Median Job Tenure Rose to 4.1 Years in 2026: How Long Workers Stay, by Age and Industry
- Median tenure with the current employer was 4.1 years in January 2026, up from 3.9 years in January 2024.
- Workers ages 55 to 64 had a median of 9.6 years, more than three times the 3.0 years for ages 25 to 34.
- Leisure and hospitality had the lowest median tenure (2.4 years); public sector the highest (5.6 years).
How long people stay in a job affects how they get raises. Staying usually means annual merit increases; leaving usually means a negotiated jump. The latest BLS tenure survey shows workers are staying a bit longer (BLS Employee Tenure in 2026).
By gender and age
Median tenure was 4.3 years for men (up from 4.2) and 4.0 years for women (up from 3.6). Among workers 25 and older, 31.1% of men and 29.0% of women had 10 or more years with their current employer. Among workers ages 60 to 64, 52.6% had at least 10 years.
Short-tenured workers
The share of workers with a year or less with their employer was 20.6%, down from 22.2% in 2024. It was 74.1% for 16- to 19-year-olds and 9.2% for workers ages 55 to 64.
By industry and occupation
| Group | Median tenure, January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Federal government | 7.0 years |
| State government | 5.4 years |
| Local government | 5.4 years |
| Financial activities | 5.0 years |
| Manufacturing | 4.9 years |
| Information | 4.9 years |
| Private sector overall | 3.9 years |
| Leisure and hospitality | 2.4 years |
Management occupations had the longest tenure (6.1 years); service occupations had the shortest (2.9 years). BLS notes that age differences explain part of these gaps.
By education
For men 25 and older, median tenure was 4.7 years without a high school diploma, 5.3 years with an associate degree and 5.2 years for college graduates. For women it was 4.1, 4.7 and 4.9 years.
What it means for your pay
- If you have been in one job longer than the median for your age, check whether your pay has kept up with what new hires get.
- Long tenure is leverage: replacing an experienced worker is expensive.
- In low-turnover industries, ask about pay-step schedules and promotion timelines.
Published October 27, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original graphic by JobPayRaise.com.
Comments (1)
A long-run view from a different survey: Americans born in 1957–64 held an average of 12.9 jobs from ages 18 to 58, with 5.6 of them held from ages 18 to 24 and just 1.3 from ages 55 to 58. Source: BLS Number of Jobs, Labor Market Experience... (NLSY79).