1

Technical information: (202) 691-6378

 http://www.bls.gov/cps/

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 04-1829

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

EMPLOYEE TENURE IN 2004

The median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with their current employer was

4.0 years in January 2004, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.

Department of Labor. This measure, referred to as employee tenure, was 3.7 years in January 2002.

Nearly 31 percent of workers age 25 and over had 10 or more years of tenure with their current employer

in January 2004.

Information on employee tenure is obtained from supplemental questions in the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households that provides information on the labor force status, demographics, and other characteristics of the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and

over. The questions about employee tenure have been essentially the same since 1983. Prior to that year,

the questions on employee tenure were significantly different. As a result, this release focuses only on

comparable data from 1983 to 2004. (See the Technical Note.)

Demographic Characteristics

Median employee tenure is higher among older workers than younger ones, as would be expected. For

example, in January 2004, the median tenure of workers age 55 to 64 (9.6 years) was more than three times

that of workers age 25 to 34 (2.9 years).

In January 2004, median tenure for women (3.8 years) was about 0.3 year less than that of men (4.1

years). Prior to 1996, the difference in median tenure between men and women was about a year. Beginning in 1996, the difference has been only about a half year or less. (See table 1.)

About half of all workers age 45 and over had been with their current employer for 10 years or more

in January 2004. For workers age 35 to 44, about one-quarter had such long tenure. Thirty-two percent

of male wage and salary workers age 25 and over had been with their current employer for 10 years or

more in January 2004, compared with 29 percent of women. Since January 1983, when the proportions

were 38 percent for men and 25 percent for women, the gap between them has narrowed considerably.

(See table 2.)

In January 2004, 17 percent of Hispanics or Latinos (age 16 and over) had been with their current employer for 10 years or more, compared with 27 percent of whites, 23 percent of blacks, and 19 percent of

Asians. (See table 3.) The shorter tenure among Hispanic or Latino workers can be explained, in part, by

their relative youth. Among employed Hispanics or Latinos age 25 years and over, nearly 40 percent were

between the ages of 25 and 34, compared with about 25 percent of employed whites and about 30 percent
2

each of employed blacks and Asians. Moreover, about 1 in 5 employed Hispanics or Latinos age 16 and

over had not been in the United States for 10 years.

The proportion of wage and salary workers with a year or less of tenure with their current employer was

23 percent in January 2004. This short-tenured group includes new entrants and reentrants to the workforce,

job losers who found new jobs during the previous year, and workers who had voluntarily changed employers during the previous year. Also, young workers have shorter tenure than older workers. For example,

almost three-quarters of 16- to 19-year-olds and about half of 20- to 24-year-olds had tenure of 12 months

or less with their current employer; this compares with about 1 in 10 workers age 45 and over.

Industry

In January 2004, nonagricultural wage and salary workers in the public sector had nearly double the

tenure of their counterparts in private industries, 6.9 and 3.5 years, respectively. (See table 5.) Part of the

gap in tenure is due to the fact that government workers tend to be somewhat older than workers in private

industries; nearly 75 percent of government workers were age 35 and over, compared with 60 percent of

private wage and salary workers.

Within the private sector, manufacturing workers had the highest median tenure (5.8 years) of the major

industry groups. Within manufacturing, industries with particularly high employee tenure included petroleum

and coal products (11.4 years), electrical equipment and appliances (9.8 years), beverage and tobacco products (8.0 years), and transportation equipment (7.7 years). Across the major industries, median tenure was

lowest among workers in leisure and hospitality, at 2.0 years. Again, age distribution affects overall median

tenure; workers in manufacturing tend to be older than those in leisure and hospitality.

Occupation

Workers in management, professional, and related occupations had the highest median tenure (5.0 years)

among the major occupational groups. Employees in service occupations had the lowest median tenure, 2.8

years. (See table 6.) Workers in service occupations tend to be younger than persons employed in management, professional, and related occupations.

