How long Americans work the same job

I recently attended a retirement party, and the retiree was calling it a day after 50 years. She graduated college, found a job she enjoyed, and stuck with it for a very long time. This is not common, right?

The Current Population Survey asks people how many years they have worked their current job. In 2024, only 3% of workers 18 and older had at least a 25-year tenure.

Of course, then I wondered if this has changed over the years. Surprisingly, not that much between 1996 and 2024, as shown in the chart below, even if you change the number of years in the same job.

People working the same job, 1996 to 2024

However, the demographics of the workforce has changed over the years. More women entered the workforce; more people earn bachelor’s degrees, which means starting jobs later; and increasing lifespans mean people work more years in general.

The chart below shows the shifts over the range of time, from 1996 through 2024, but breaks tenure down by age, sex, and education.

Job tenure, by age, sex, and education

Those who are older are more likely to have longer tenures simply because of that’s how time and math work. The line for 55 and older stays on top with the highest percentages and longest tenures.

I expected to see more glaring trends over time, but the percentages are more subtle.

The Great Financial Crisis in 2008 seemed to move the needle. Among males with a high school degree, 45-to-54-year-olds more commonly had longer work tenures than the 55-and-older group. But then things switched in 2008 and 55-and-olders more commonly worked longer tenures. I’m not sure why. Did certain jobs become less viable during this time? Is this a switch between a retiring Silent Generation and aging Boomers?

You can also see a jostle after 2020 due to the pandemic, especially with those who had less than a high school degree. The 55-and-older group moves back below the 45-to-54 group temporarily. I am guessing the drop is a reflection of older people at higher risk during that time, which maybe nudged people into retirement earlier.

Whatever the age or demographic, 50 years is a lot of years to be in the same job.

Notes

The estimates above are based on Current Population Survey data downloaded via IPUMS. I analyzed and prepared the data in R. I made the charts with D3.