Quick answer
The most current employee turnover statistics come from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). In September 2026, 3.3% of US workers left their employer (total separations) and 2.1% quit, according to the release of November 3, 2026. Accommodation and food services had the highest quit rate, at 5.0%.
Employee turnover statistics answer two questions: how many people leave their jobs, and how many of them leave by choice. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) measures both every month in its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. In September 2026, employers recorded 5.3 million separations, a rate of 3.3% of employment, and 3.4 million of those were quits, a rate of 2.1%. Quits were up 375,000 from a year earlier. Below are the latest figures by industry, region and state, the trend since 2019, how long employees stay, and why they leave, each tied to the original source.
The national employee turnover rate in 2026
JOLTS counts every person who leaves a payroll during the month and splits them into quits (voluntary), layoffs and discharges (employer-initiated), and other separations (retirement, death, transfers). Rates are separations as a percent of employment. All figures below are seasonally adjusted for September 2026, from the BLS release of November 3, 2026, and are preliminary.
- Total separations: 5,319,000, a rate of 3.3%, unchanged from September 2025. (BLS JOLTS Table 3)
- Quits: 3,365,000, a rate of 2.1%. BLS said the level increased while the rate was little changed. A year earlier, in September 2025, quits were 2,990,000 (1.9%). (BLS JOLTS Table 4)
- Layoffs and discharges: 1.6 million, a rate of 1.0%, changed little.
- Other separations: 313,000, a rate of 0.2%. (BLS JOLTS Table 6)
- Hires: 5.4 million (3.4%), slightly more than separations, and job openings were 7.5 million (4.5%).
- Workzenly calculation from BLS data: quits made up about 63% of all separations in September 2026 (3,365,000 of 5,319,000). Most people who leave a job leave by choice.
The month-to-month movement came mostly from restaurants and hotels: BLS reported that quits in accommodation and food services rose by 197,000 in September, while quits in arts, entertainment and recreation fell by 19,000. The next JOLTS release, covering October 2026, is scheduled for December 1, 2026.
What this means for employers: A 2.1% monthly quit rate sounds small, but it repeats every month. Measure your own rate the same way BLS does (people who left during the month divided by average headcount) so you can compare against your industry below, and track quits separately from terminations because they have different fixes.
Turnover rate by industry
Turnover is concentrated in hourly, customer-facing work. The chart shows the quit rate by industry in September 2026 from JOLTS Table 4.
- Accommodation and food services had 719,000 quits, a 5.0% rate, up from 3.4% in September 2025. Workzenly calculation: that is about 2.4 times the national rate of 2.1%.
- Retail trade had 475,000 quits (3.1%), up from 2.0% a year earlier.
- Construction quits rose to 2.4% from 1.5% in September 2025.
- Health care and social assistance moved the other way, to 2.0% from 2.2%, as did professional and business services, to 2.1% from 2.4%.
- The lowest quit rates were in government (0.8%), finance and insurance (0.9%) and arts, entertainment and recreation (1.2%).
- Total private-sector quits were 2.3%, compared with 0.8% in government.
Total separations, which add layoffs and other exits to quits, show the same ranking at the top. Figures are from JOLTS Table 3 and Table 4, seasonally adjusted.
| Industry | Separations rate, Sept 2025 | Separations rate, Sept 2026 | Quit rate, Sept 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 4.8% | 6.2% | 5.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 4.9% | 4.9% | 1.2% |
| Construction | 4.0% | 4.3% | 2.4% |
| Professional and business services | 4.7% | 4.2% | 2.1% |
| Retail trade | 3.2% | 4.1% | 3.1% |
| Transportation, warehousing and utilities | 4.0% | 3.9% | 2.2% |
| Information | 2.3% | 3.4% | 1.4% |
| Other services | 2.8% | 3.4% | 2.3% |
| Health care and social assistance | 3.1% | 2.8% | 2.0% |
| Manufacturing | 2.4% | 2.5% | 1.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 2.2% | 1.7% | 0.9% |
| Government | 1.8% | 1.4% | 0.8% |
| Total nonfarm | 3.3% | 3.3% | 2.1% |
Source: BLS, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, Tables 3 and 4, seasonally adjusted. September 2026 is preliminary.
Arts, entertainment and recreation shows why the two measures differ: its separations rate (4.9%) is high but its quit rate (1.2%) is low, so most of its exits were layoffs or seasonal endings rather than resignations.
What this means for employers: If you run a restaurant, hotel or store, a monthly quit rate of 3% to 5% is the industry norm, not a sign that something is uniquely wrong. The useful comparison is against your own industry line. See how operators handle it in our restaurant and retail guides.