Jobs with noticeably high employee tenure include management occupations (6.0 years), architecture

and engineering occupations (5.8 years), protective service occupations (5.5 years), education, training,

and library occupations (5.1 years), and production occupations (5.0 years). Jobs with somewhat low

employee tenure include food preparation and serving related occupations (1.8 years), personal care and

service occupations (2.7 years), sales and related occupations (2.8 years), and healthcare support

occupations (2.9 years).
Technical Note

The data in this release were collected through a supplement

to the January 2004 Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS,

which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau

of Labor Statistics (BLS), is a monthly survey of about 60,000

households that provides information on the labor force status,

demographics, and other characteristics of the nation’s civilian

noninstitutional population age 16 and over.

Several major changes introduced into the CPS in 2003 affect

the tenure data that are presented in this release. These include

the introduction of Census 2000 population controls, the use of

new questions about race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, the

presentation of data for Asians, and the introduction of new

industry and occupational classification systems. For a detailed

discussion of these changes and their impact on CPS data, see

“Revisions to the Current Population Survey Effective in

January 2003” in the February 2003 issue of Employment and

Earnings and available at http://www.bls.gov/cps/rvcps03.pdf

on the BLS Web site.

Data for February 2000 and January 2002 presented in this

release, previously based on 1990 census population controls,

are now based on Census 2000 population controls. The use

of the new controls had little or no impact on the data.

The January 2004 CPS supplement obtained information on

worker displacement and workers’ tenure with their current

employer. The data on worker displacement appear in the BLS

news release USDL 04-1381, “Worker Displacement, 2001-03,”

issued on July 30, 2004.

Information in this release will be made available to sensoryimpaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200,

TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.

Reliability of the estimates

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and

nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire

population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample

estimates may differ from the “true” population values they

represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies

depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability

is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is

about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an

estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6

standard errors from the “true” population value because of

sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the

90-percent level of confidence.

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error.

Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the

failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain

information for all respondents in the sample, inability or

unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information,

and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.

For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS

and information on estimating standard errors, see the

“Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error” section of

Employment and Earnings.

Tenure questions and concepts

In the January 2004 CPS supplement, questions on tenure

were asked of all employed persons. The first question was:

“How long has ... been working continuously for (fill in name

of present employer)?”

____ Days

____ Weeks

____ Months

____ Years

For responses of “1 year” or “2 years,” a follow-up question was asked: “Could you please give the exact number of

months?”

The purpose of the follow-up question is to obtain more

precise information on workers who had been with their current

employer for a relatively short time. This follow-up question

was included for the first time in the February 1996 CPS

supplement on worker displacement and tenure. CPS

supplements that obtained information on tenure in January of

1983, 1987, and 1991 did not include the follow-up question. In

those surveys, responses of 1 year or more could be coded only

as the nearest full year, and responses of less than a year were

coded as the nearest full month.

Prior to January 1983, CPS supplements on tenure asked

wage and salary workers, “When did ... start working at (his/her)

present job?” For wage and salary workers, the meaning of the

term “job” is ambiguous. For example, a worker who had been

employed at a particular company for 10 years and had been

promoted to a managerial position 1 year prior to the survey may

have been counted as having 10 years or 1 year of tenure,

depending on whether the respondent interpreted the question

to mean tenure with the current employer or tenure in the

managerial position. To rectify this ambiguity, the wording of

the question was changed in January 1983 to specify the length

of time a worker had been with his or her current employer. The

change resulted in a break in historical comparability, and, for

this reason, estimates of tenure are not presented in this release

for years prior to 1983.

Interpreting tenure data

Data on tenure have been used as a gauge of employment

security, with some observers regarding increases in tenure as

a sign of improving security and decreasing tenure as a sign of

deteriorating security. However, there are limitations to using

the data in this way. For example, during recessions or other
periods of declining job security, median tenure and the

proportion of workers with long tenure could rise because lesssenior workers are more likely to lose their jobs than are workers

with longer tenure. During periods of economic growth, median

tenure and the proportion of workers with long tenure could fall

because more job opportunities are available for new entrants

to the workforce and experienced workers have more

opportunities to change employers and take better jobs. Tenure

also could rise under improving economic conditions, however,

as fewer layoffs occur and good job matches develop between

workers and employers.

