How Many People Work At Tesla? Statistics And Trends (2025)
Updated · Aug 04, 2025
Table of Contents
Introduction
How Many People Work At Tesla?: Tesla is a big force in clean energy and electric vehicles. One of the big questions from people is how many people work at Tesla. With this article, we will look at the latest data, past trends in workforce changes, the meaning of a percentage rise or fall, and what Tesla says about its people.
This will help you get a clear view of Tesla accounting for staffing size and trends.
Editor’s Choice
- As of 31st December 2024, Tesla had 125,665 employees.
- The workforce had dropped by 14,808, a 10.54% decrease since 2023.
- In 2023, Tesla had 140,473 employees.
- In the year 2024, revenue generated by Tesla per employee was US$737,835.
- Profit per employee was US$46,783 in 2024.
- Tesla’s market capitalisation reached US$1.03 trillion in 2024.
- H-1B visa denial rates plummeted almost to a record-low 2.5% denial for new hires and a 1.8% denial rate for continuing employment in FY 2024.
- By February 2023, 80% of Tesla’s workforce was male, and 22% was female.
- And racial demographics were 51.5% White, 23.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, and 8.6% Black or African American.
- Amongst all departments in Tesla, Engineering has the highest number of employees: 17,810, which means nearly 40% of the total headcount.
Number of Tesla Employees
Total Workforce As of December 31, 2024, Or 125,665 Employees
- This indicates the total workers present at Tesla at the end of 2024.
- These employees include factory workers, engineers, sales teams, and corporate staff.
- Spread across Tesla’s worldwide operations include factories in the US, China, and Germany, as well as offices all over the globe.
Annual Change in Employees (Change: –14,808 Employees)
- In 2024, there were 14,808 fewer employees than the previous year. It is really a big attrition as the company shed numerous workforce throughout the year.
- Layoffs might have been a contributing factor in their reduction, with restructuring and cost-cutting strategies following as others.
Employee Growth Rate (Growth: –10.54%)
- The percentage represents the rate of change in employee count from the last year. A –10.54% growth means Tesla’s workforce shrank by one-tenth in the particular year.
- For a backdrop, the company had 140,473 employees in 2023, showing it was a big downsizing.
Here are further details about the number of Tesla employees recorded over the past years:
|
Date |
Employees | Change |
Growth |
|
Dec 31, 2024 |
125,665 | -14,808 | -10.54% |
| Dec 31, 2023 | 140,473 | 12,618 |
9.87% |
|
Dec 31, 2022 |
127,855 | 28,565 | 28.77% |
| Dec 31, 2021 | 99,290 | 28,533 |
40.33% |
|
Dec 31, 2020 |
70,757 | 22,741 | 47.36% |
| Dec 31, 2019 | 48,016 | -801 |
-1.64% |
|
Dec 31, 2018 |
48,817 | 11,274 | 30.03% |
| Dec 31, 2017 | 37,543 | 19,761 |
111.13% |
|
Dec 31, 2016 |
17,782 | 4,724 | 36.18% |
| Dec 31, 2015 | 13,058 | 2,897 |
28.51% |
|
Dec 31, 2014 |
10,161 | 4,302 | 73.43% |
| Dec 31, 2013 | 5,859 | 2,895 |
97.67% |
|
Dec 31, 2012 |
2,964 | 1,547 | 109.17% |
| Dec 31, 2011 | 1,417 | 518 |
57.62% |
|
Dec 31, 2010 |
899 | 385 |
74.90% |
(Source: stockanalysis.com)
Revenue Per Employee (US$737,835 per employee)
- This will tell us the amount of money made by Tesla, on average, for each employee.
- Revenues include the total money Tesla generates from selling cars, batteries, energy products, etc.
- A high revenue per employee is a good sign that the company is able to generate sales with a relatively low number of people.
Profit Per Employee (US$46,783 per employee)
- The average profit earned by Tesla for each employee is by means.
- After all expenses, which include salary, materials, electricity, etc., the net profit per employee of Tesla stood at US$46,783.
- This instituted the productivity and financial yield of Tesla’s employees.
Market Capitalisation (US$1,029.05 billion (or US$1.03 trillion))
- This is the total market value of Tesla. It is computed by multiplying the share price of Tesla by the number of shares issued in the market.
- Worth over US$1 trillion, Tesla is one of the most highly valued companies in the world. A large workforce reduction notwithstanding, investors strongly believe in Tesla’s future.
H-1B Visa Trends And Tesla’s Growing Role In FY 2024
Fall in H-1B Denial Rates Since 2020
- The denial rates for H-1B visas experienced a dramatic drop for U.S. employers after a major legal settlement in 2020.
