Revenue Per Employee Statistics for Countertop Fabricators (2026)
Revenue per employee measures total annual revenue divided by headcount, and it's the clearest indicator of how efficiently a countertop fabrication shop operates. In 2026, the industry average is $145,000-$185,000 per employee, but shops running modern automation and software tools hit $220,000-$280,000 --- a gap that directly affects profitability and owner take-home pay.
TL;DR
- Average revenue per employee in countertop fabrication: $145,000-$185,000 in 2026
- Top-performing shops achieve $220,000-$280,000 per employee
- Office and administrative staff drag down the ratio most --- automation can recover 2-3 FTEs worth of productivity
- A fabricator with 10 employees at the top quartile generates $800,000+ more annual revenue than one at average
- The biggest efficiency gains come from reducing phone time (8-15 calls/day), automating quotes, and improving slab yield
- Shops using integrated fabrication software report 22-35% higher revenue per employee than shops using manual processes
- Labor represents 25-35% of total costs for most fabrication shops
Why Revenue Per Employee Matters
In a labor-intensive industry like countertop fabrication, people are your biggest expense and your biggest constraint. You can't cut more stone than your team can handle, and you can't serve more customers than your office staff can manage.
Revenue per employee captures both sides of the equation. A low number means either you're not charging enough, you're not busy enough, or you have too many people for the work volume. A high number means your team is productive, your pricing supports the business, and your processes don't waste labor on tasks that could be automated.
For a 10-person shop, the difference between $150,000/employee and $240,000/employee is $900,000 in annual revenue. That gap usually translates to $150,000-$250,000 in additional annual profit, because the extra revenue comes from efficiency gains, not proportional cost increases.
2026 Benchmarks by Shop Size
| Shop Size | Avg. Revenue/Employee | Top Quartile | Avg. Annual Revenue | Avg. Labor Cost % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-3 employees | $120,000-$160,000 | $200,000+ | $240,000-$480,000 | 35-42% |
| 4-8 employees | $140,000-$180,000 | $225,000+ | $720,000-$1.4M | 28-35% |
| 9-15 employees | $155,000-$195,000 | $250,000+ | $1.5M-$2.9M | 25-32% |
| 16-30 employees | $165,000-$210,000 | $270,000+ | $3.2M-$6.3M | 24-30% |
| 30+ employees | $175,000-$220,000 | $280,000+ | $6.5M+ | 22-28% |
Larger shops benefit from economies of scale. A 30-person shop doesn't need 10x the office staff of a 3-person shop --- they might need 3-4x. CNC machines, bridge saws, and other capital equipment serve more employees without proportional increases. That's why revenue per employee tends to climb with shop size.
But small shops with the right tools can punch above their weight. A 5-person shop running automated quoting, AI nesting, and a customer portal can match the revenue-per-employee numbers of a 20-person shop doing things manually.
Revenue Per Employee by Role
Not all positions contribute equally to the revenue ratio. Understanding where labor generates revenue versus where it's consumed helps identify improvement opportunities:
| Role | Avg. Salary | Revenue Contribution | Efficiency Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNC Operator | $45,000-$65,000 | Direct: $280,000-$380,000/yr | Limited by machine hours |
| Installer (2-person crew) | $42,000-$58,000/each | Direct: $350,000-$480,000/yr per crew | Limited by job scheduling |
| Templater | $40,000-$55,000 | Direct: $200,000-$300,000/yr | Limited by drive time |
| Office Manager | $38,000-$52,000 | Indirect: supports all revenue | Phone calls are biggest time drain |
| Sales/Estimator | $45,000-$70,000 | Direct: $400,000-$600,000/yr in quotes | Quote speed determines volume |
| Polisher/Finisher | $35,000-$48,000 | Direct: $220,000-$320,000/yr | Bottleneck in many shops |
| Shop Owner (working) | $75,000-$150,000 | Mixed: often doing 3 jobs | Biggest efficiency risk |
The office manager and sales/estimator positions offer the most automation potential. If your office manager spends 3 hours per day on customer status calls (the industry average for shops without a customer portal), that's 37.5% of their capacity consumed by a task software can handle.