A changing age distribution among workers would also

affect median tenure. Since older workers are more likely to have

long tenure with their current employer than younger workers,

aging baby boomers in the workforce would provide upward

pressure on overall median tenure.
Table 1. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by age and sex, selected

years, 1983-2004

Age and sex January

1983

January

1987

January

1991

February

1996

February

1998

February

2000

January

2002

January

2004

TOTAL

 16 years and over ................................. 3.5 3.4 3.6 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.7 4.0

16 to 17 years ............................................. .7 .6 .7 .7 .6 .6 .7 .7

18 to 19 years ............................................. .8 .7 .8 .7 .7 .7 .8 .8

20 to 24 years ............................................. 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.3

25 years and over ....................................... 5.0 5.0 4.8 5.0 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.9

 25 to 34 years ........................................... 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.9

 35 to 44 years ........................................... 5.2 5.5 5.4 5.3 5.0 4.8 4.6 4.9

 45 to 54 years ........................................... 9.5 8.8 8.9 8.3 8.1 8.2 7.6 7.7

 55 to 64 years ........................................... 12.2 11.6 11.1 10.2 10.1 10.0 9.9 9.6

 65 years and over ..................................... 9.6 9.5 8.1 8.4 7.8 9.4 8.6 9.0

Men

 16 years and over ................................. 4.1 4.0 4.1 4.0 3.8 3.8 3.9 4.1

16 to 17 years ............................................. .7 .6 .7 .6 .6 .6 .8 .7

18 to 19 years ............................................. .8 .7 .8 .7 .7 .7 .8 .8

20 to 24 years ............................................. 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.3

25 years and over ....................................... 5.9 5.7 5.4 5.3 4.9 4.9 4.9 5.1

 25 to 34 years ........................................... 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.8 3.0

 35 to 44 years ........................................... 7.3 7.0 6.5 6.1 5.5 5.3 5.0 5.2

 45 to 54 years ........................................... 12.8 11.8 11.2 10.1 9.4 9.5 9.1 9.6

 55 to 64 years ........................................... 15.3 14.5 13.4 10.5 11.2 10.2 10.2 9.8

 65 years and over ..................................... 8.3 8.3 7.0 8.3 7.1 9.0 8.1 8.2

Women

 16 years and over ................................. 3.1 3.0 3.2 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.8

16 to 17 years ............................................. .7 .6 .7 .7 .7 .6 .7 .6

18 to 19 years ............................................. .8 .7 .8 .7 .7 .7 .7 .8

20 to 24 years ............................................. 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.3

25 years and over ....................................... 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.7 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.7

 25 to 34 years ........................................... 2.8 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.8

 35 to 44 years ........................................... 4.1 4.4 4.5 4.8 4.5 4.3 4.2 4.5

 45 to 54 years ........................................... 6.3 6.8 6.7 7.0 7.2 7.3 6.5 6.4

 55 to 64 years ........................................... 9.8 9.7 9.9 10.0 9.6 9.9 9.6 9.2

 65 years and over ..................................... 10.1 9.9 9.5 8.4 8.7 9.7 9.5 9.6

 NOTE: Data beginning 2000 reflect the introduction of Census 2000

population controls in January 2003 and are not strictly comparable with data

for prior years. In addition, data for 2004 reflect the introduction of revised

population controls in January 2003 and January 2004. Data for 1996 and

1998 are based on population controls from the 1990 census. Data for the

period 1983-1991 are based on population controls from the 1980 census. 