- The courts held that several Trump administration immigration policies were unlawful, and the resulting settlement brought about a highly significant decline in rejection rates.
- For instance, the denial rate for H-1B petitions for initial employment-usually for new hires-was 24% in FY 2018 and 21% in FY 2019.
- These numbers dropped drastically to 4% in FY 2021 and later to 2.2% in FY 2022.
H-1B Denial Rates in FY 2024
- With the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), the denial rate for H-1B petitions for initial employment was at 2.5%.
- Denial rates for continuing employment (existing employees) were lower at 1.8%.
- Far better than a 12% denial rate during the Trump administration (FY 2018 and FY 2019), this is very close to the 3% average denial rate between FY 2011 and FY 2015.
Tesla’s Rapid Growth in H-1B Petitions
- Tesla continues to be a major player in the H-1B arena.
- The company received approval to file 742 H-1B petitions for initial employment in FY 2024, a rise of over 100 % from the 328 approvals in FY 2023 and 337 in FY 2022.
- This spike places Tesla 16th among employers for H-1B approvals of 2024, a remarkable feat given the company had never ranked in the top 25.
- The demand for Tesla certifications must have been well above these numbers, but the legislation put an annual cap on all H-1B visas, thus limiting the number that can be approved yearly.
Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) Filed by Tesla
- In the H-1B application process, Tesla submitted a very high number of LCAs to the Department of Labor in FY 2024.
- These LCAs were filed to fill a broad array of positions, especially in engineering. The major job groups were:
- 658 Manufacturing Engineers
- 629 Software Developers
- 348 Mechanical Engineers
- 320 Industrial Engineers
- 138 Electrical Engineers
Total Number of LCA Applications Filed by Tesla during FY 2024
- The National Foundation for American Policy maintains that Tesla filed a total of 3,215 Labor Condition Applications in FY 2024.
- Even so, this figure would never represent 3,215 different individuals because numerous LCA applications represent duplicates due to amended petitions and those filing LCAs for multiple job sites.
Top H-1B Employers FY 2024
- In FY 2024, Amazon had the most initial employment H-1B approvals with 3,871, although much less than the number 6,396 recorded in FY 2022.
- Other major employers were:
- Cognizant-The company procured 2,837 approvals-
- Infosys-2,504 approvals-
- Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)-1,452 approvals-
- IBM-1,348 approvals-
- Microsoft-1,264 approvals-
- HCL America-1,248 approvals-
- Google-1,058 approvals-
- Capgemini-1,041 approvals-
- Meta Platforms-920 approvals
High salaries and fees for H-1B workers
- Since comebacks in wages of H-1B workers still occurred in technology, here are some facts:
- According to the USCIS data:
- In 2023, the average salary recorded in the computer-related jobs for the H-1B holders amounted to US$132,000.
- The median salary stood at US$122,000.
Tesla Employees Demographics
Gender Distribution in 2023
- Just about 80% of the workforce was male as of February 2023.
- Women constitute only 22% of the workforce, meaning there is still an enormous gender disparity present in the company.
Racial and Ethnic Diversity
- As of early 2023, 51.5% of Tesla workers had identified as White.
- Hispanic or Latino employees made up 23.7%, then Asian at 11.1%.
- Next came Black or African Americans at 8.6%, with 5.1% hiding their racial identity.
(Reference: vpnalert.com)
Languages Spoken at Tesla
- Tesla’s workforce is linguistically diverse. As of February 2023, 42.1% of employees spoke Spanish.
- Other common languages included Russian (10.5%), Polish (7.9%), Portuguese, Chinese, German, and Mandarin—each spoken by 5.3% of the workforce.
Languages Spoken at Tesla
- Tesla’s workforce is linguistically diverse. By early February 2023, 42.1% of its workers spoke Spanish.
- Other commonly spoken languages included Russian (10.5%), Polish (7.9%), Portuguese, Chinese, German, and Mandarin, each spoken by 5.3%.
Educational Background
- In early 2023, 48.4% of Tesla employees had a bachelor’s degree.
- Another 18.4% had a high school diploma, and 15% an associate degree.
- About 9% had completed a master’s degree, and 5.2% had a diploma.
Age Distribution of Employees
- In February 2023, 51% lacked the experience of being in the workforce for 20 to 30 years.
- A 22% pot is represented by older workers of 30-40 years of age, while those over 40 years constitute only 15%.
- Younger employees, constituting 9% were 18-20 years, and 1% were under 18.
Employee Tenure at Tesla
- A relatively young workforce exists in terms of tenure at Tesla. About 35% of employees had been working annually less than a year in 2023.
- A little shy of one-quarter had been working there between five and seven years, while one-fifth worked for one to two years.