Quit rates by region and state
By region, the South had the highest quit rate in September 2026 and the Northeast the lowest, according to JOLTS Table 4.
- The South had 1,472,000 quits (2.5%), the Midwest 731,000 (2.2%), the West 688,000 (1.9%) and the Northeast 474,000 (1.7%).
- Total separations rates were 3.7% in the South, 3.3% in the Midwest, 3.2% in the Northeast and 3.0% in the West. (BLS JOLTS Table 3)
State figures come from the annual State JOLTS release of July 22, 2026, which covers 2025. BLS calculates each annual average rate as the sum of the 12 monthly levels as a percent of the sum of 12 months of employment, so it is a typical monthly rate for the year, not seasonally adjusted.
- The highest 2025 quit rates were in Alaska and Indiana (2.7% each), Montana (2.6%), and Idaho and Wyoming (2.5% each). (BLS State JOLTS Table 18)
- The lowest were Massachusetts (1.4%), New Jersey (1.5%), and Pennsylvania and Washington (1.6% each).
- Idaho had the highest 2025 total separations rate at 5.5%, followed by Alaska and Montana at 4.4%. Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington had the lowest at 2.7%. (BLS State JOLTS Table 16)
- Workzenly count from Table 18: from 2024 to 2025 the quit rate fell in 32 states, held steady in 8, and rose in 10 states and the District of Columbia. The largest rise was in Indiana (2.4% to 2.7%); Michigan, Ohio and South Dakota each rose 0.2 points.
| State | Quit rate 2024 | Quit rate 2025 | Total separations rate 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2.3% | 2.0% | 3.1% |
| Alaska | 2.9% | 2.7% | 4.4% |
| Arizona | 2.1% | 2.1% | 3.3% |
| Arkansas | 2.3% | 2.1% | 3.3% |
| California | 1.8% | 1.8% | 3.2% |
| Colorado | 2.4% | 2.1% | 3.7% |
| Connecticut | 1.7% | 1.7% | 3.1% |
| Delaware | 2.5% | 2.3% | 3.5% |
| District of Columbia | 1.6% | 1.8% | 3.0% |
| Florida | 2.6% | 2.2% | 3.5% |
| Georgia | 2.2% | 2.0% | 3.2% |
| Hawaii | 2.0% | 1.9% | 3.0% |
| Idaho | 2.6% | 2.5% | 5.5% |
| Illinois | 1.9% | 2.0% | 3.4% |
| Indiana | 2.4% | 2.7% | 4.3% |
| Iowa | 2.0% | 2.0% | 3.2% |
| Kansas | 2.0% | 2.1% | 3.4% |
| Kentucky | 2.3% | 2.0% | 3.3% |
| Louisiana | 2.5% | 2.4% | 3.7% |
| Maine | 1.9% | 1.8% | 3.2% |
| Maryland | 2.0% | 1.8% | 3.0% |
| Massachusetts | 1.5% | 1.4% | 2.7% |
| Michigan | 2.1% | 2.3% | 3.7% |
| Minnesota | 1.8% | 1.8% | 2.9% |
| Mississippi | 2.5% | 2.3% | 3.6% |
| Missouri | 2.2% | 2.0% | 3.1% |
| Montana | 2.8% | 2.6% | 4.4% |
| Nebraska | 2.0% | 2.1% | 3.3% |
| Nevada | 2.3% | 2.0% | 3.5% |
| New Hampshire | 1.9% | 1.8% | 3.2% |
| New Jersey | 1.6% | 1.5% | 3.1% |
| New Mexico | 2.2% | 1.9% | 3.2% |
| New York | 1.6% | 1.7% | 3.1% |
| North Carolina | 2.1% | 2.2% | 3.3% |
| North Dakota | 2.3% | 2.4% | 3.8% |
| Ohio | 2.1% | 2.3% | 3.7% |
| Oklahoma | 2.3% | 2.3% | 3.4% |
| Oregon | 2.1% | 2.0% | 3.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 1.9% | 1.6% | 2.7% |
| Rhode Island | 2.1% | 1.9% | 3.6% |
| South Carolina | 2.6% | 2.3% | 3.6% |
| South Dakota | 2.2% | 2.4% | 3.7% |
| Tennessee | 2.5% | 2.4% | 3.8% |
| Texas | 2.3% | 2.2% | 3.3% |
| Utah | 2.3% | 2.2% | 3.5% |
| Vermont | 2.1% | 1.9% | 3.4% |
| Virginia | 2.1% | 2.0% | 3.3% |
| Washington | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.7% |
| West Virginia | 2.7% | 2.3% | 3.5% |
| Wisconsin | 1.9% | 1.9% | 3.1% |
| Wyoming | 2.5% | 2.5% | 4.0% |
| United States | 2.1% | 2.0% | 3.3% |
Source: BLS, State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, annual averages, Tables 16 and 18 (released July 22, 2026). Annual average monthly rates, not seasonally adjusted.