Also, beginning in 1996, the figures incorporate the effects of the redesign of

the Current Population Survey introduced in January 1994. Data exclude the

incorporated and unincorporated self-employed.
Table 2. Percent of employed wage and salary workers 25 years and over who had 10 years or more of tenure with

their current employer by age and sex, selected years, 1983-2004

Age and sex January

1983

January

1987

January

1991

February

1996

February

1998

February

2000

January

2002

January

2004

TOTAL

 25 years and over ................................ 31.9 30.7 32.2 30.5 30.7 31.5 30.8 30.6

25 to 29 years ............................................. 3.3 4.1 5.1 2.8 2.7 2.5 2.2 2.4

30 to 34 years ............................................. 16.9 16.9 19.3 14.7 14.7 13.9 11.7 10.9

35 to 39 years ............................................. 29.9 29.6 31.1 26.9 27.0 26.1 25.2 23.2

40 to 44 years ............................................. 38.1 38.7 39.3 36.1 35.6 35.8 33.9 32.4

45 to 49 years ............................................. 46.5 45.2 46.5 44.5 42.9 45.2 41.2 42.1

50 to 54 years ............................................. 53.5 51.8 51.4 50.4 48.8 48.7 49.3 48.5

55 to 59 years ............................................. 59.3 57.6 56.7 54.0 52.9 53.1 53.3 50.9

60 to 64 years ............................................. 59.8 55.9 55.4 51.5 54.4 53.0 50.4 49.7

65 years and over ....................................... 50.9 50.1 46.3 47.4 45.0 49.8 48.1 48.7

Men

 25 years and over ................................ 37.7 35.0 35.9 33.1 32.7 33.4 32.6 32.4

25 to 29 years ............................................. 4.0 4.5 5.7 3.3 3.1 3.0 2.6 2.7

30 to 34 years ............................................. 18.7 18.7 21.1 15.6 15.3 15.1 13.0 11.9

35 to 39 years ............................................. 36.9 34.8 35.6 30.5 29.7 29.4 27.2 24.9

40 to 44 years ............................................. 51.1 48.5 46.3 41.7 39.1 40.2 37.4 36.2

45 to 49 years ............................................. 57.8 53.0 53.5 50.8 47.4 49.0 45.5 48.1

50 to 54 years ............................................. 62.3 59.4 58.5 54.9 52.8 51.6 53.9 53.0

55 to 59 years ............................................. 66.2 63.2 61.0 55.7 56.5 53.7 56.4 53.4

60 to 64 years ............................................. 65.6 58.7 57.5 50.4 55.7 52.4 48.2 48.5

65 years and over ....................................... 47.6 47.4 42.6 47.6 42.3 48.6 46.4 46.8

Women

 25 years and over ................................ 24.9 25.7 28.2 27.6 28.4 29.5 28.8 28.6

25 to 29 years ............................................. 2.5 3.6 4.4 2.2 2.2 1.9 1.8 1.9

30 to 34 years ............................................. 14.8 14.7 17.3 13.6 14.0 12.5 10.2 9.8

35 to 39 years ............................................. 21.6 23.8 26.1 22.9 24.0 22.3 22.9 21.3

40 to 44 years ............................................. 23.4 27.9 32.0 30.4 31.8 31.2 30.2 28.5

45 to 49 years ............................................. 33.0 36.4 39.3 38.1 38.4 41.4 37.0 36.2

50 to 54 years ............................................. 42.5 43.0 43.4 45.8 44.6 45.8 44.8 44.1

55 to 59 years ............................................. 51.0 50.8 51.4 52.1 49.2 52.5 50.0 48.4

60 to 64 years ............................................. 52.6 52.4 53.1 52.7 53.0 53.6 52.4 51.0

65 years and over ....................................... 54.5 53.1 49.9 47.2 47.7 51.0 49.9 50.7

 NOTE: Data beginning 2000 reflect the introduction of Census 2000

population controls in January 2003 and are not strictly comparable with data

for prior years. In addition, data for 2004 reflect the introduction of revised

population controls in January 2003 and January 2004. Data for 1996 and

1998 are based on population controls from the 1990 census. Data for the

period 1983-1991 are based on population controls from the 1980 census. 