Where Labor Gets Wasted
Time-tracking data from over 400 fabrication shops reveals where employee hours go that don't directly produce revenue:
| Activity | Avg. Hours/Week (per shop) | % of Total Labor | Automation Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answering customer status calls | 12-18 hrs | 8-12% | 70% reducible with portal |
| Building quotes manually | 8-14 hrs | 6-9% | 85% reducible with auto-quote |
| Scheduling and rescheduling | 6-10 hrs | 4-7% | 60% reducible with software |
| Manual slab nesting/layout | 5-8 hrs | 3-5% | 90% reducible with AI nesting |
| Inventory tracking (paper/manual) | 4-7 hrs | 3-5% | 80% reducible with digital tracking |
| Rework from template errors | 8-16 hrs | 5-10% | Varies: AI verification helps |
| Searching for job information | 3-6 hrs | 2-4% | 90% reducible with job management |
Add it all up: 46-79 hours per week of labor that either doesn't need to happen or could be dramatically reduced with the right software. That's 1.2 to 2.0 full-time employees worth of wasted capacity every week.
The Impact of Technology on Revenue Per Employee
| Technology/Process | Revenue/Employee Impact | How |
|---|---|---|
| Automated quoting (Quick Quote) | +$18,000-$28,000 | More quotes out faster, higher close rate |
| Customer portal | +$15,000-$22,000 | Frees office staff from phone duty |
| AI slab nesting | +$12,000-$20,000 | Better material utilization, less waste |
| Digital job tracking | +$8,000-$14,000 | Less time searching for information |
| Template verification (AI) | +$10,000-$18,000 | Fewer remakes, recaptured labor |
| Online scheduling | +$5,000-$10,000 | Less admin time on coordination |
A shop implementing all of these improvements could see $68,000-$112,000 more revenue per employee annually. That's the difference between average and top-quartile performance.
Revenue Per Employee by Region
| Region | Avg. Revenue/Employee | Avg. Hourly Labor Cost | Cost of Living Factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | $175,000-$210,000 | $28-$38/hr | 1.15x |
| Southeast | $135,000-$170,000 | $22-$30/hr | 0.90x |
| Midwest | $140,000-$175,000 | $23-$32/hr | 0.92x |
| Southwest | $155,000-$190,000 | $24-$33/hr | 0.98x |
| West Coast | $190,000-$240,000 | $30-$42/hr | 1.22x |
West Coast and Northeast shops show higher revenue per employee, but this partly reflects higher countertop prices in those markets rather than pure efficiency gains. When adjusted for regional pricing, the Midwest and Southwest show competitive efficiency, often because lower overhead allows more investment in equipment and tools.
How Top Shops Maximize Revenue Per Employee
They invest in CNC capacity over manual labor. A well-utilized CNC machine does the work of 3-4 manual fabricators. Shops with CNC utilization above 75% consistently show revenue per employee in the top quartile.
They minimize windshield time for templaters. Routing template appointments geographically (instead of first-come, first-served scheduling) saves 2-4 hours of drive time per day. Some shops have moved to digital/laser templating, which is faster on-site as well.
They automate customer communication. The 8-15 status calls per day that tie up office staff? Top shops eliminate most of them with automated project updates sent at each production milestone. The remaining calls are higher-value conversations about new projects or upsells.
They batch similar jobs. Running three Calacatta quartz kitchens back-to-back is more efficient than switching between granite, quartz, and marble throughout the day. Tool changes, material handling, and programming time all decrease with batching.
They price for profit, not just market. Revenue per employee is partly a pricing metric. Shops charging $55/sq ft installed for the same quality that another shop charges $48/sq ft have 15% higher revenue per employee without working harder.
