Have you heard about reusable rockets, Starship, Falcon Heavy, Starlink, Crew Dragon, and Human Spaceflight?

These collectively showcase SpaceX’s achievements and technological advancements in the space industry.

SpaceX aims to make space exploration more sustainable and accessible.

Do you want to know how many employees does SpaceX have in 2024?

Let’s dive right in!

Key Statistics

  • SpaceX has an estimated 12,000 employees, up from 9,500 in 2021.
  • There were approximately 160 SpaceX employees in 2005.
  • More than half of SpaceX employees have a Bachelor’s Degree. About 25% are Mechanical Engineering majors.
  • Senior Technologist is the highest-paying job at SpaceX, with an average salary of more than $100,000 annually.
  • In the US, the average salary of SpaceX employees is around $52,000 annually, equivalent to an hourly rate of $25.
  • The average salary of SpaceX employees in the IT department is almost $65,000 annually.
  • 49.8% of employees at SpaceX are White.
  • 38% of SpaceX employees work for less than a year.

How Many Employees Does SpaceX Have in 2024?

How Many Employees Does SpaceX Have

SpaceX is a private company that builds rockets and spaceships.

It plays a significant role in advancing space exploration and revolutionizing the space industry through reusable rocket technology and ambitious plans for future space missions. 

How many employees does SpaceX have in 2023? Based on the recent report, there are an estimated 12,000 employees at SpaceX, up from 9,500 employees in 2021 and 160 employees in 2005.

SpaceX had the most job postings in the commercial space industry from 2019 to 2022, accounting for 9,304.

Number of SpaceX Employees Per Year

Here are the numbers of SpaceX employees from 2005 to 2022:

  • There were around 160 SpaceX employees in 2005
  • There were around 4,000 SpaceX employees in 2016
  • There were around 5,000 SpaceX employees in 2018
  • There were around 6,000 SpaceX employees in 2019
  • There were around 8,000 SpaceX employees in 2020
  • There were around 9,500 SpaceX employees in 2021
  • There were around 12,000 SpaceX employees in 2022

What is SpaceX?

Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, commonly known as SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company founded by Elon Musk in 2002.

It develops reusable rockets to reduce the cost of space travel.

Aside from that, it also focuses on innovative approaches to spaceflight.

The company has been enlisted by NASA for various missions, including the development of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, designed for transporting astronauts to and from the space station and resupplying the International Space Station.

It is also working on ambitious projects like Starlink and Starship.

SpaceX Jobs

SpaceX has posted the highest number of job posters compared to other companies in the commercial space industry.

It hires many employees in various departments, especially in Software and IT, Engineering, Manufacturing and Production, Sales, and Management.

According to Zippia’s data, Senior Technologist is the highest-paying job at SpaceX.

About 54.7% of the employees have a Bachelor’s Degree.

24.9% of these employees are Mechanical Engineering majors, and 15% are Business majors.

Around 18.7% are Aerospace and Electrical Engineering majors.

Highest-Paying SpaceX Jobs 

Below are the highest-paying SpaceX jobs with their average annual salary:

  • Senior Technologist – with an average salary of $103,557 annually
  • Process Improvement Manager – with an average salary of $101,497 annually
  • Senior Mechanical Engineer – with an average salary of $100,766 annually
  • CMM Programmer – with an average salary of $85,821 annually
  • Team Leader – with an average salary of $82,614 annually
  • Stress Analyst – with an average salary of $78,924 annually
  • Manufacturing Engineer – with an average salary of $78,637 annually
  • Facilities Manager – with an average salary of $76,212 annually

Average Salary of SpaceX Employees

In the United States, the average salary of SpaceX employees is $52,155 annually, equivalent to an hourly rate of $25.07.

However, average salaries vary based on the department and position. 

The IT department offers the highest average salary, accounting for $64,958 annually.

The Engineering department comes right after, with an average salary of $64,920 annually.

On the other hand, Warehouse and the Facilities department offer the lowest average salary, accounting for around $37,000 to $45,000.

Average Salary Per Department

Here is the list of the average salary of SpaceX employees per department:

  • The average salary of SpaceX employees in the IT department is $64,958 annually
  • The average salary of SpaceX employees in the Engineering department is $64,920 annually
  • The average salary of SpaceX employees in the Human Resources department is $60,995 annually
  • The average salary of SpaceX employees in the Construction department is $60,563 annually
  • The average salary of SpaceX employees in the Supply Chain department is $52,653 annually
  • The average salary of SpaceX employees in the Retail department is $51,306 annually
  • The average salary of SpaceX employees in the Plant/Manufacturing department is $50,988 annually

Employees of SpaceX by Ethnicity

According to Zippia, most employees of SpaceX are White, accounting for roughly 50%.

Hispanic or Latino comes next, accounting for 25%.

Let’s take a look at the percentages of SpaceX employees by ethnicity:

  • 49.8% of SpaceX employees are White
  • 25.6% of SpaceX employees are Hispanic or Latino
  • 10.8% of SpaceX employees are Asian
  • 8.5% of SpaceX employees are Black or African American
  • 5.2% of SpaceX employees are unidentified

SpaceX Employee Demographics

SpaceX employees are primarily male, aged between 20 to 40 years old.

More than 86% are male, while less than 14% are female.

This industry is known for its innovative nature, which appeals to younger and middle-aged professionals eager to work on cutting-edge projects.

This age group often acquired specialized knowledge and skills through formal education and training.

Here is the age distribution of SpaceX employees:

  • 7% of SpaceX employees are less than 20 years old
  • 76% of SpaceX employees are 20 to 40 years old
  • 17% of SpaceX employees are more than 40 years old

How Long Do SpaceX Employees Stay at the Company?

SpaceX is known for its fast-paced work environment, focusing on pushing the boundaries of space technology.

Some employees thrive in this dynamic environment and prefer to stay for longer years. 

However, the majority of the employees choose to explore opportunities or pursue different career paths in less than a year.

Employee retention can often be influenced by job satisfaction, personal goals, work-life balance, and professional development opportunities.

SpaceX Employee Stay

SpaceX Employee Stay

The following are the number of years SpaceX employees stay at the company:

  • 38% of SpaceX employees stay for less than a year
  • 23% of SpaceX employees stay for 1-2 years
  • 6% of SpaceX employees stay for 3-4 years
  • 17% of SpaceX employees stay for 5-7 years
  • 11% of SpaceX employees stay for 8-10 years
  • 6% of SpaceX employees stay for more than 10 years

Conclusion

SpaceX is an innovative company that has made vital contributions to space exploration and transportation.

It has redefined the possibilities of space travel by focusing on technological advancements, innovation, the development of reusable rockets, and ambitious projects.

The company has approximately 12,000 employees today.

The majority of them are White men aged 20 to 40.

That’s all about how many employees SpaceX has in 2024 and other notable SpaceX employee statistics.

Sources

Use Sign HouseForbesLight Cast
CourseraZippiaZippia
TechTargetSpace