Also, beginning in 1996, the figures incorporate the effects of the redesign of

the Current Population Survey introduced in January 1994. Data exclude the

incorporated and unincorporated self-employed.
Table 3. Distribution of employed wage and salary workers by tenure with current employer, age, sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, January 2004

Age, sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Number

employed 

(in thousands)

Percent distribution by tenure with current employer

Total

12

months

or less

13 to 23

months 2 years 3 to 4years

5 to 9

years

10 to 14

years

15 to 19

years

20 years

or more

TOTAL

 16 years and over ............ 121,753 100.0 23.0 7.0 5.7 18.5 19.8 9.9 6.4 9.7

16 to 19 years ......................... 5,433 100.0 73.2 11.2 7.5 7.8 .3 – – –

20 years and over ................... 116,320 100.0 20.7 6.8 5.6 19.0 20.7 10.3 6.7 10.2

 20 to 24 years ....................... 13,028 100.0 49.6 12.6 10.2 20.8 6.6 .1 – –

 25 to 34 years ....................... 27,877 100.0 26.9 9.4 7.4 25.9 23.7 5.9 .9 –

 35 to 44 years ....................... 30,314 100.0 17.4 5.7 4.8 19.1 25.1 13.7 9.3 5.0

 45 to 54 years ....................... 27,713 100.0 11.0 4.7 3.7 14.8 20.7 13.6 10.5 20.9

 55 to 64 years ....................... 13,983 100.0 10.4 4.0 3.4 12.8 18.8 13.9 10.6 26.0

 65 years and over ................. 3,405 100.0 9.9 3.1 4.1 14.0 20.2 14.0 9.2 25.5

Men

 16 years and over ............ 63,146 100.0 22.4 6.6 5.6 18.3 19.6 10.1 6.5 10.9

16 to 19 years ......................... 2,683 100.0 70.9 9.9 9.3 9.5 .4 – – –

20 years and over ................... 60,462 100.0 20.3 6.5 5.4 18.6 20.4 10.5 6.8 11.4

 20 to 24 years ....................... 6,798 100.0 50.0 11.4 9.6 21.5 7.4 .1 – –

 25 to 34 years ....................... 15,209 100.0 26.0 9.1 6.9 26.4 24.1 6.6 .9 –

 35 to 44 years ....................... 15,885 100.0 16.4 5.0 4.7 18.1 25.1 14.6 10.4 5.6

 45 to 54 years ....................... 13,785 100.0 9.6 4.7 3.5 12.8 19.1 13.7 11.3 25.3

 55 to 64 years ....................... 7,026 100.0 11.4 3.9 3.5 12.0 17.5 12.9 9.1 29.7

 65 years and over ................. 1,761 100.0 8.7 3.3 4.4 16.8 20.1 13.4 8.4 24.9

Women

 16 years and over ............ 58,608 100.0 23.7 7.4 5.8 18.7 20.1 9.6 6.2 8.4

16 to 19 years ......................... 2,750 100.0 75.5 12.3 5.8 6.1 .3 – – –

20 years and over ................... 55,858 100.0 21.2 7.2 5.8 19.4 21.1 10.1 6.5 8.8

 20 to 24 years ....................... 6,230 100.0 49.2 13.8 10.9 20.1 5.8 .1 – –

 25 to 34 years ....................... 12,668 100.0 27.9 9.7 7.9 25.2 23.3 5.2 .8 –

 35 to 44 years ....................... 14,429 100.0 18.4 6.5 4.9 20.1 25.0 12.6 8.1 4.3

 45 to 54 years ....................... 13,929 100.0 12.4 4.8 3.9 16.8 22.3 13.4 9.8 16.6

 55 to 64 years ....................... 6,957 100.0 9.4 4.1 3.3 13.6 20.2 15.0 12.1 22.2

 65 years and over ................. 1,644 100.0 11.2 3.0 3.7 11.0 20.3 14.6 10.1 26.1

White 1

 16 years and over ............... 100,243 100.0 22.7 7.1 5.4 18.2 19.6 10.2 6.6 10.2

Men ......................................... 52,758 100.0 22.3 6.7 5.3 17.9 19.3 10.3 6.7 11.5

Women ................................... 47,485 100.0 23.2 7.6 5.5 18.5 20.0 10.1 6.4 8.7

Black or African American 1

 16 years and over ............... 13,401 100.0 24.5 5.8 6.6 19.2 20.5 8.4 5.9 9.1

