How Many People Work at Applied Materials? Headcount and Employee Trends

Applied Materials is a semiconductor equipment and services provider that employs more than 11,000 people. Recent staffing data shows a nearly balanced flow of hiring and attrition, resulting in a marginal net headcount increase. The company continues to maintain a sizable workforce to support research, manufacturing, and customer service for chipmakers and display manufacturers across the globe.

Engineering is the largest function at Applied Materials with roughly 5,400 employees, accounting for close to half of the total workforce—a reflection of the firm’s focus on technology development and product innovation. Operations and Sales & Support follow, each representing about one-tenth of staff, underpinning manufacturing efficiency and customer engagement. Marketing & Product, Business Management, and Finance & Administration collectively make up around one-fifth of headcount, while smaller but essential groups such as IT, Program & Project Management, and Human Resources round out the organization. Hiring and attrition are distributed across departments, keeping the overall mix relatively stable.

Employee data indicates that nearly half of Applied Materials’ staff are spread across numerous smaller or undisclosed sites, highlighting a broad global footprint. Among named hubs, Austin, Texas hosts the largest concentration with about 1,500 employees, followed by multiple locations in California’s Silicon Valley—including the San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Fremont—which together account for more than 3,500 team members. Internationally, Bengaluru and sites in Israel add further engineering and support capacity, while additional personnel are based in Pflugerville, Texas. This distribution underscores the company’s blend of U.S. manufacturing centers and strategic global R&D sites.