With its $447 billion in annual revenue, UnitedHealth Group is the world’s largest healthcare company, sitting just behind Walmart, Amazon, and Apple on the Fortune 500 list. It’s also one of just 30 companies included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, America’s oldest and arguably most prestigious stock market index.
Its reach is expansive. Approximately 148 million people receive care through its two businesses: UnitedHealthcare, a health insurance company, and Optum, a provider of medical care, pharmacy benefits, and health data analytics.
As you might expect, the insurance behemoth also has a fairly large employee footprint. Here’s a closer look at its global workforce, employee hubs, and layoffs.
How many employees does UnitedHealth Group have in 2026?
It takes an enormous workforce to run a healthcare operation this big: UnitedHealth Group employed more than 390,000 people worldwide as of December 31, 2025, making it one of the largest U.S.-based private employers in the world.
Optum, in particular, has become one of the largest employers of physicians in the U.S., with 90,000 doctors employed by or affiliated with the company as of 2024.
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What do UnitedHealth Group employees do?
UnitedHealth Group employees perform a wide range of functions across both businesses.
At UnitedHealthcare, employees process claims, support Medicare and retirement programs, manage health benefits, and assist members.
Optum’s workforce includes staff across departments like patient care, pharmacy benefits, data analytics, and health information technology services.
Where are UnitedHealth Group’s employees located?
UnitedHealth Group’s headquarters are located in Minnetonka and Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
The company also has offices in Cypress, California, Henrico, Virginia, Las Vegas, Nevada, Phoenix, Arizona, and Schaumburg, Illinois.
In addition, UNH has technology support centers in the Philippines and India, and administrative branches in the United Kingdom.
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Did UnitedHealth Group conduct layoffs?
According to Bloomberg, in early 2026, UnitedHealth Group told an “unspecified number of workers” that they were being laid off. Those who kept their jobs saw annual compensation increases of between 0% and 2%, based on performance.
The company’s actions stemmed from its decision to cut expenses, reduce its number of operating clinics, and, as reported by Bloomberg, “bolster flagging profits.”
In January 2026, UnitedHealth Group lowered its full-year revenue outlook after company shares fell 38% in 2025. It projected 2026 revenue of more than $439 billion, down roughly 2% from the $447.6 billion it booked in 2025 due to regulatory pressures, divestitures, and shrinking Medicaid memberships.
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But UnitedHealth Group showed signs of improvement as 2026 progressed. Through better management of its medical costs and the use of AI to streamline operations, the company raised its full-year guidance in July. It now expects 2026 adjusted earnings of $19.50 to $20 per share, up from its previous outlook.
“It shows that when we can do things the way we think they should be done,” CFO Wayne DeVeydt said, “…we can be both a solution and be profitable.”
Who was UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson?
In April 2021, Brian “BT” Thompson became CEO of UnitedHealthcare, where he managed more than 100,000 employees.
Thompson began his career as an accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He joined UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and spent nearly two decades working his way up its ranks, eventually leading its Medicare & Retirement division.
But on December 4, 2024, as Thompson walked into a Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference, he was shot and killed. He was 50 years old.
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Police arrested Luigi Mangione five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Mangione, a 26-year-old software engineer, later pleaded guilty to two federal counts of stalking resulting in Thompson’s death.
In courtroom documents, Mangione said back pain stemming from a chronic condition, along with his frustrations with the U.S. healthcare system, had motivated his actions. Authorities recovered a handwritten note from Mangione that detailed his anger toward the insurance industry, calling them “parasites” who “have simply gotten too powerful.”
Thompson’s murder unleashed a wave of fury from the general public — but much of it wasn’t directed at Mangione. Instead, it was directed at UnitedHealthcare. At the time of his death, Thompson was earning $10.2 million a year, while UnitedHealthcare’s operating profit exceeded $16 billion in 2023.
According to The New York Times, Thompson had “quietly steered the division through inquiries and criticism from congressional lawmakers and federal regulators who accused it of systematically denying authorization for health care procedures and treatments.”
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