For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, September 14, 2010 USDL-10-1278 

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 • cpsinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/cps 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

EMPLOYEE TENURE IN 2010 

The median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with their current employer was 4.4 

in January 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This measure, referred to as 

employee tenure, was 4.1 years in January 2008. The increase in tenure among those at work reflects, 

in part, relatively large job losses among less-senior workers in the most recent recession. 

Information on employee tenure has been obtained from supplemental questions to the Current 

Population Survey (CPS) every 2 years since 1996. These data are collected as part of the Displaced 

Worker Supplement, which is sponsored by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. 

Department of Labor. The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households that provides 

information on the labor force status of the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. The 

questions about employee tenure measure how long workers had been with their current employer at the 

time of the survey. A number of factors can affect the median tenure of workers, including changes in 

the age profile among workers, as well as changes in the number of hires and separations. (See the 

Technical Note.) 

Demographic Characteristics 

Median employee tenure (the point at which half of all workers had more tenure and half had less 

tenure) was generally higher among older workers than younger ones. For example, the median tenure 

of workers ages 55 to 64 (10.0 years) was more than three times that of workers ages 25 to 34 (3.1 

years). A larger percentage of older workers than younger workers had 10 years or more of tenure. For 

instance, more than half of all workers ages 60 to 64 were employed for at least 10 years with their 

current employer in January, compared with only 13 percent of individuals ages 30 to 34. (See tables 1 

and 2.) 

In January 2010, median tenure for men was 4.6 years, up from 4.2 years in January 2008. For women, 

median tenure in January 2010 was 4.2 years, slightly higher than the median (3.9 years) in January 

2008. Twenty-nine percent of wage and salary workers age 16 and over had 10 years or more of tenure 

with their current employer in January 2010. Among men, 30 percent had at least 10 years of tenure with 

their current employer, compared with 28 percent among women. (See tables 1 and 3.) 

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, 20 percent of Hispanics had been with their current 

employer for 10 years or more in January, compared with 30 percent of whites, 26 percent of blacks, and 

21 percent of Asians. (See table 3.) The shorter tenure among Hispanic workers can be explained, in 

part, by their relative youth. Forty-six percent of Hispanic workers were between the ages of 16 and 34; 
- 2 - 

by comparison, the proportions for whites (35 percent), blacks (38 percent), and Asians (36 percent) 

were smaller. 

The share of wage and salary workers with a year or less of tenure with their current employer was 19 

percent in January 2010, lower than the proportion in January 2008. 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. Younger workers were 

more likely than older workers to be short-tenured employees. For example, in January 2010, 67 percent 

of 16- to 19-year-olds had tenure of 12 months or less with their current employer, compared with 8 

percent of workers ages 55 to 64. (See table 3.) 

Industry 

In January, wage and salary workers in the public sector had nearly double the tenure of their 

counterparts in the private sector, 7.2 and 4.0 years, respectively. (See table 5.) The longer tenure 

among workers in the public sector is explained, in part, by the age profile of government workers. 

Seventy-four percent of government workers were ages 35 and over, compared with 62 percent of 

private wage and salary workers. 

Within the private sector, workers in manufacturing had the highest median tenure among the major 

industries (6.1 years). In contrast, workers in leisure and hospitality had the lowest median tenure (2.5 

years). These differences in tenure reflect many factors, including the varying age distribution of 

workers across industries. On average, workers in manufacturing tend to be older than those in leisure 

and hospitality. (See table 5.) 

Occupation 

In January, workers in management, professional, and related occupations had the highest median 

tenure (5.2 years) among the major occupational groups. Within this group, employees in management 

occupations (6.1 years) and in architecture and engineering occupations (5.7 years) had the longest 

tenure. Workers in service occupations, who are generally younger than those employed in 

management, professional, and related occupations, had the lowest median tenure (3.1 years). Among 

employees working in service jobs, food service workers had the lowest median tenure, at 2.3 years. 

(See table 6.) 
Technical Note 

The data in this release were collected through a 

supplement to the January 2010 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. 

The January 2010 CPS supplement obtained information on worker displacement and workers' tenure with 

their current employer. The data on worker displacement are 

online at www.bls.gov/cps/lfcharacteristics.htm#displaced. 

Revised population controls are introduced periodically 

in the CPS, which can affect the comparability of labor force 

levels. Data for 1996 and 1998 are based on population 

controls from the 1990 census. Data beginning in 2000 reflect 

the introduction of Census 2000 population controls and are 

not strictly comparable with data for prior years. Beginning in 

2004, population controls are updated annually. Additional 

information about population control adjustments is available 

on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory-impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200, Federal Relay Service: (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. 

A full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS 

and information on estimating standard errors is available 

online at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability. 

