> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.kernel.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.kernel.ai/data/firmographics/headcount.md).

# Headcount

{% embed url="<https://pub-8e1d08f439ec43bdbb79f1055a273a02.r2.dev/headcount-87274624.mp4>" %}

Headcount looks simple until you define the entity and the scope. Kernel treats it as a researched firmographic field: <mark style="background-color:$success;">the number of people directly employed by the company and on its payroll.</mark>

It is headcount, not FTE. Kernel does not count contractors, consultants, agency workers, franchise employees, gig workers, or everyone connected to a brand. If a subsidiary has its own payroll, those employees belong to that subsidiary. They are not automatically counted as direct employees of the parent legal entity.

## How Kernel determines headcount

Kernel starts from the resolved entity: legal name, trading name, website, LinkedIn profile, entity category, parent structure, and regional scope.

It then checks available evidence across official filings, annual reports, company websites, investor pages, press releases, credible news, public registry data, LinkedIn company data, and other supporting sources.

Each source has tradeoffs.

* Filings are strong when they report the right scope and are current, but often report a consolidated group.
* Company websites can be useful but may be rounded or stale.
* LinkedIn can help, but associated profile counts and size ranges are not treated as truth by default.

Kernel weighs the evidence by source quality, recency, entity scope, geography, industry, age, and growth profile. When no reliable direct figure exists, Kernel estimates the value and marks it as estimated.

## Key data points

| Label                  | Description                                                                                                |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Entity headcount       | Payroll headcount for the resolved legal entity.                                                           |
| Consolidated headcount | Headcount for the entity plus its subsidiaries, when available.                                            |
| Recommended headcount  | The recommended value guides you on whether to use entity- or consolidated headcount based on the account. |
| Confidence             | How strong the supporting evidence is.                                                                     |
| Reasoning              | Explanation of the source, date, scope, method, and caveats.                                               |

### **Entity/Consolidated/Recommended**

Kernel keeps the value and its scope separate before choosing a CRM-ready recommendation.

<figure><img src="/files/UkMnKAqhNvioTnxQDc81" alt="Diagram of entity-level, consolidated, and Kernel&#x27;s recommended headcount scope, shown on the Alphabet and Google LLC hierarchy"><figcaption><p>Entity-level and consolidated headcount describe different scopes. Recommended is the value Kernel maps to the primary CRM field.</p></figcaption></figure>

| Term         | Meaning                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Entity       | The value for the resolved legal entity itself. For headcount, this means direct payroll headcount for that entity. For revenue, this means annual revenue attributable to that entity.                                                                                          |
| Consolidated | The value for the entity plus its subsidiaries, when a reliable group-level value is available. This is useful when the account is a parent or holding company and the standalone entity does not reflect the scale of the operating group below it.                             |
| Recommended  | <p>Kernel chooses either Entity or Consolidated depending on the entity.</p><p>For most operating companies, this is the entity value. For holding companies or group parents, Kernel may recommend the consolidated value because it better represents the account's scale.</p> |

The reasoning field explains which scope Kernel selected and why.

See the [Kernel Account object reference](/integrations/salesforce-integration/kernel-account-object-reference.md#headcount) for field types and help text.