A study by Smallbusinessprices.co.uk analyses the world’s most profitable companies to find out which businesses and industries produce the most revenue per employee (R/E).
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- Companies in the Wholesaler sector have an average revenue per employee of $6m - the highest income across all sectors
- McDonald’s ranks in 10th place in the US, with the lowest revenue per employee of only $100K
- With 383 employees, Rajesh Exports, a wholesaler company in India, has the world’s highest revenue per employee of £65.6M
A new study by Smallbusinessprices.co.uk takes an in-depth look at the world’s most profitable companies to find out which businesses and industries produce the most revenue per employee. You can view the graphic here.
Employees are the backbone of any successful company and one way to measure the success of a company’s workforce is to disclose how much revenue is produced per employee.
A company wants the highest ratio of revenue per employee possible because a higher ratio indicates a greater productivity. The table below highlights the top ten companies in the US that produce the most revenue per employee:
| Company Name | Sector | Revenue | Number of Employees | (R/E) |
| 1. A-Mark Precious | Materials | $7.6B | 184 | $41.3M |
| 2. INTL FCStone | Finance | $27.6B | 1,701 | $16.2M |
| 3. Fannie Mae | Finance | $120.1B | 7,400 | $16.2M |
| 4. Freddie Mac | Finance | $73.6B | 6,621 | $11.1M |
| 5. Valero Energy | Energy | $111.4B | 10,261 | $10.9M |
| 6. PBF Energy | Energy | $27.2B | 3,266 | $8.3M |
| 7. Amerisourcebergen | Health Care | $167.9B | 20,500 | $8.2M |
| 8. Phillips 66 | Energy | $114.2B | 14,200 | $8M |
| 9. World Fuel Services | Energy | $39.8B | 5,000 | $8M |
| 10. NGL Energy Partners | Energy | $17.3B | 2,400 | $7.2M |
Table 1. Highlights the top ten companies in the US with the highest valued employees
At the other end of the scale is Yum China Holdings, a restaurant company who have exclusive right to operate and sub-license the KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands in China, with an employee count of 450,000 and each employee worth just $18.7.
These are the ten US companies with the lowest revenue per employee:
| Company Name | Sector | Revenue | Number of Employees | (R/E) |
| 1. Yum China Holdings | Hotel, Restaurants & Leisure | $8.4B | 450,000 | $18.7K |
| 2. Darden Restaurants | Hotel, Restaurants & Leisure | $8.1B | 180,656 | $44.7K |
| 3. ABM Industries | Business Services | $6.4B | 140,000 | $46K |
| 4. Hilton Worldwide Holdings | Hotel, Restaurants & Leisure | $8.9B | 169,000 | $52.7K |
| 5. Cognizant Technology Solutions | Technology | $16.1B | 281,600 | $57.3K |
| 6. Aramark | Business Services | $15.8B | 227,200 | $69.5K |
| 7. Starbucks | Hotel, Restaurants & Leisure | $24.7B | 291,000 | $84.9K |
| 8. Synnex | Wholesalers | $20.1B | 231,600 | $86.6K |
| 9. Hanesbrands | Apparel | $6.8B | 68,000 | $100.1K |
| 10. Mc Donald’s | Hotel, Restaurants & Leisure | $21B | 210,000 | $100.1K |
Table 2. Highlights the ten companies in the US with the lowest valued employees
The World's Highest Revenue Per Employee
As part of the research, Smallbusinesprices.co.uk also analysed the Fortune Global 500 to find the companies and industries with the highest and lowest revenue per employee.
- Rajesh Exports – Leading the way is Rajesh Exports, with 383 employees and a revenue of over $25.1 billion, each employee is worth $65.6 million.
- Trafigura Group – Based in Singapore, the Trafigura Group employs 4,316 people with a revenue figure of $41.9 million per employee.
- INTL FCStone – Ranking in third place with a revenue of $27.6 billion, INTL FCStone’s 1,701 employees are worth $16.2 million each.
Taking an in-depth look at the sectors that are producing the most revenue per employee, it is clear that energy companies are leading the way. On average the Energy sector makes at least three times more per employee than any other sector:
| Sector | Average of (R/E) |
| 1. Wholesalers | $6,042,293 |
| 2. Energy | $2,069,595 |
| 3. Finance | $1,395,353 |
| 4. Health Care | $1,146,847 |
| 5. Chemicals | $875,801 |
Table 3. Highlights the ten sectors globally with the highest revenue per employee
In huge contrast, ranking in 20th with a revenue of $300k per employee the transportation sector has the lowest revenue.
Ian Wright, Founder of SmallBusinessPrices.co.uk comments: “Calculating a company’s revenue per employee is a great way to identify a company’s efficiency and productivity levels. The higher the number, the more money a business is making with fewer employees. Wholesalers Rajesh Exports is a great example of this.
The research shows that 383 employees working there generate over $65.6 million each - that is 1.5 times more than any other company.
This study is not just great for business owners looking to see how they compare to others in their industries but for those also looking to invest.”
To find out more the companies and industries with the highest revenue per employee visit Smallbusinesspricess.co.uk.
Methodology
Using a seed list from Fortune 500 and Share.com, we were able to look at the top performing companies revenue figures and compared this to their number of employees. By dividing the revenue figure by number of employees we were able to calculate how much each employee is worth.
In addition, each relevant company has been combined into an average to show average sector revenue per employee per sector. This has been completed with pivot tables, using ""Sector"" for rows and ""Revenue per Employee"" for Values, set to summarise by average.
Data collected on 9/04/2020 - 14/04/2020
About Smallbusinessprices.co.uk
Small Business Prices helps small business owners in the UK to find and compare accurate pricing information across a wide range of products and services, to help them choose the best assets to grow their business. Small Business Prices aim to make these pricing options as transparent as possible for its customers by providing a range of detailed guides, from business loans, credit cards providers, mortgage and insurance providers.
