COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP /NEW
Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American multinational corporation that operates a chain of membership-only big-box warehouse club retail stores. As of 2025, Costco is the third-largest retailer in the world, and as of August 2024, the world's largest retailer of beef, poultry, organic produce, and wine, with just under a third of American consumers regularly shopping at Costco warehouses. As of 2026, Costco is ranked 12th on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.
Basic company information
Each field links to its source. Financial figures retain their reporting periods; background references are identified in the source list.
- Ticker / security symbols
- COST [1]
- Listing exchanges
- Nasdaq [1]
- SEC industry
- Retail-Variety Stores [1]
- Business sectors
- retail [2]
- Company / filing name
- COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP /NEW [1]
- Headquarters location
- Issaquah [2]
- Business address
- 999 LAKE DRIVE, ISSAQUAH, WA, 98027- [1]
- Founded
- 1983 [2]
- Incorporation jurisdiction
- Washington, United States [1]
- Leadership in background record
- Ron Vachris [2]
- Founders
- James Sinegal; Jeffrey Brotman [2]
- Official website
- https://mobility.costco.ca; https://tires.costco.com/; https://www.costco.ca/; https://www.costco.co.jp/; https://www.costco.co.kr/; https://www.costco.co.nz/ [2]
- Employees
- 316,000 · reported year 2023 [2]
- Annual revenue
- USD 303,154,000,000 · 2025-09-01 to 2026-08-30 [3]
- Total assets
- USD 89,045,000,000 · at 2026-08-30 [3]
- Net income / loss
- USD 9,226,000,000 · 2025-09-01 to 2026-08-30 [3]
- Fiscal year end
- August 30 (SEC record) [1]
- ISIN (reported securities)
- US22160K1051 [2]
- CIK
- 0000909832 [1]
- SIC code
- 5331 [1]
- Country in background record
- United States [2]
Company positioning and business
Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American multinational corporation that operates a chain of membership-only big-box warehouse club retail stores. As of 2025, Costco is the third-largest retailer in the world, and as of August 2024, the world's largest retailer of beef, poultry, organic produce, and wine, with just under a third of American consumers regularly shopping at Costco warehouses. As of 2026, Costco is ranked 12th on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. [4]
Costco's worldwide headquarters are in Issaquah, Washington, an eastern suburb of Seattle. Its Kirkland Signature house label is named after its former location in Kirkland, another eastern Seattle suburb. The company opened its first warehouse (the chain's term for its retail outlets) in Seattle in 1983. Through mergers, Costco's corporate history dates back to 1976, when its former competitor Price Club was founded in San Diego, California. [4]
Costco originally began with a wholesale business model aimed at enrolling businesses as members, and later began enrolling individual consumers and selling products intended for them, including its own private-label brand. As of March 2026, Costco operates 924 warehouses worldwide, with 85% of them being in North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico). [4]
Background text: Wikipedia contributors, Costco. Selected introductory paragraphs, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Official filing data is cited separately.
Management and corporate governance
The Wikidata background record identifies Ron Vachris in the chief-executive role. This background entry is not an official confirmation of the current board or executive roster. [2]
Understanding company scale
Revenue: USD 303,154,000,000, 2025-09-01 to 2026-08-30. Reported in Form 10-K filed 2026-10-07. Figures are consolidated XBRL facts; reporting periods and amendments must be checked before comparing companies. [3]
Net income / loss: USD 9,226,000,000, 2025-09-01 to 2026-08-30. Reported in Form 10-K filed 2026-10-07. Figures are consolidated XBRL facts; reporting periods and amendments must be checked before comparing companies. [3]
Total assets: USD 89,045,000,000, at 2026-08-30. Reported in Form 10-K filed 2026-10-07. Figures are consolidated XBRL facts; reporting periods and amendments must be checked before comparing companies. [3]
Financial year, securities and disclosures
The SEC submissions record gives COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP /NEW a fiscal year end of 0830 (MMDD). Individual filings below identify their own reporting period; the filing date is the publication event, not the financial year end. [1]
Listed securities: COST (Nasdaq). Multiple symbols may represent different share classes or securities of the same registrant. [5]
History and key events
Financial results and regulatory disclosures
Annual, quarterly and current reports from the collected SEC record. Insider Forms 4 and 144 are excluded. This is a selected list, not a live filing feed.
Source-verified relationships
Companies in the same industry
Comparison candidates share the SEC SIC classification 5331. This does not imply ownership, partnership or trading relationships.
Related entities and concepts
Frequently asked questions
When was COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP /NEW founded?
Founded: 1983. The linked source provides the background record. [2]
Where is the headquarters of COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP /NEW?
Headquarters location: Issaquah. The linked source provides the background record. [2]
Which business sectors are recorded for COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP /NEW?
Business sectors: retail. The linked source provides the background record. [2]
COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP /NEW relationship map
Select a node to inspect its relationship and source.
2 verified direct relationships. Industry peers are not relationship edges.
Sources and review dates
- SEC — COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP /NEW filing identity and securities ↗
- Wikidata — company background record (CC0) ↗
- SEC — COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP /NEW reported financial facts ↗
- Wikipedia contributors — Costco (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗
- SEC securities directory ↗
- Company chronology / filing ↗
Reviewed 23 October 2026. Financial periods and historical event dates are shown separately. Figures reflect their stated source dates; this page is not a live quote or investment recommendation.