Office profile
Starbucks Headquarters & offices · Seattle, Washington
Starbucks · Seattle, Washington
Starbucks runs the company from a 1912 Sears catalog warehouse in SoDo — with a gym, a daycare and dry cleaning under the same roof.
The old Sears building, the perks and 55 years of addresses — from a 1,000 sq ft shop at Pike Place Market — then the pay. Every number from Starbucks' own filings, careers site and newsroom.
- 2.1M sq ftStarbucks Center, a former Sears building
- 230,000+partners got Bean Stock in FY2025
- 18 weeksfully paid leave for birth parents (U.S.)
- 100%of ASU online tuition covered
Sources: Form 10-K FY2025 · careers.starbucks.com/benefits · Nitze-Stagen “Starbucks Center” · Proxy statement 2026
Companies / United States / Restaurants & Coffee / Starbucks
THE HEADQUARTERS · STARBUCKS CENTER · SODO, SEATTLE
A 1912 Sears warehouse that became the Starbucks Support Center
The building was put up in 1912 by the Union Pacific Railroad to lure Sears, Roebuck & Co. to Seattle, with heavy timbers from the historic Yesler Mill. Today it is a 2.1 million sq ft mixed-use complex, and Starbucks' office inside it — the “Support Center” — has an on-site gym, daycare and dry cleaning, a coffee bar that serves every drink in a returnable cup, and the Tryer Center innovation lab.
- Built 1912 for Sears, Roebuck & Co.
- 2.1M sq ft on 17 acres
- On-site gym, daycare, dry cleaning
- Tryer Center lab (2018)
- SODO 8 café: returnable cups only
- In the office 4 days a week
Facts: Nitze-Stagen “Starbucks Center” (building manager) · careers.starbucks.com/benefits/perks · Starbucks Stories “Starbucks Expands Returnable Cup Program in Seattle” (2023, updated 2024) · Starbucks company timeline · careers.starbucks.com/discover-opportunities/corporate
Starbucks Center, SoDo
| Building | Address |
|---|---|
| Starbucks Center (headquarters) | 2401 Utah Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98134 |
| The original store (1976–today) | 1912 Pike Place, Seattle, WA 98101 |
Source: Form 10-K FY2025 cover · Proxy statement 2026 · Starbucks Stories “Inside the reimagined Starbucks Pike Place” (June 11, 2026) · See them on the map ↓
Source: Nitze-Stagen “Starbucks Center” (owner-manager) · Form 10-K FY2025, Item 2 (Seattle corporate administrative space) · Touch “Starbucks Tryer Center” project page · Starbucks company timeline. Wikipedia gives the building as 1.8 million sq ft; we use the manager's figure.
Office tour videos
Benefits (United States)
Company stock (RSUs) for eligible full- and part-time partners, granted every fall. More than 230,000 partners received a grant in FY2025.
A first-time online bachelor's degree at Arizona State University, 140+ degrees, for partners averaging 20+ hours a week.
Fully paid for birth parents; up to 12 weeks for non-birth parents (20+ hours a week).
Free therapy or coaching sessions a year for you and each eligible family member, plus Headspace.
Back-up care for kids and adults, a Care.com premium membership, and help with adoption, surrogacy and fertility costs.
Company match on retirement savings.
Buy shares quarterly with up to 10% of base pay, at 95% of the market price.
In-store discount, a free pound of coffee or box of tea every week, Spotify Premium, and up to $1,000 a year in matched donations.
Source: careers.starbucks.com/benefits (Health & Well-being, Financial Support, Perks) · Form 10-K FY2025 (Bean Stock grants, SCAP, parental leave, ESPP terms)
Why people stay: what Starbucks itself says
Since 1991 Starbucks has called employees “partners” because of Bean Stock. It was the first privately owned U.S. company to give stock options to part-timers too.
Starbucks' goal is to fill 90% of retail leadership roles internally, so hourly partners can build a career.
The College Achievement Plan covers a first-time online bachelor's degree at Arizona State University. Nearly 90% of U.S. stores have at least one partner enrolled.
Employee groups — such as the Armed Forces Network — that bring people with shared interests together and connect them with growth and service.
Regular anonymous surveys on leadership, pay and benefits, and career growth; results are shared with partners and reviewed by senior leaders.
Source: Form 10-K FY2025, Human Capital Management · about.starbucks.com “From Employees to Partners” · careers.starbucks.com (benefits, perks)
Who works here
people worldwide (Sept 28, 2025)
of them in the U.S.
stores, company-operated and licensed
of U.S. company-operated stores are unionized
Source: Form 10-K FY2025 (Item 1, Human Capital Management; store data). Last segment: ≈ 5,000 in regional support outside the U.S.
Pay at Starbucks
The median employee was a part-time barista in the U.S. The CEO earned 1,794 times this amount.
Source: Proxy statement 2026 (DEF 14A, filed January 2026), CEO pay ratio
U.S. companies don't have to report pay by age, and Starbucks doesn't.