What this means for employers: Your local labor market sets the baseline. An employer in Idaho or Alaska faces more churn than one in Massachusetts doing the same work. When you budget for hiring and onboarding, start from your state and industry rates rather than a national average.
Employee turnover rate trend since 2019
Quits surged in 2021 and 2022, the period often called the Great Resignation, then fell below pre-pandemic levels. The chart compares September of each year using the seasonally adjusted series in the BLS hires and separations rates chart.
- The quit rate reached 3.0% in November 2021 and again in April 2022, the high point in the BLS chart data.
- In September 2019, before the pandemic, the quit rate was 2.3% and the total separations rate 3.8%. In September 2026 they were 2.1% and 3.3%.
- The layoffs and discharges rate was 1.3% in September 2019 and 1.0% in September 2026, so involuntary exits are lower too.
- On an annual basis, the US average monthly quit rate was 2.7% in 2021, 2.8% in 2022, 2.4% in 2023, 2.1% in 2024 and 2.0% in 2025. (BLS State JOLTS Table 18)
- The annual average total separations rate was 3.9% in 2021 and 2022, 3.6% in 2023, and 3.3% in both 2024 and 2025. (BLS State JOLTS Table 16)
What this means for employers: The 2.1% quit rate in September 2026 was the highest September reading since 2023 but still below 2019. Turnover has normalized, yet it rose over the past year in restaurants, retail and construction, so those employers should not assume the calm of 2024 and 2025 will last.
How long employees stay
Tenure is the other side of turnover. The BLS Employee Tenure release of September 24, 2026 reports data for January 2026, collected every two years.
- Median tenure with the current employer was 4.1 years for wage and salary workers, up from 3.9 years in January 2024.
- Men had a median of 4.3 years and women 4.0 years (up from 3.6).
- Age drives tenure: 3.0 years for workers ages 25 to 34 versus 9.6 years for ages 55 to 64.
- Public-sector workers had a median of 5.6 years, private-sector workers 3.9 years.
- Leisure and hospitality had the shortest median tenure, 2.4 years. Financial activities was highest among private industries at 5.0 years.
- 20.6% of wage and salary workers had been with their employer 12 months or less, down from 22.2% in 2024. That share was 74.1% for ages 16 to 19 and 9.2% for ages 55 to 64.
What this means for employers: One in five employees is in their first year, and first-year staff are the most likely to leave. A structured first 90 days pays off; our employee onboarding statistics show what new hires expect.
Why employees quit and what it costs
JOLTS counts quits but does not ask why. The clearest openly published survey on reasons is the Pew Research Center survey of 6,627 non-retired US adults, conducted February 7 to 13, 2022, including 965 who left a job by choice in 2021.
- 63% said low pay was a reason they quit, and 63% cited no opportunities for advancement.
- 57% said they felt disrespected at work.
- 48% of those with a child under 18 at home cited child care issues.
- 45% cited a lack of flexibility to choose when they put in their hours.
- 43% cited weak benefits such as health insurance and paid time off.
- 56% of quitters now employed elsewhere said they earned more than at their last job.
On cost, a Gallup article from March 13, 2019 estimated that replacing an employee costs one-half to two times the employee's annual salary, which it called conservative, and that voluntary turnover costs US businesses about $1 trillion a year. Gallup also reported that 52% of voluntarily departing employees said their manager or organization could have done something to keep them. The article does not publish the sample size or dates behind that figure, so treat it as an indication, not a precise measure.
Illustration, not a published statistic: on Gallup's range, replacing one worker who earns $40,000 a year would cost $20,000 to $80,000.
What this means for employers: Pay matters most, but several of the top reasons are about how work is managed: respect, a path forward and control over hours. Flexible, predictable scheduling and a fair attendance policy cost less than a raise and speak directly to the flexibility complaint. Our employee engagement statistics cover the manager side in more depth.
What employee turnover statistics mean for employers
Putting the employee turnover statistics together:
- Know your number. Divide the people who left in a month by your average headcount and compare it with your industry's JOLTS rate. Calculate quits and terminations separately.
- Monthly rates add up. Workzenly calculation, a rough approximation: 12 months at the 2025 average monthly separations rate of 3.3% equals about 39.6% of a year's average employment, and 12 months at a 2.0% quit rate equals about 24.0%. Because some positions turn over more than once a year, this is not the same as the share of employees who leave.
