Latest headcount
72,790
YoY change
+0.5%
Headcount CAGR
+4.4%
Revenue / employee
$385.5K
Employee count history for Southwest Airlines
| Fiscal year | Employees |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 19,933 |
| 1997 | 23,974 |
| 1998 | 25,844 |
| 1999 | 27,653 |
| 2000 | 29,274 |
| 2001 | 31,580 |
| 2002 | 33,705 |
| 2003 | 32,847 |
| 2004 | 31,011 |
| 2005 | 31,729 |
| 2006 | 32,664 |
| 2007 | 34,378 |
| 2008 | 35,499 |
| 2009 | 34,726 |
| 2010 | 34,901 |
| 2011 | 45,392 |
| 2012 | 45,861 |
| 2013 | 44,831 |
| 2014 | 46,278 |
| 2015 | 49,600 |
| 2016 | 53,500 |
| 2017 | 56,100 |
| 2018 | 58,800 |
| 2019 | 60,800 |
| 2020 | 56,500 |
| 2021 | 55,100 |
| 2022 | 66,656 |
| 2023 | 74,806 |
| 2024 | 72,450 |
| 2025 | 72,790 |
Revenue per employee for Southwest Airlines
Annual revenue divided by reported headcount, normalized to US dollars.
| Fiscal year | Revenue per employee (USD) |
|---|---|
| 1995 | $144.1K |
| 1997 | $159.2K |
| 1998 | $161.1K |
| 1999 | $171.3K |
| 2000 | $193K |
| 2001 | $175.9K |
| 2002 | $163.8K |
| 2003 | $180.7K |
| 2004 | $210.6K |
| 2005 | $239K |
| 2006 | $278.2K |
| 2007 | $286.8K |
| 2008 | $310.5K |
| 2009 | $298K |
| 2010 | $346.8K |
| 2011 | $345K |
| 2012 | $372.6K |
| 2013 | $394.8K |
| 2014 | $402K |
| 2015 | $399.6K |
| 2016 | $381.8K |
| 2017 | $377.4K |
| 2018 | $373.6K |
| 2019 | $368.9K |
| 2020 | $160.1K |
| 2021 | $286.6K |
| 2022 | $357.3K |
| 2023 | $348.8K |
| 2024 | $379.3K |
| 2025 | $385.5K |
Earnings per employee for Southwest Airlines
Annual net income divided by reported headcount, normalized to US dollars; years with a net loss dip below zero.
| Fiscal year | Earnings per employee (USD) |
|---|---|
| 1995 | $9.2K |
| 1997 | $13.3K |
| 1998 | $16.8K |
| 1999 | $17.2K |
| 2000 | $20.6K |
| 2001 | $16.2K |
| 2002 | $7.1K |
| 2003 | $13.5K |
| 2004 | $10.1K |
| 2005 | $17.3K |
| 2006 | $15.3K |
| 2007 | $18.8K |
| 2008 | $5K |
| 2009 | $2.9K |
| 2010 | $13.2K |
| 2011 | $3.9K |
| 2012 | $9.2K |
| 2013 | $16.8K |
| 2014 | $24.5K |
| 2015 | $44K |
| 2016 | $41.9K |
| 2017 | $62.2K |
| 2018 | $41.9K |
| 2019 | $37.8K |
| 2020 | -$54.4K |
| 2021 | $17.7K |
| 2022 | $8.1K |
| 2023 | $6.2K |
| 2024 | $6.4K |
| 2025 | $6.1K |
Employee count history for Southwest Airlines (LUV)
Annual figures come from annual reports (10-K, or 20-F/40-F for foreign filers); interim rows reflect headcount disclosed in periodic filings. Year-over-year change compares each filing with the prior year's equivalent. Revenue and earnings per employee are annual figures normalized to US dollars.
- 202572,790+0.5%
- 202472,450-3.1%
- 202374,806+12.2%
- 202266,656+21.0%
- 202155,100-2.5%
- 202056,500-7.1%
- 201960,800+3.4%
- 201858,800+4.8%
- 201756,100+4.9%
- 201653,500+7.9%
- 201549,600+7.2%
- 201446,278+3.2%
- 201344,831-2.2%
- 201245,861+1.0%
- 201145,392+30.1%
- 201034,901+0.5%
- 200934,726-2.2%
- 200835,499+3.3%
- 200734,378+5.2%
- 200632,664+2.9%
- 200531,729+2.3%
- 200431,011-5.6%
- 200332,847-2.5%
- 200233,705+6.7%
- 200131,580+7.9%
- 200029,274+5.9%
- 199927,653+7.0%
- 199825,844+7.8%
- 199723,974—
- 199622,944—
- 199519,933—
- 199416,818—
About Southwest Airlines's employee count
Southwest Airlines (LUV) employed 72,790 people in fiscal year 2025, based on its most recent annual report. That headcount grew by +340 (+0.5%) from 72,450 a year earlier.
Across the 1995–2025 period, the company's reported workforce went from 19,933 to 72,790 employees — a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of +4.4% per year.
Southwest Airlines generated about $385.5K of revenue and $6.1K of net income per employee in its latest annual period. Revenue and earnings per employee gauge how efficiently a company turns headcount into output, and are most telling when tracked over time or compared with peers in the same industry.
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