# What is company data worth per employee? Benchmarks from 12 deals

> What companies were paid for their data per employee: a median of about $20.5K across 12 deals, from $12.8K to $52.9K. By industry, with method and data.

Canonical: https://origindatapartners.com/guides/company-data-value-per-employee
By: Origin Data Partners
Status: Published
Published: 2026-11-07
Updated: 2026-11-07
Sources checked: 2026-11-07

## Quick answer

In 12 deals Origin helped place where headcount is known, companies were paid a median of about $20,458 per employee for licensing their records, with a range from $12,778 to $52,857 per employee. The highest was a 35-person medical imaging company at $52,857 per employee; the lowest a 45-person accounting and tax firm at $12,778. Headcount is a rough guide only: the records, their history and the rights you hold set the price.

## Key points

- Median: about $20,458 paid per employee across 12 deals.
- Range: $12,778 to $52,857 per employee.
- Small companies were not penalized: a 10-person field service contractor was paid $23,500 per employee.
- Expert-labeled, regulated records sat at the top: medical imaging, then mortgage lending.

## How much is company data worth per employee?

About $20,458 per employee at the median, in the deals Origin helped place. Dividing each payment by the company's headcount gives a figure owners can compare with their own size. The table lists every deal with a known headcount, highest first.

| Company, anonymized | Employees | Payment received | Per employee |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Medical imaging company | 35 | $1,850,000 | $52,857 |
| Mortgage lender | 38 | $1,150,000 | $30,263 |
| Field service contractor | 10 | $235,000 | $23,500 |
| Insurance firm | 57 | $1,300,000 | $22,807 |
| Aviation company | 25 | $537,000 | $21,480 |
| Construction contractor | 15 | $320,000 | $21,333 |
| Accounting and tax firm | 12 | $235,000 | $19,583 |
| Call center | 50 | $905,000 | $18,100 |
| Trucking and logistics company | 75 | $1,230,000 | $16,400 |
| Manufacturer | 47 | $730,000 | $15,532 |
| Trucking and logistics company | 23 | $355,000 | $15,435 |
| Accounting and tax firm | 45 | $575,000 | $12,778 |


## Which industries were paid the most per employee?

The medical imaging company led at $52,857 per employee. Its records were de-identified imaging studies paired with signed reports, a scarce, expert-labeled data type. The mortgage lender followed at $30,263 per employee, with years of underwriting conditions and QC reviews tied to loan outcomes.

Field service, insurance, aviation and construction companies clustered between $21,000 and $24,000 per employee: their work orders, claim files, maintenance records and change orders tie a problem to its resolution. The call center, the trucking companies, the manufacturer and the larger accounting firm sat between about $12,800 and $18,100 per employee, though each still received a six- or seven-figure payment.

This is a small sample. Treat the industry pattern as a signal, not a price list.


## Do small companies get paid less for their data?

Not per employee. The 10-person field service contractor was paid $235,000, or $23,500 per employee, more per head than the 75-person trucking company. What moved the number was the type of record, the years it covered and how well records link a task to its outcome, not headcount.


## How to use these numbers to estimate your own company

Multiply your headcount by the range for a first, rough bracket: a 30-person company would land between about $383,340 and $1,585,710 on these figures. Then adjust for what actually drives price: years of continuous records, linkage between systems, rights and personal information, and exclusivity. See [what drives the value of company data](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/company-data-value).

For a range based on your own records rather than headcount, the [free six-question estimate](https://origindatapartners.com/check-fit) needs no files or system access.


## Method and limits

Data: deals Origin helped place, published as anonymized [case studies](https://origindatapartners.com/case-studies), limited to the 12 where the company's headcount is known. Per-employee value is the payment received divided by headcount at the time of the deal. Company and buyer names are private.

Limits: a small sample from one data partner, so not representative of the whole market; one payment per company; no adjustment for years of history or exclusivity. Public reference points sit on both sides: about $25,000 was reported for one closed startup's code base, and a $10 million winning bid for a bankrupt airline's emails and chats is awaiting court approval (see the [AI data licensing deals tracker](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/ai-data-licensing-deals)).

Download the rows as a [CSV](https://origindatapartners.com/downloads/company-data-value-per-employee.csv) (CC BY 4.0). To cite: Origin Data Partners, "What is company data worth per employee?", origindatapartners.com, November 2026.


## Questions and answers

### How much is company data worth per employee?

In 12 deals Origin helped place, the median was about $20,458 per employee, with a range from $12,778 to $52,857. The type of records and how many years they cover matter more than headcount.

### How much can a small business get for its data?

Small companies were paid six figures in these deals: a 10-person field service contractor and a 12-person accounting firm were each paid $235,000, and a 15-person construction contractor $320,000.

### Which industries get paid the most for their data?

In this sample, a medical imaging company and a mortgage lender were paid the most per employee, followed by a field service contractor and an insurance firm. Their records pair expert decisions with outcomes over many years.

### Is headcount a good way to value company data?

Only as a first bracket. Two companies of the same size can be paid very different amounts depending on the records, their history, the rights held and the scope of the license.

### How was the per-employee figure calculated?

Payment received divided by the company's headcount at the time of the deal, for each deal Origin helped place where headcount is known.

### Can I use this data?

Yes. The rows are available as a CSV under CC BY 4.0; cite Origin Data Partners with a link to this page.

### Are these numbers a quote for my company?

No. They are individual outcomes, not a forecast. A buyer evaluates your records and proposes its own terms.

### How do I find out what my company's data is worth?

Start with the free six-question estimate at origindatapartners.com/check-fit. It needs no files or system access.

## Cite this data

Origin Data Partners, "What is company data worth per employee? Benchmarks from 12 deals", updated 2026-11-07. https://origindatapartners.com/guides/company-data-value-per-employee

Free to cite and reuse with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0).

- [company-data-value-per-employee.csv](https://origindatapartners.com/downloads/company-data-value-per-employee.csv)

## Sources

- [Origin Data Partners: case studies, deals Origin helped place](https://origindatapartners.com/case-studies)
- [Origin Data Partners: anonymized paid outcomes](https://origindatapartners.com/about#paid-outcomes)
- [Origin Data Partners: AI data licensing deals tracker](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/ai-data-licensing-deals)
- [Origin Data Partners: what AI buyers publish for company data (2026 study)](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/ai-company-data-buyer-programs-study)
- [Reuters: Google to buy Spirit Airlines business data for $10 million (Aug 2026)](https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/google-buy-spirit-airlines-business-data-10-million-2026-08-17/)
- [MIT Technology Review: AI labs buying data from dead startups (Oct 2026)](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/10/13/1145755/ai-labs-buying-data-from-dead-startups-to-train-models/)

## Related reading

- [/case-studies](https://origindatapartners.com/case-studies)
- [How much do AI companies pay for company data?](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/company-data-value)
- [AI data licensing deals tracker: who paid what, 2023 to 2026](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/ai-data-licensing-deals)
- [/check-fit](https://origindatapartners.com/check-fit)