- Hourly industries carry the load. Food service and retail quit rates of 5.0% and 3.1% make retention a weekly management task there. Construction, at 2.4%, also climbed over the year; see our construction guide.
- The first year is the risk. With 20.6% of workers in their first 12 months, onboarding and the first few schedules matter. Check your full-time hours definition too, since hours and benefits eligibility go together.
- Exits still need paperwork. When someone does leave, follow your state's final paycheck law.
About this data
These employee turnover statistics come from four sources. The BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey is monthly, about five weeks after the reference month; the national figures here are for September 2026 and are preliminary until revised. State JOLTS annual averages are released each summer; the state figures here are for 2025. The BLS Employee Tenure report is published every two years; the figures are for January 2026. The Pew survey (2022) and the Gallup article (2019) are one-time publications and are dated in the text.
Definitions: quits are voluntary separations initiated by the employee; total separations add layoffs and discharges and other separations; JOLTS rates are the number of separations during the month as a percent of employment. Many private surveys report an annual turnover percentage for their own clients, which is not comparable with JOLTS monthly rates because the method and sample differ. Where we compare, add or multiply figures, the text labels it as a Workzenly calculation.
We review this page when new releases come out. Journalists, students and bloggers are welcome to cite it with a link to this page.
More workforce statistics: Employee retention statistics · Hiring statistics · Layoffs statistics · Restaurant industry statistics.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary, September 2026 (release USDL-26-1630, November 3, 2026). bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS Table 3, Total separations levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted, September 2026. bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t03.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS Table 4, Quits levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted, September 2026. bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t04.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS Table 6, Other separations levels and rates, September 2026. bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t06.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Hires and separations rates chart, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, 2019 to 2026. bls.gov/charts/job-openings-and-labor-turnover/hire-seps-rates.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, State Job Openings and Labor Turnover, 2025 annual estimates (July 22, 2026). bls.gov/news.release/jltst.nr0.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, State JOLTS Table 16, Annual average total separations rates by state, 2021 to 2025. bls.gov/news.release/jltst.t16.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, State JOLTS Table 18, Annual average quits rates by state, 2021 to 2025. bls.gov/news.release/jltst.t18.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Tenure in 2026, January 2026 data (release USDL-26-1532, September 24, 2026). bls.gov/news.release/tenure.nr0.htm
- Pew Research Center, "Majority of workers who quit a job in 2021 cite low pay, no opportunities for advancement, feeling disrespected," March 9, 2022 (survey February 7 to 13, 2022). pewresearch.org
- Gallup, "This Fixable Problem Costs U.S. Businesses $1 Trillion," by Shane McFeely and Ben Wigert, March 13, 2019. gallup.com/workplace/247391
Frequently asked questions
What is the average employee turnover rate in the US?
In September 2026, total separations (quits, layoffs and other exits) were 3.3% of US nonfarm employment, and quits alone were 2.1%, according to the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey released November 3, 2026. These are monthly rates. The 2025 annual average monthly rates were 3.3% for separations and 2.0% for quits.
Which industry has the highest turnover rate?
Accommodation and food services. In September 2026 its quit rate was 5.0% and its total separations rate was 6.2%, the highest of any industry BLS reports, according to JOLTS. Retail trade followed with a 3.1% quit rate. Finance and insurance had one of the lowest quit rates, at 0.9%.
How many people quit their jobs each month?
About 3.4 million. BLS reported 3,365,000 quits in September 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), a quit rate of 2.1%. That was up 375,000 from September 2025, when 2,990,000 people quit. Layoffs and discharges were 1.6 million in September 2026, a rate of 1.0%.
Which states have the highest quit rates?
For 2025, Alaska and Indiana had the highest annual average quit rate at 2.7%, followed by Montana at 2.6%, according to BLS State JOLTS data released July 22, 2026. Massachusetts had the lowest at 1.4%, followed by New Jersey at 1.5%. The US rate was 2.0%.
How long do employees stay with one employer?
In January 2026, the median wage and salary worker had been with their current employer for 4.1 years, up from 3.9 years in January 2024, according to BLS. Median tenure was 3.0 years for workers ages 25 to 34, 9.6 years for ages 55 to 64, and 2.4 years in leisure and hospitality.
Why do employees quit?
In a Pew Research Center survey from February 2022, workers who quit a job in 2021 most often cited low pay (63%), no opportunities for advancement (63%) and feeling disrespected at work (57%). Lack of flexibility in choosing work hours was cited by 45%, and weak benefits by 43%.