Compare Starbucks with: McDonald's
Office history: from a 1,000 sq ft shop to an old Sears warehouse
- 1971 The first store, Pike Place Market
Three friends — Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker and Zev Siegl — opened a 1,000 sq ft (≈ 93 m²) shop selling whole-bean coffee, tea and spices, with one paid employee. It stood at 2000 Western Avenue.
Source: about.starbucks.com “Our Original Store” and “Our Founders” · address: Wikipedia
Pike Place, circa 1977 · Pike Place Market. See File talk:Pike Place Market - Starbuc / CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons - 1976 1912 Pike Place — the store everyone queues for
The shop moved a short walk away to 1912 Pike Place. The 960 sq ft (≈ 89 m²) store was reopened in June 2026 as “The 1912 Pike Place Experience”, with timed reservations instead of hours-long lines.
Source: Year: Wikipedia · Starbucks Stories “Inside the reimagined Starbucks Pike Place” (June 11, 2026)
1912 Pike Place, 2013 · Chris06 / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons - 1987 Il Giornale buys Starbucks
Howard Schultz's Il Giornale bought the Starbucks name, its roasting plant and six Seattle stores for $3.8 million raised from investors, and took the Starbucks name.
Source: about.starbucks.com “Il Giornale” · Starbucks company timeline
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - 1990 A bigger headquarters in Seattle
With 84 stores, Starbucks expanded its Seattle headquarters and wrote its first mission statement. A year later, Bean Stock was announced to employees at the Seattle roasting plant.
Source: Starbucks company timeline · about.starbucks.com/beanstock
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - 1993 Into the old Sears building in SoDo
Starbucks began moving its offices into the former Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog building on Utah Avenue South — built in 1912 and, after a 1914 addition, the largest structure west of Chicago.
Source: Year: Wikipedia · building: Nitze-Stagen “Starbucks Center”
Starbucks Center · Mannivu / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons - 1996–97 The building becomes “Starbucks Center”
In 1996 Starbucks leased about 302,000 sq ft (≈ 28,057 m²) of offices in Seattle, with options on 298,000 more. In June 1997 it became the main tenant and the SoDo Center was renamed Starbucks Center.
Source: Form 10-K FY1996, Item 2 · renaming: Wikipedia (citing Starbucks' press release of June 16, 1997)
Starbucks Center, Seattle · Original uploader was Wesley H. Brewton, Jr. at en.wikipedia / Public domain · Wikimedia Commons - 2003 Strengthened after the earthquake
After damage in the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, the building manager completed a full seismic upgrade in 2003 while keeping the historic structure.
Source: Nitze-Stagen “Starbucks Center” · Wikipedia
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - 2018 The Tryer Center lab opens
A 20,000 sq ft (≈ 1,858 m²) innovation lab at the Support Center where teams test ideas — aiming to go from idea to action in 100 days.
Source: Starbucks company timeline · Touch project page
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - 2025–26 Four days in the office, and Nashville
From fiscal 2026 support partners work in the office at least four days a week, and people leaders are based in Seattle or Toronto. In April 2026 Starbucks announced a $100 million second support office in Nashville for 2,000 jobs over five years; most support teams stay in Seattle.
Source: about.starbucks.com “Message from Brian: Reestablishing an in-office culture” (2025) · “Message from Sara: Expanding our presence in the Southeast” (April 21, 2026)
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it.
| Annual report | HQ space (sq ft) | m² | As described |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-K 1996 | 302,000 | 28,057 | Leased offices in Seattle (+ options on 298,000) |
| 10-K 2012 | 1,000,000 | 92,903 | Seattle, corporate administrative |
| 10-K 2016 | 1,135,000 | 105,445 | Seattle, corporate administrative |
| 10-K 2018 | 1,283,000 | 119,195 | Seattle, corporate administrative |
| 10-K 2022 | 1,145,000 | 106,374 | Seattle, corporate administrative |
| 10-K 2025 | 1,294,000 | 120,217 | Seattle, corporate administrative |
Map: how the headquarters moved
Starbucks has never left Seattle. Its whole story fits in about 3.5 km: from the first shop by Pike Place Market down to the old Sears building in SoDo.
- 1 · 19712000 Western Avenue — The first store, by Pike Place Market
- 2 · 19761912 Pike Place — The original store's home ever since
- 3 · 1993Starbucks Center, 2401 Utah Ave S — Headquarters in the former Sears building, SoDo
Addresses: about.starbucks.com, Form 10-K FY2025, Wikipedia (2000 Western Ave) · Coordinates from the street addresses
What Starbucks does
Starbucks roasts, sells and serves coffee. At the end of fiscal 2025 it had 40,990 stores — 21,514 run by the company and 19,476 licensed — and it also sells packaged coffee and ready-to-drink beverages in grocery stores.
Three reporting segments: North America, International, and Channel Development.
