Whole Foods Market team members to receive $230M in higher pay and expanded benefits

Key takeaways

We are investing more than $230 million in the year ahead, one of the most significant investments in our more than 100,000 Whole Foods Market team members to date.
Starting January 1, 2027, U.S. team members gain access to Amazon's industry-leading benefits, including new health, family, and financial support. Later in 2027, team members will also gain access to Career Choice, Amazon's education benefit that prepays tuition for college, skills training, and certifications.  
On September 28, U.S. Whole Foods Market hourly team members get a pay increase. The average store team member's total compensation is increasing to more than $29 an hour when including the value of their elected benefits.

Every year, my leadership team and I visit Whole Foods Market stores across the country to hear directly from team members about what’s on their minds. Those conversations matter deeply to me, and I leave each visit with a list of ways we can make things better—from improving a process to making bigger investments in team members’ growth and happiness. Team member feedback has shaped meaningful changes over the years—from our apprenticeship programs, which have helped more than 2,150 team members earn certifications in specialized skills like butchery and fishmongering, to the improved workplace tools we introduced earlier this year based on what team members told us they needed.

Over the years, what our team members have told us matters most is consistent. They want a clearer path for their pay to grow, more comprehensive health coverage, and expanded benefits for part-time roles. Today, I am proud to share the next step in investing in our team members: $230 million in higher pay, expanded benefits, and new programs supporting the health, families, and futures of more than 100,000 U.S. Whole Foods Market team members.

Stronger, more comprehensive health coverage from day one

Starting January 1, 2027, U.S. Whole Foods Market team members will gain access to Amazon's comprehensive benefits, making our offering one of the most competitive packages in the retail industry. Eligible full-time team members will have access to comprehensive health plans with options starting at $5 a week that provide affordable access to primary care and behavioral health providers with $5 copays. Eligible plans also include a One Medical membership with same-day and virtual doctor visits at no added cost. Amazon health plans generally have lower deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, too. Those who regularly use their care—particularly team members covering a family or managing ongoing health needs—stand to see the most meaningful savings, along with richer coverage like fertility and specialty care that many current Whole Foods Market plans don't include. With this move, the total value of benefits available to a full-time team member is rising by more than 75%, reflecting a significant expansion in the coverage, care, and resources behind them and their families.

A Whole Foods Market employee stocks the produce section.

Eligible team members also gain meaningful new support they've never had before. Company-paid short- and long-term disability insurance begins automatically at no cost. When they enroll in an Amazon medical plan, they gain fertility and family-building care, and cancer support and care navigation. Much of this coverage begins on a team member's first day on the job. For growing families, there is expanded, fully paid parental leave of up to 20 weeks for birthing parents and up to six weeks for supporting and adoptive parents.

Every hourly team member also gains benefits that make everyday life a little easier, including a free Amazon Prime membership (a $139 value each year), low-cost prescriptions through Amazon Pharmacy, and other extra savings. These new and expanded benefits are on top of what our team members already love, like our store team members' 20% in-store discount, one of the best in the industry.

For our part-time team members, this is a real step up. Nearly 20,000 team members working 20 or more hours a week will get dental and vision coverage, and free basic life insurance—benefits that are uncommon for part-time roles across the retail industry.

More pay, and a clear path for it to grow

We continue to invest in team member pay year after year, and today we are taking another meaningful step. Beginning September 28, every hourly store team member is getting more compensation. For our frontline team members, this also means a simpler, more reliable path for pay to grow, with predictable increases each year as they build time in their roles, replacing the previous performance-review-based model. Today's investment brings the average store team member wage to more than $21 an hour, and their total compensation to more than $29 an hour when you include the value of their elected benefits.

Growing with us and beyond

I am especially proud that Whole Foods Market team members will gain access to Career Choice later in 2027. Career Choice is Amazon's education benefit that prepays tuition for college, skills training, and certifications, so our people can keep building their skills and their careers. Since 2012, more than 300,000 Amazon employees have used this program to build new skills for high-demand careers. Career Choice adds to a long Whole Foods Market tradition of investing in our people and promoting from within. In 2025 alone, we promoted more than 12,700 store team members, and looking ahead, we plan to create thousands of new leadership positions over the next few years. 

Stronger for our people, customers, and communities

People sometimes ask me whether being part of Amazon has changed who we are. The answer is that it has let us lean even further into what has always made Whole Foods Market special. Since we joined Amazon, we have expanded our Quality Standards, growing the number of banned ingredients from around 80 to more than 500 across our stores. We've lowered prices and more than doubled promotions, making quality food more accessible to more customers. We have grown to more than 550 locations, with over 100 more in development, reaching more communities than ever. And we have invested in the well-being of our team members based on what they have told us, with this being the latest step in a long line of investments. 

After every one of my store visits, I leave reminded of something I have believed since day one: our team members are what make Whole Foods Market special. They are the people who know our customers by name, who bring our Quality Standards to life with deep expertise and craft, and who anchor us in the communities we serve. They, and their families, are why we do this work, and I feel genuinely lucky to work alongside this team.  
 
Whole Foods Market is in the best position in our 45-year history, and the more we grow, the more we can invest in the people who got us here. Our team members show up every day with care and expertise that no one can replicate. This investment is our way of showing up for them the way they show up for our customers and each other, every single day.

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