Short answer
Northrop Grumman had approximately 95,000 employees as of December 31, 2025, according to its Form 10-K filed January 27, 2026. It hired about 7,500 new employees during 2025. That's down from about 97,000 at the end of 2024 and a peak of about 101,000 at the end of 2023. About 4,300 employees are covered by 15 collective agreements in the US. Sales to the US government were 84% of the total in 2025.
- About 95,000 employees at December 31, 2025, down about 2,000 in a year and 6,000 from the 2023 peak.
- Hiring fell from about 16,000 in 2022 and 14,500 in 2023 to about 7,400 in 2024 and 7,500 in 2025.
- About 4,300 employees are covered by 15 collective agreements in the US.
- Sales per employee were about $441,600 in 2025 (our calculation).
On this page
This page is for sellers sizing Northrop Grumman as an account, recruiters, analysts and anyone who needs a citable headcount. Every figure comes from Northrop Grumman Corporation's annual report on Form 10-K. Its fiscal year is the calendar year.
Northrop Grumman employees by year
| Year | As of | Employees | New hires during the year | Employees under US collective agreements | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | December 31, 2025 | about 95,000 | about 7,500 | about 4,300 (15 agreements) | 10-K filed January 27, 2026 |
| 2024 | December 31, 2024 | about 97,000 | about 7,400 | about 4,100 (15 agreements) | 10-K filed January 30, 2025 |
| 2023 | December 31, 2023 | about 101,000 | about 14,500 | about 4,100 (15 agreements) | 10-K filed January 25, 2024 |
| 2022 | December 31, 2022 | about 95,000 | about 16,000 | about 4,000 (15 agreements) | 10-K filed January 26, 2023 |
| 2021 | December 31, 2021 | about 88,000 | about 9,500 | about 3,900 (15 agreements) | 10-K filed January 27, 2022 |
| 2020 | December 31, 2020 | not stated | about 13,000 | about 4,000 (17 agreements) | 10-K filed January 28, 2021 |
| 2019 | December 31, 2019 | about 90,000 | not stated | not stated | 10-K filed January 30, 2020 |
| 2018 | December 31, 2018 | about 85,000 | not stated | not stated | 10-K filed January 31, 2019 |
The 2020 10-K reported hiring but not a year-end total, so that year is blank. Before 2020 the figure appeared in a short "Employee relations" paragraph ("our approximately 90,000 employees").
What the number includes
The 2025 10-K says Northrop's culture "was a factor in our ability to hire approximately 7,500 new employees in 2025, and as of December 31, 2025, we have approximately 95,000 employees."
- Employees only. The filing doesn't count contractors or give a full-time and part-time split.
- Company-wide. It covers all four segments (Aeronautics Systems, Defense Systems, Mission Systems and Space Systems) and doesn't split the count by segment or country.
- A cleared, technical workforce. The 10-K says Northrop competes for "qualified talent, particularly those with security clearances and requisite skills in multiple areas, including science, technology, engineering and math." It doesn't say what share of employees hold a clearance.
- Small union share. About 4,300 employees, roughly 4.5% of the total (our calculation), are covered by collective agreements in the US.
What changed and why
- 2018: Orbital ATK. Northrop completed its acquisition of Orbital ATK, a maker of satellites, launch vehicles and missile products, on June 6, 2018. The 10-K that year reported about 85,000 employees.
- 2021: down to about 88,000 after a sale. Northrop sold its IT and mission support services business to Veritas Capital on January 30, 2021, for $3.4 billion. The 10-K doesn't say how many employees went with it; it does show headcount at about 88,000 a year later, below the 90,000 of 2019.
- 2022 and 2023: a hiring push. Northrop hired about 16,000 people in 2022 ("despite facing a tight labor market") and about 14,500 in 2023, taking headcount to about 101,000.
- 2024 and 2025: slower hiring, a smaller divestiture. Hiring roughly halved, to about 7,400 and 7,500, and headcount fell to about 97,000 and then 95,000. On May 24, 2025 Northrop sold its training services business (the Immersive Mission Solutions unit of Defense Systems) for $333 million. The 10-Ks don't attribute the decline to layoffs or give a turnover rate, so read it as hiring that no longer outpaces departures.