Where the money came from · Revenue by segment, FY2025
Source: Form 10-K FY2025, Item 1 and segment note
Source: Form 10-K FY2025 (fiscal year ended Sept 28, 2025) · about.starbucks.com/beanstock
Growth: revenue vs. people
$21.3B → $37.2B
254,000 → 381,000
Fiscal years end on the Sunday closest to Sept 30 (FY2025 ended Sept 28, 2025). Revenue and employees: Form 10-K for each year. Multiples calculated by eciffo.
Chief executives
Chairman and CEO. Joined from Chipotle and leads the “Back to Starbucks” plan.
Named CEO in 2022 to follow Schultz's interim term; stepped down on August 13, 2024.
Returned as interim CEO for the company's “Reinvention”.
CEO while Schultz became executive chairman.
Returned as CEO in 2008 to transform the company. He had first run Starbucks after Il Giornale bought it in 1987.
Founders: Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker and Zev Siegl (1971). Howard Schultz bought the company in 1987.
Source: about.starbucks.com (Niccol appointment, Aug 13, 2024; “Our Founders”; “Il Giornale”) · Starbucks company timeline
Starbucks: questions people ask
Where is Starbucks' headquarters?
At Starbucks Center, 2401 Utah Avenue South, Seattle, Washington 98134 — the former Sears, Roebuck & Co. building in the SoDo district. Starbucks calls its office the Starbucks Support Center.
Source: Form 10-K FY2025 cover · careers.starbucks.com
What was the Starbucks Center building before?
A Sears catalog warehouse. It was built in 1912 by the Union Pacific Railroad to bring Sears to Seattle, with an 800,000 sq ft addition in 1914, and Sears ran a store there from 1925 to 2014.
Source: Nitze-Stagen “Starbucks Center”
How big is Starbucks' headquarters?
The whole Starbucks Center is just over 2.1 million sq ft (≈ 195,096 m²) on 17 acres and has other tenants too. Starbucks reports about 1,294,000 sq ft (≈ 120,217 m²) of corporate office space in Seattle.
Source: Nitze-Stagen · Form 10-K FY2025, Item 2
What perks are there at the Seattle headquarters?
Starbucks says people at the Support Center have an on-site gym, daycare and dry cleaning. Its SODO 8 coffee bar has served every drink in a returnable cup since early 2022.
Source: careers.starbucks.com/benefits/perks · Starbucks Stories (2023, updated 2024)
Can you visit the original Starbucks?
Yes. The original store at 1912 Pike Place reopened in June 2026 as “The 1912 Pike Place Experience”: you book a time slot in person at the door (up to 48 hours ahead) instead of waiting in line.
Source: Starbucks Stories, June 11, 2026
Does Starbucks allow remote or hybrid work?
Support partners work in the office at least four days a week (Monday to Thursday) in Seattle, Toronto and North American regional offices. Some roles are fully remote and some fully in-office.
Source: about.starbucks.com “Message from Brian” (2025) · careers.starbucks.com/corporate
What benefits does Starbucks offer?
In the U.S.: Bean Stock (company stock), 100% tuition for an ASU online degree, up to 18 weeks of paid leave for birth parents, 20 free therapy sessions a year, a 401(k) match up to 5%, 30% off in stores and a free pound of coffee every week.
Source: careers.starbucks.com/benefits · Form 10-K FY2025
How much do Starbucks employees make?
The median employee — a part-time barista in the U.S. — earned $17,279 in total compensation in fiscal 2025. The CEO's pay was 1,794 times that.
Source: Proxy statement 2026
How many people work at Starbucks?
About 381,000 people worldwide on September 28, 2025, including about 223,000 in the U.S. Almost all of them work in stores.
Source: Form 10-K FY2025
Who is Starbucks' CEO?
Brian Niccol, chairman and CEO since September 9, 2024. He came from Chipotle.
Source: about.starbucks.com, Aug 13, 2024
You have seen the office, the benefits and the pay
Want to work at Starbucks?
See open jobs on Starbucks's careers site ↗Or keep exploring: compare these benefits and offices with other companies below.
Starbucks in our features
- Seattle area · 9 companies9 Company Headquarters in the Seattle Area
- History · 275 companiesThen and Now: 275 Companies’ Early Offices Next to Today’s Headquarters
- Video · 126 companiesOffice Tour Videos: Inside 126 Company Headquarters
- Benefits · 319 companiesPerks at 319 Big Companies: What They Offer to Keep People
- History · 130 companiesWhere 130 Famous Companies Started: Garages, Shops and One-Room Offices
You may also like
Also headquartered around Seattle
Food and drink brands
More company profiles
3MMaplewood, MinnesotaOffices, pay & benefits → 
ABN AMROAmsterdam, NetherlandsOffices, pay & benefits → 
AccentureDublin, IrelandOffices, pay & benefits → 
adidasHerzogenaurach, GermanyOffices, pay & benefits → 
AdobeSan Jose, CaliforniaOffices, pay & benefits → 
AdyenAmsterdam, NetherlandsOffices, pay & benefits → Photos are credited to their source. If you hold the rights or represent Starbucks and want a photo changed or removed, contact us. Updated 2026-10-10.
Starbucks's official social accounts
Newsroom accounts linked from about.starbucks.com.