yext. Lean quartile 31.4, heavy quartile 41.6.

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 28.4 staff per 1,000 employees, from 12.5 at La-Z-Boy Incorporated to 92.1 at Bassett Furniture Industries. Lean quartile 16.4, heavy quartile 39.2.

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 28.9 staff per 1,000 employees, from 7.2 at National Beverage Corp. to 83.3 at The Vita Coco Company, Inc.. Lean quartile 21.3, heavy quartile 45.7.

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 43.4 staff per 1,000 employees, from 10.7 at Weber to 55.4 at Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company. Lean quartile 29.3, heavy quartile 49.3.

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 30.2 staff per 1,000 employees, from 19.6 at Innospec Inc. to 142.8 at The Sherwin-Williams Company. Lean quartile 23.4, heavy quartile 50.4.

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 14.1 staff per 1,000 employees, from 6.7 at Crown Holdings, Inc. to 35.5 at Ball Corporation. Lean quartile 10.3, heavy quartile 17.1.

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 14.8 staff per 1,000 employees, from 6.2 at Shamrock Foods Company to 29.2 at United Natural Foods, Inc.. Lean quartile 11.3, heavy quartile 19.3.

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

Get this cut as data

$150 per industry cut adds CSV and a benchmark-format row.

Subscription benchmarks publish this kind of figure as anonymous quartiles; the cut here names every company and dates every number.

Read https://sgabenchmarking.com/skill.md and follow the instructions to connect SG&A Benchmarking.