Amazon's US employee headcount exceeds 1 million

Recently, Amazon updated the US investment map on its website, which includes the latest employment data for each state as of the end of 2021.

Data shows that Amazon's direct employee number in the United States exceeded 1 million for the first time , reaching 1.1 million, an increase of 18% from 935,000 a year ago. This is a new milestone for Amazon, reflecting the rapid expansion of its distribution network in the United States.

Amazon's fourth-quarter financial report also showed that as of the end of 2021, Amazon had more than 1.6 million employees worldwide, a year-on-year increase of 24%.

It’s important to note that these figures do not include people who work indirectly for Amazon, such as drivers who deliver packages as independent company employees in the Amazon Delivery Service Partner ( DSP) program. Globally, there are more than 260,000 drivers working for 3,000 DSP companies.

Amazon's overall growth is even more striking given the widespread labor shortage in the U.S. Amazon said its costs in the fourth quarter were about $4 billion higher than normal due to labor expenses, supply chain and inflation . Most of the expenses came from spending on logistics and distribution networks, as well as an increase in base wages for corporate employees.

In addition, the following aspects deserve attention:

Amazon is growing in California. A year ago, California surpassed Washington for the first time as the state with the most Amazon jobs, and the company continued its steady growth in California last year. Amazon now has 170,000 employees in California alone , an 11% year-over-year increase.

Washington state dropped to third place. As of the end of 2021, Amazon's employment in Texas had increased by 36% over the past year to 95,000, ahead of Washington state's 85,000.

There are only a few states left in the U.S. for Amazon to expand. At the end of 2016, 18 states did not appear in Amazon's measurable employment reports. Currently, there are only three states left on the list: Alaska, Wyoming and Vermont.

North Dakota saw the biggest increase in Amazon employment. Amazon's employment in the state grew 800% to 900 people over the past year . The company opened its first fulfillment center in North Dakota, a 1 million-square-foot facility in Fargo, in September.

Amazon is growing even faster internationally. GeekWire calculated that Amazon’s headcount outside the U.S. increased by more than 140,000 to more than 500,000, a 39% year-over-year increase .

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