Job quitting statistics 2026
The short version: in a typical month roughly 3 to 4 million people in the US quit a job, the average job search runs closer to five months than to a few weeks, median liquid savings are modest, and replacing employer health cover is often the largest new cost after leaving. The numbers below are drawn from primary sources and link back to each one. They are the context that makes a runway figure meaningful.
How many people quit their job
Quitting is common and constant, not unusual. In the United States the Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks it every month in the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, and the figures show millions of voluntary departures month after month. That matters for one reason above all: you are making a normal decision that millions make, so the task is to plan it well, not to talk yourself out of a feeling that you are doing something reckless.
3 to 4 million
People in the US who quit a job in a typical month. BLS JOLTS
about 2 to 3%
Monthly quit rate as a share of total employment, rising in strong markets and falling when hiring slows. BLS JOLTS
highest in services
Quit rates are consistently highest in leisure, hospitality, and retail, and lowest in government and education. BLS JOLTS
How long a job search takes
The single most important planning number, and the one people most often get wrong, is how long it takes to land the next role. Optimism here is expensive: a runway built for a few weeks against a search that runs months is how good plans fail. US unemployment-duration data gives a realistic anchor. The average spell is materially longer than the median, because a minority of long searches pull the average up, and senior or specialised roles sit at the longer end.
around 5 months
Recent average duration of unemployment in the US, roughly 20 to 23 weeks. BLS, Current Population Survey
8 to 10 weeks
Typical median duration, shorter than the average because a few long searches lift the mean. BLS
longer when senior
Higher-paid and specialised roles generally take longer to fill, so budget more runway. Size your runway
The practical takeaway: plan for a search measured in months, lean to the long end of any estimate, and add a buffer for the gap between accepting an offer and the first paycheck. The runway calculator and the quit my job calculator both build that caution in.
Savings and emergency funds
A runway is only as long as the savings behind it, and the data on how much people actually hold is sobering. The Federal Reserve measures both how much households have saved and how many could absorb a small financial shock, and both point the same way: most people have less cushion than a confident plan assumes. This is the reason a buffer should be built before a resignation, not improvised after one.
low thousands
Median household transaction-account balance, with under-35 households holding noticeably less. Federal Reserve, SCF
about 1 in 3
US adults who could not cover an unexpected $400 expense entirely with cash. Federal Reserve, SHED
6 months
A common emergency-fund target for an open-ended quit, though the right figure depends on your obligations. Size your buffer
Health insurance costs
For US readers this is the line that most often breaks a budget, because while employed you only ever saw your share of the premium on your payslip. The employer quietly paid the rest, and that ends when you leave. The Kaiser Family Foundation measures the full cost each year, and the figures explain why replacing cover is typically the largest new expense after quitting in the US.
$8,000+
Average annual premium for single employer coverage in recent years, most of it normally paid by the employer. Kaiser Family Foundation
$20,000+
Average annual premium for family employer coverage. Under COBRA you pay the full amount yourself. Kaiser Family Foundation
18 months
Typical maximum COBRA continuation after leaving a job, with a 60-day election window. US Department of Labor
Outside the US, countries with residency-based public health, including the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, do not tie your basic cover to your job, so leaving does not remove it. Use the COBRA cost calculator to price the gap, and the health insurance guide for the country-by-country picture.
Severance norms
Severance is more common after a layoff than a voluntary resignation, and its size varies widely, but a rough benchmark helps when one is on the table. The most-cited convention is one to two weeks of pay per year of service, frequently negotiable, and often paired with continued benefits for a period. Treat any figure as a starting point to check against your own offer rather than a rule.
1 to 2 weeks
Common severance per year of service, though it varies widely and is frequently negotiable. SHRM and industry practice
layoffs mostly
Severance is far more common in involuntary separations than voluntary resignations. Turn it into runway
often taxed high
Lump-sum severance is frequently subject to higher withholding, so plan around the after-tax figure. Severance calculator
Quitting around the world
The US has the most granular monthly turnover data, but other countries publish their own labour-market statistics, and the underlying decision, can your savings cover the gap, is the same everywhere. What differs is the context: notice rules, leave payouts, health cover, and whether any government support exists after a voluntary quit. Our country guides cover those differences for seven countries, and national statistics agencies publish the headline numbers.
Office for National Statistics
Publishes labour-market data including resignations and job-to-job moves. ONS
Statistics Canada
Publishes the Labour Force Survey and job-separation data. StatCan
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Publishes labour mobility and job-mobility statistics. ABS
What the numbers mean for your decision
Put the figures together and a clear planning rule falls out. Quitting is normal, so the question is readiness, not nerve. Searches run in months, so size your runway in months and lean long. Most people hold a thin cushion, so build the buffer before you leave. And in the US, health cover is the quiet budget-breaker, so price it first. None of these numbers decide for you, but they set honest expectations, and honest expectations are what separate a plan that holds from one that breaks in month three.
Turn the data into your number
The statistics describe the average. Your plan should describe you. The quit calculator folds your savings, real burn, and a realistic search into a readiness band in about a minute.
Check my readinessSources and method
Every figure on this page is rounded and attributed, and links to a primary source so you can check the latest published value. Quit rates and unemployment duration come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (JOLTS and the Current Population Survey). Savings and emergency-expense data come from the Federal Reserve (Survey of Consumer Finances and the SHED survey). Health premium data comes from the Kaiser Family Foundation, and COBRA rules from the US Department of Labor. Figures are representative of recent years and are updated as new releases are published; where a value is a range, that reflects genuine variation in the source data. This page is general information, not financial advice. See our methodology for how we use data across the site.
Frequently asked questions
How many people quit their job each month?
In the United States, roughly 3 to 4 million people quit a job in a typical month, as tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). That works out to a quit rate of around 2 to 3 percent of total employment, with the figure rising in strong labour markets and falling when hiring slows.
What is the average length of a job search?
It varies widely, but US data is a useful guide: the average duration of unemployment has recently run around 20 to 23 weeks, roughly five months, while the median is shorter, often around 8 to 10 weeks. Senior and specialised roles tend to take longer, which is why a runway sized for several months is a safer default than one built on weeks.
How much do most people have in savings?
Median liquid savings are modest. The Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances has reported median transaction-account balances in the low thousands of dollars, with younger households holding noticeably less. Separately, the Federal Reserve SHED survey has found that roughly one in three US adults could not cover an unexpected 400 dollar expense entirely with cash.
How much does health insurance cost after quitting?
In the US it is a major cost. The Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey has reported average annual premiums of roughly 8,000 dollars or more for single coverage and over 20,000 dollars for family coverage, most of which employers normally pay. Under COBRA you pay the full premium plus an administration fee of up to 2 percent.
People also ask
What is the average severance package?
Severance is commonly structured as one to two weeks of pay for each year of service, though it varies widely by employer, seniority, and circumstances, and is frequently negotiable. It is most common in layoffs rather than voluntary resignations. Treat any figure as a benchmark to check against your own offer, not a guarantee.
Where does this job quitting data come from?
The figures here come from primary sources: the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for quit rates and unemployment duration, the Federal Reserve for savings and emergency-expense data, the Kaiser Family Foundation for health premiums, and the US Department of Labor for COBRA rules. Each statistic links to its source so you can check the latest published value.