- Meanwhile, 8% worked for three to four years, and 6% worked for eight to ten years or 10 years and above.
Tesla Number of Employees By Categories
Engineering: Tesla’s Largest Department
- Engineering is the biggest division at Tesla, housing some 17,810 individuals.
- This represents almost 40% of the total workforce and shows Tesla’s strong emphasis on product design, software development, and advanced manufacturing.
Operations and Manufacturing
- The Operations team counts some 8,120 people under its wing.
- They locally coordinate and oversee vehicle assembly, supply chain matters, and logistics arrangements, thereby ensuring a smooth attitude of car production and delivery through Tesla.
(Reference: unifygtm.com)
Sales and Customer Support
- About 5,225 people work for the Sales and Support Department.
- These are customer-facing positions engaged in giving Tesla purchasers and users services and support through their entire journey with the brand.
Corporate and Administrative Functions
- Over 8,300 employees are working for Business Management, Finance & Administration, and IT.
- These teams ensure Tesla’s day-to-day operations, ranging from financial planning to IT governance.
Specialised and Supporting Functions
- Other smaller yet crucial departments exist at Tesla. These include Human Resources, Consulting, Marketing & Product, and an “Other” category for specialised roles.
- Each area falls between the 1,100 and 2,500 employee range, supporting Tesla’s strategic, creative, and organisational functions.
Tesla Statistics and Trends
- Tesla Inc. is projected to generate a turnover of US$101 billion in 2024.
- The revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of 0.22% from 2024 to 2029, reaching US$102 billion by 2029.
- Tesla will sell a forecasted 1.798 million cars by 2029.
- The average price of a Tesla car in 2024 is going to be US$56,000.
- U.S. sales are estimated at US$63.38 billion in 2024, making it Tesla’s biggest regional market.
- Tesla shipped around 1.8 million units in 2023.
- Tesla is among the global top 15 most valuable brands as of 2023.
- The Automotive segment had revenue of over US$78.5 billion.
- Tesla, in 2023, became the North American charging standard, with other members of the industry adopting this high-speed charging system.
- BYD took the global number one ranking for EVs in 2022 and, in 2023, extended its lead by 1 million units.
- Rivian, Lucid Motor, and Canoo were considered U.S. competitors in the EV space, but most of these companies remain unprofitable.
- Lucid lost somewhere around US$2.8 billion in 2023.
Conclusion
By the end of 2024, Tesla employed about 125,665 people. Yet, Tesla’s workforce is by far larger than in previous years, for instance, more than 1.25 times the 99,290 employees in 2021. Tesla remains among the top companies in revenue per employee and productivity. The global workforce of Tesla, counting in the range of 125 to 140 thousand, fluctuates with the fast growth and restructuring of Tesla. If you want me to get more into the details of roles, factory staffing, or the 2025 hires and layoffs, I can do that as well.
FAQ.
As of December 31, 2024, Tesla employed 125,665 people worldwide. Included in this figure are engineers, factory workers, customer service representatives, and various corporate employees throughout facilities in stateside U.S., Germany, China, and others. In contrast to 2023, the total number of employees decreased by 14,808 employees, representing a –10.54% decline, caused by restructuring and cost-cutting measures.
The engineering department is the biggest department of Tesla with 17,810 employees, almost 40% of the company’s total workforce. This explains that Tesla focuses a lot on software, vehicle design and manufacturing innovation, and AI research.
In 2024, Tesla generated a revenue of US$737,835 per employee and a profit of US$46,783 per employee. The figures show that Tesla continued to retain an intense level of production and profitability, despite having a much leaner workforce.
During the start of 2023, the male population accounted for 80% of Tesla’s employee force, whereas women made up 22% (some of these percentages overlap due to undisclosed gender). Racially, 51.5% were White, 23.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, and 8.6% Black or African American.
The use of the H-1B visa increased significantly for Tesla in FY 2024, with 742 approvals for initial employment, thus more than doubling the 328 approvals in FY 2023. Due to a shift in recent U.S. policy, the denial rate had shrunk to a minimal 2.5%. Tesla filed 3,215 LCAs, mostly engineering, but also project management, data science, and logistics positions.
Maitrayee Dey has a background in Electrical Engineering and has worked in various technical roles before transitioning to writing. Specializing in technology and Artificial Intelligence, she has served as an Academic Research Analyst and Freelance Writer, particularly focusing on education and healthcare in Australia. Maitrayee's lifelong passions for writing and painting led her to pursue a full-time writing career. She is also the creator of a cooking YouTube channel, where she shares her culinary adventures. At Smartphone Thoughts, Maitrayee brings her expertise in technology to provide in-depth smartphone reviews and app-related statistics, making complex topics easy to understand for all readers.