Men ......................................... 6,097 100.0 23.4 5.4 7.0 18.7 20.6 9.3 5.8 9.8

Women ................................... 7,304 100.0 25.4 6.1 6.2 19.6 20.4 7.6 6.1 8.5

Asian 1

 16 years and over ............... 5,131 100.0 22.3 7.2 7.5 21.5 22.8 8.6 5.3 4.9

Men ......................................... 2,678 100.0 20.3 7.2 6.8 22.4 23.5 9.5 4.8 5.4

Women ................................... 2,453 100.0 24.3 7.2 8.2 20.6 21.9 7.6 5.8 4.3

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

 16 years and over ............... 16,338 100.0 26.9 7.4 7.8 22.8 18.2 8.0 4.4 4.4

Men ......................................... 9,778 100.0 26.4 7.5 7.4 23.2 17.9 8.2 4.5 4.7

Women ................................... 6,560 100.0 27.6 7.3 8.5 22.2 18.7 7.7 4.3 3.8

1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only; persons

who selected more than one race group are not included. Prior to 2003,

persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group

they identified as their main race.

 NOTE: Detail for the above race groups (white, black or African American,

and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. 

In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may

be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. 

Data reflect the introduction of revised population controls in January 2003

and January 2004. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data

exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self-employed. Dash

represents zero or rounds to zero.
Table 4. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers 25 years

and over by educational attainment, sex, and age, January 2004

Educational attainment and sex

25 years and over

Total 25 to 34

years

35 to 44

years

45 to 54

years

55 to 64

years

65 years

and over

 Total ........................................................ 4.9 2.9 4.9 7.7 9.6 9.0

Less than a high school diploma ................ 3.8 2.4 3.4 5.3 7.7 6.9

High school graduates, no college ............. 5.1 3.1 4.9 7.5 9.2 9.7

Some college, no degree ............................ 4.9 3.0 5.0 8.0 9.7 9.1

Associate degree ........................................ 5.1 3.2 5.0 7.6 8.7 8.9

Bachelor’s degree and higher ..................... 5.0 2.9 5.1 8.3 10.3 10.0

 Bachelor’s degree ..................................... 4.8 3.0 5.1 8.2 9.9 8.2

 Master’s degree ........................................ 5.6 2.9 5.3 8.7 11.0 11.5

 Doctoral or professional degree ............... 4.7 2.1 4.4 7.7 10.9 10.3

 Men ......................................................... 5.1 3.0 5.2 9.6 9.8 8.2

Less than a high school diploma ................ 4.0 2.7 3.6 6.7 8.5 6.0

High school graduates, no college ............. 5.3 3.2 5.3 9.8 10.0 7.9

Some college, no degree ............................ 5.2 3.0 5.6 10.2 9.7 9.9

Associate degree ........................................ 5.4 3.4 5.6 9.0 7.4 7.9

Bachelor’s degree and higher ..................... 5.3 3.0 5.4 9.6 10.4 10.2

 Bachelor’s degree ..................................... 5.1 3.1 5.5 9.9 10.5 7.3

 Master’s degree ........................................ 5.7 3.1 5.4 7.9 10.2 14.6

 Doctoral or professional degree ............... 5.2 2.1 4.5 8.3 10.4 12.0

 Women ................................................... 4.7 2.8 4.5 6.4 9.2 9.6

Less than a high school diploma ................ 3.6 2.0 3.0 4.6 6.9 8.2

High school graduates, no college ............. 4.9 3.0 4.5 6.0 8.2 10.4

Some college, no degree ............................ 4.7 2.9 4.5 6.3 9.7 8.2

Associate degree ........................................ 4.8 2.9 4.6 6.7 9.5 10.0

Bachelor’s degree and higher ..................... 4.7 2.8 4.8 7.4 10.1 9.6

 Bachelor’s degree ..................................... 4.5 2.9 4.8 6.8 8.8 10.3

 Master’s degree ........................................ 5.5 2.7 5.2 9.7 12.1 9.3