Revenue per employee
| Year | Sales | Employees | Sales per employee (our calculation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $41,954 million | about 95,000 | about $441,600 |
| 2024 | $41,033 million | about 97,000 | about $423,000 |
| 2023 | $39,290 million | about 101,000 | about $389,000 |
For 2025: $41,954 million divided by 95,000 is about $441,600. Sales per employee rose 13.5% in two years (our calculation) as sales grew and headcount fell.
| Segment | 2025 sales |
|---|---|
| Aeronautics Systems | $12,992 million |
| Mission Systems | $12,506 million |
| Space Systems | $10,771 million |
| Defense Systems | $8,002 million |
| Intersegment eliminations | minus $2,317 million |
Northrop doesn't split employees by segment. Backlog was $95.7 billion at the end of 2025, and 84% of sales went to the US government, 87% in 2024 and 86% in 2023.
Selling to a company of Northrop Grumman's size
General guidance, not a description of Northrop Grumman's internal process.
A 95,000 person defense prime buys like its customer: through programs, with compliance built in.
- Programs hold the budget. Spending decisions for engineering tools, test equipment and subcontracts usually sit with a program or segment, inside the rules of the government contracts that fund it. Find the program your product helps.
- Expect security and compliance gates. Classified and export-controlled work limits where data can live and who can see it. Vendors that already meet federal security requirements move faster.
- Hiring and clearance support. A company that hired about 30,000 people in two years, many needing clearances, spends on recruiting, onboarding, training and clearance processing.
- Plan around government cycles. With 84% of sales to the US government, budget timing, contract awards and fiscal-year deadlines shape when Northrop can commit.
For more on the customer side, see our guide to selling to government. For a research routine, see how to research an account. For a peer, compare RTX and Raytheon headcount.
Next step: compare Northrop with the other primes on our list of the largest defense contractors.
Sources
- Northrop Grumman Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, Northrop Grumman Corporation, via SEC EDGAR, 27 January 2026
- Northrop Grumman Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, Northrop Grumman Corporation, via SEC EDGAR, 30 January 2025
- Northrop Grumman Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, Northrop Grumman Corporation, via SEC EDGAR, 25 January 2024
- Northrop Grumman Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, Northrop Grumman Corporation, via SEC EDGAR, 26 January 2023
- Northrop Grumman Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, Northrop Grumman Corporation, via SEC EDGAR, 27 January 2022
- Northrop Grumman Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, Northrop Grumman Corporation, via SEC EDGAR, 28 January 2021
- Northrop Grumman Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, Northrop Grumman Corporation, via SEC EDGAR, 30 January 2020
- Northrop Grumman Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, Northrop Grumman Corporation, via SEC EDGAR, 31 January 2019
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many people work at Northrop Grumman?
About 95,000 as of December 31, 2025, according to Northrop Grumman's 10-K filed January 27, 2026. The company hired about 7,500 people during 2025. Headcount peaked at about 101,000 at the end of 2023 and was about 97,000 at the end of 2024. The 10-K doesn't split the total by segment, state or country.
Did Northrop Grumman have layoffs?
Northrop's 10-Ks for 2024 and 2025 don't describe a layoff program. They show headcount falling from about 101,000 to about 95,000 over two years while hiring dropped from about 14,500 in 2023 to about 7,400 in 2024 and 7,500 in 2025. Northrop also sold its training services business in May 2025. The filings don't give the number of departures.
How many Northrop Grumman employees are in unions?
About 4,300, covered by 15 collective agreements in the US, according to the 2025 10-K. That's roughly 4.5% of about 95,000 employees (our calculation). Northrop negotiated seven renewals in 2025 and expected to negotiate two in 2026. The number covered was about 4,100 in 2023 and 2024 and about 3,900 in 2021.
How many employees does Northrop Grumman hire each year?
About 7,500 in 2025 and 7,400 in 2024, according to its 10-Ks, down from about 14,500 in 2023 and 16,000 in 2022. In 2021 it hired about 9,500 and in 2020 about 13,000. Northrop says it competes for people with security clearances and science, technology, engineering and math skills, which makes hiring slower than at most employers.
When does Northrop Grumman report its employee count?
Once a year, in the Human Capital section of its Form 10-K, filed in late January. The count is as of December 31. The latest is about 95,000 at December 31, 2025, from the 10-K filed January 27, 2026. The same paragraph gives the number of employees hired that year, and a separate paragraph covers union agreements.