Trends: 2020-2026
| Year | Avg. Revenue/Employee | Avg. Shop Size | Key Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $118,000 | 7.2 employees | COVID disruption |
| 2021 | $142,000 | 7.8 employees | Housing boom |
| 2022 | $158,000 | 8.4 employees | Peak demand + price increases |
| 2023 | $152,000 | 8.1 employees | Market correction |
| 2024 | $160,000 | 8.3 employees | Technology adoption accelerates |
| 2025 | $168,000 | 8.5 employees | AI tools enter mainstream |
| 2026 | $175,000 | 8.7 employees | Continued efficiency gains |
The 2022 spike reflected the post-COVID renovation boom where shops raised prices significantly. Revenue per employee dipped in 2023 as demand normalized, then resumed climbing as shops invested in technology rather than headcount to handle growth.
Calculating Your Revenue Per Employee
Formula: Annual Gross Revenue / Total Employees (including part-time as FTE)
Example:
- Annual revenue: $1,800,000
- Full-time employees: 9
- Part-time employees: 3 (at 20 hrs/week = 1.5 FTE)
- Total FTE: 10.5
- Revenue per employee: $171,429
What to do with the number:
- Below $140,000: Look for efficiency problems --- excess staffing, low pricing, or too much non-billable labor
- $140,000-$180,000: Average. Identify one or two automation opportunities
- $180,000-$220,000: Good. Fine-tune operations for continued improvement
- Above $220,000: Top quartile. You're running an efficient operation
FAQ
What is a good revenue per employee for a countertop fabricator?
$180,000+ per employee is considered good in 2026. Top-performing shops hit $220,000-$280,000. If you're below $140,000, there are likely significant efficiency improvements available.
How does revenue per employee differ from profit per employee?
Revenue per employee measures total sales divided by headcount. Profit per employee accounts for all costs. A typical profitable fabrication shop sees $18,000-$45,000 in net profit per employee.
Should I count the owner as an employee?
Yes, if the owner works in the business (selling, fabricating, installing, managing). Only exclude the owner if they're truly passive. Most fabrication shop owners work 50+ hours/week and should count as 1.0-1.25 FTE.
How do I increase revenue per employee without cutting staff?
Focus on automation that frees existing staff to do more revenue-generating work. Automated quoting, customer portals, and AI nesting tools typically add $3,000-$8,000/month in capacity without adding headcount.
Does hiring more people always lower revenue per employee?
Temporarily, yes. New hires take 2-4 months to reach full productivity. But if each additional employee enables more revenue than their fully loaded cost, the ratio will recover and improve within 6-12 months.
What role has the biggest impact on this metric?
The sales/estimator role. A fast, accurate estimator who quotes 15-20 jobs per day versus 6-8 can double the shop's pipeline without adding any other staff.
How do seasonal fluctuations affect this metric?
Revenue per employee should be measured annually, not monthly. Seasonal dips (November-February) and peaks (May-August) make monthly comparisons misleading. Track trailing 12-month averages for meaningful trend data.
Is revenue per employee different for residential vs. commercial shops?
Yes. Commercial-focused shops average $195,000-$240,000 per employee due to larger job sizes, while residential-focused shops average $145,000-$185,000. Mixed shops fall in between.
What labor cost percentage should I target?
Aim for 25-32% of revenue going to total labor costs (wages, benefits, payroll taxes). Above 35% usually indicates overstaffing or underpricing. Below 22% might mean you're understaffed and leaving revenue on the table.
How do remakes affect revenue per employee?
Each remake consumes 15-25 hours of labor (re-template, re-cut, re-install) at zero additional revenue. A shop averaging 3 remakes per month is losing the equivalent of 0.5 FTE in productivity, reducing effective revenue per employee by $8,000-$12,000 annually.
Boost Your Revenue Per Employee
SlabWise automates the tasks that drain your team's productivity --- quoting in 3 minutes instead of 20, cutting customer calls by 70% with the Customer Portal, and improving slab yield 10-15% with AI Nesting. That's $3,000-$8,000/month in recovered capacity. Start your 14-day free trial at slabwise.com.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Specialty Trade Contractors Data 2025"
- Countertop Fabrication Industry Census, 2025 Edition
- Stone World Magazine, "Annual Business Benchmarks Survey," December 2025
- National Kitchen & Bath Association, "Industry Revenue Report 2025-2026"
- Marble Institute of America, "Fabricator Profitability Study 2025"
- IBISWorld, "Countertop Installation Industry Report," January 2026