 Doctoral or professional degree ............... 4.0 2.2 4.3 6.1 11.2 8.0

 NOTE: Data reflect the introduction of revised population controls in January 2003 and January 2004. Data exclude the incorporated and

unincorporated self-employed.
Table 5. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary

workers by industry, selected years, 2000-04

Industry February

2000

January

2002

January

2004

 Total, 16 years and over ....................................................................... 3.5 3.7 4.0

Private sector .......................................................................................... 3.2 3.3 3.5

 Agriculture and related industries ......................................................... 3.7 4.2 3.7

 Nonagricultural industries ..................................................................... 3.2 3.3 3.5

 Mining ................................................................................................. 4.8 4.5 5.2

 Construction ....................................................................................... 2.7 3.0 3.0

 Manufacturing ..................................................................................... 4.9 5.4 5.8

 Durable goods manufacturing .......................................................... 4.8 5.5 6.0

 Nonmetallic mineral products ......................................................... 5.5 5.3 4.8

 Primary metals and fabricated metal products ............................... 5.0 6.3 6.4

 Machinery manufacturing ............................................................... 5.3 6.8 6.4

 Computers and electronic products ................................................ 3.9 4.7 5.2

 Electrical equipment and appliances .............................................. 5.0 5.5 9.8

 Transportation equipment ............................................................... 6.4 7.0 7.7

 Wood products ............................................................................... 3.7 4.3 5.0

 Furniture and fixtures ...................................................................... 4.4 4.7 4.7

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ......................................................... 3.7 4.5 4.6

 Nondurable goods manufacturing .................................................... 5.0 5.3 5.5

 Food manufacturing ........................................................................ 4.6 5.0 4.9

 Beverage and tobacco products ..................................................... 5.5 4.6 8.0

 Textiles, apparel, and leather ......................................................... 4.7 5.0 5.0

 Paper and printing .......................................................................... 5.1 6.2 6.9

 Petroleum and coal products .......................................................... 9.5 9.8 11.4

 Chemicals ....................................................................................... 6.0 5.7 5.3

 Plastics and rubber products .......................................................... 4.6 5.3 5.7

 Wholesale and retail trade .................................................................. 2.7 2.8 3.1

 Wholesale trade ................................................................................ 3.9 3.9 4.3

 Retail trade ....................................................................................... 2.5 2.6 2.8

 Transportation and utilities ................................................................. 4.7 4.9 5.3

 Transportation and warehousing ...................................................... 4.0 4.3 4.7

 Utilities .............................................................................................. 11.5 13.4 13.3

 Information 1 ....................................................................................... 3.4 3.3 4.3

 Publishing, except Internet ............................................................... 4.2 4.8 4.7

 Motion picture and sound recording industries ................................. 1.6 2.3 2.2

 Broadcasting, except Internet ........................................................... 3.6 3.1 4.0

 Telecommunications ......................................................................... 4.3 3.4 4.6

 Financial activities .............................................................................. 3.5 3.6 3.9

 Finance and insurance ..................................................................... 3.6 3.9 4.1

 Finance ........................................................................................... 3.3 3.6 4.0

 Insurance ........................................................................................ 4.4 4.5 4.4

 Real estate and rental and leasing ................................................... 3.1 3.0 3.3

 Real estate ..................................................................................... 3.1 3.2 3.5

 Rental and leasing services ............................................................ 3.0 2.2 2.9

 Professional and business services ................................................... 2.4 2.7 3.2

 Professional and technical services ................................................. 2.6 3.1 3.6

 Management, administrative, and waste services 1 ......................... 2.0 2.1 2.6

 Administrative and support services ............................................... 1.8 1.9 2.4

 Waste management and remediation services .............................. 3.6 4.3 3.4

 Education and health services ............................................................ 3.4 3.5 3.6

 Educational services ......................................................................... 3.2 3.6 3.8

 Health care and social assistance .................................................... 3.5 3.5 3.6

 Hospitals ......................................................................................... 5.1 4.9 4.7

 Health services, except hospitals ................................................... 3.2 3.1 3.3

 Social assistance ............................................................................ 2.4 2.5 2.8

 Leisure and hospitality ........................................................................ 1.7 1.8 2.0

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation .................................................. 2.6 2.3 2.8

 Accommodation and food services ................................................... 1.5 1.6 1.9

 Accommodation .............................................................................. 2.8 2.7 3.1

 Food services and drinking places ................................................. 1.4 1.4 1.6

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 5. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary

workers by industry, selected years, 2000-04 — Continued

Industry February

2000

January

2002

January

2004

 Other services .................................................................................... 3.1 3.3 3.3

 Other services, except private households ....................................... 3.2 3.3 3.5

 Repair and maintenance ................................................................ 3.0 3.0 3.2

 Personal and laundry services ....................................................... 2.7 2.8 3.4

 Membership associations and organizations .................................. 4.0 4.1 3.9

 Other services, private households .................................................. 3.0 2.7 2.3

Public sector ........................................................................................... 7.1 6.7 6.9

 Federal government ............................................................................. 11.5 11.3 10.4

 State government ................................................................................. 5.5 5.4 6.4

 Local government ................................................................................. 6.7 6.2 6.4

1 Includes other industries, not shown separately.

 NOTE: Data reflect the introduction of Census 2000

population controls in January 2003 and are not strictly

comparable with data for prior years. In addition, data for

2004 reflect the introduction of additional revised

population controls in January 2003 and January 2004. 

Industries reflect the introduction of the 2002 Census

industry classification system derived from the 2002 North

American Industry Classification System into the Current

Population Survey. Data refer to the sole or principal job of

full- and part-time workers. Excluded are all self-employed

workers regardless of whether or not their businesses are

incorporated.
Table 6. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary

workers by occupation, selected years, 2000-04

Occupation February

2000

January

2002

January

2004

 Total, 16 years and over ..................................................................... 3.5 3.7 4.0

 Management, professional, and related occupations ............................ 4.6 4.6 5.0

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ........... 4.9 5.2 5.5

 Management occupations ................................................................ 5.3 5.6 6.0

 Business and financial operations occupations ................................ 4.0 4.2 4.5

 Professional and related occupations .................................................. 4.4 4.2 4.7

 Computer and mathematical occupations ........................................ 3.1 3.2 4.8

 Architecture and engineering occupations ....................................... 4.8 5.2 5.8

 Life, physical, and social science occupations ................................. 4.6 4.3 4.2

 Community and social services occupations .................................... 4.6 4.4 4.7

 Legal occupations ............................................................................. 3.9 4.5 4.1

 Education, training, and library occupations ..................................... 5.4 4.8 5.1

 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations ............ 3.2 3.0 3.6

 Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ........................... 4.6 4.3 4.5

 Service occupations .............................................................................. 2.5 2.4 2.8

 Healthcare support occupations .......................................................... 2.8 2.5 2.9

 Protective service occupations ............................................................ 5.6 5.4 5.5

 Food preparation and serving related occupations ............................. 1.6 1.5 1.8

 Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ............ 3.4 3.0 3.3

 Personal care and service occupations ............................................... 2.3 2.3 2.7

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................. 3.1 3.2 3.4

 Sales and related occupations ............................................................ 2.6 2.7 2.8

 Office and administrative support occupations .................................... 3.4 3.6 4.0

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ........... 3.6 3.7 3.7

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .......................................... 2.8 4.0 3.7

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................. 3.1 3.2 3.2

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations .............................. 4.7 4.6 4.7

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ............... 3.9 4.3 4.2

 Production occupations ....................................................................... 4.5 5.2 5.0

 Transportation and material moving occupations ................................ 3.2 3.2 3.4

 NOTE: Data reflect the introduction of Census 2000

population controls in January 2003 and are not strictly

comparable with data for prior years. In addition, data for

2004 reflect the introduction of additional revised

population controls in January 2003 and January 2004. 

Occupations reflect the introduction of the 2002 Census

occupational classification system derived from the 2000

Standard Occupational Classification system into the

Current Population Survey. Data refer to the sole or

principal job of full- and part-time workers. Excluded are all

self-employed workers regardless of whether or not their

businesses are incorporated.