Tenure concepts and questions 

Employee tenure is a measure of how long wage and 

salary workers had been with their current employer at the 

time of the survey. Many of the estimates shown in this 

report are medians; the median is the point at which half of 

all workers had more tenure and half had less tenure. Data 

refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time 

workers. 

Wage and salary workers receive wages, salaries, 

commissions, tips, payment in kind, or piece rates. The 

group includes employees in both the private and public 

sectors but excludes all self-employed persons, both those 

with incorporated businesses and those with unincorporated 

businesses. 

In the January 2010 CPS supplement, questions on 

tenure were asked of all employed persons. The main 

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. 

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 less-senior 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, 1996-2010

Age and sex February

1996

February

1998

February

2000

January

2002

January

2004

January

2006

January

2008

January

2010

TOTAL

 16 years and over ....................... 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.7 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.4

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

18 to 19 years ................................... .7 .7 .7 .8 .8 .7 .8 1.0

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

25 years and over ............................. 5.0 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.9 4.9 5.1 5.2

 25 to 34 years ................................. 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.7 3.1

 35 to 44 years ................................. 5.3 5.0 4.8 4.6 4.9 4.9 4.9 5.1

 45 to 54 years ................................. 8.3 8.1 8.2 7.6 7.7 7.3 7.6 7.8

 55 to 64 years ................................. 10.2 10.1 10.0 9.9 9.6 9.3 9.9 10.0

 65 years and over ........................... 8.4 7.8 9.4 8.6 9.0 8.8 10.2 9.9

Men

 16 years and over ....................... 4.0 3.8 3.8 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.2 4.6

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

18 to 19 years ................................... .7 .7 .7 .8 .8 .7 .8 1.0

20 to 24 years ................................... 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.6

25 years and over ............................. 5.3 4.9 4.9 4.9 5.1 5.0 5.2 5.3

 25 to 34 years ................................. 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.8 3.2

 35 to 44 years ................................. 6.1 5.5 5.3 5.0 5.2 5.1 5.2 5.3

 45 to 54 years ................................. 10.1 9.4 9.5 9.1 9.6 8.1 8.2 8.5

 55 to 64 years ................................. 10.5 11.2 10.2 10.2 9.8 9.5 10.1 10.4

 65 years and over ........................... 8.3 7.1 9.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 10.4 9.7

Women

 16 years and over ....................... 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.8 3.9 3.9 4.2

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

18 to 19 years ................................... .7 .7 .7 .8 .8 .7 .8 1.0

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

25 years and over ............................. 4.7 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.7 4.8 4.9 5.1

 25 to 34 years ................................. 2.7 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.8 2.8 2.6 3.0

 35 to 44 years ................................. 4.8 4.5 4.3 4.2 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.9

 45 to 54 years ................................. 7.0 7.2 7.3 6.5 6.4 6.7 7.0 7.1

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

 65 years and over ........................... 8.4 8.7 9.7 9.4 9.6 9.5 9.9 10.1
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, 1996-2010

Age and sex February

1996

February

1998

February

2000

January

2002

January

2004

January

2006

January

2008

January

2010

TOTAL

 25 years and over ....................... 30.5 30.7 31.5 30.8 30.6 30.0 31.5 33.1

25 to 29 years ................................... 2.8 2.7 2.5 2.2 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.3

30 to 34 years ................................... 14.7 14.7 13.9 11.7 10.9 10.6 10.1 12.8

35 to 39 years ................................... 26.9 27.0 26.1 25.2 23.2 22.8 23.0 25.7

40 to 44 years ................................... 36.1 35.6 35.8 33.9 32.4 31.8 32.9 35.3

45 to 49 years ................................... 44.5 42.9 45.2 41.2 42.1 39.9 40.2 40.8

50 to 54 years ................................... 50.4 48.8 48.7 49.4 48.5 46.6 47.7 48.9

55 to 59 years ................................... 54.0 52.9 53.1 53.3 50.9 50.1 52.4 52.4

60 to 64 years ................................... 51.5 54.4 53.0 50.5 49.7 48.4 53.6 54.5

65 years and over ............................. 47.4 45.0 49.8 48.0 48.7 48.5 56.3 53.1

Men

 25 years and over ....................... 33.1 32.7 33.4 32.6 32.4 31.1 32.9 34.3

25 to 29 years ................................... 3.3 3.1 3.0 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.4 3.1

30 to 34 years ................................... 15.6 15.3 15.1 13.0 11.9 11.6 11.3 14.3

35 to 39 years ................................... 30.5 29.7 29.4 27.2 24.9 24.7 25.4 27.2

40 to 44 years ................................... 41.7 39.1 40.2 37.4 36.2 34.8 35.8 37.5

45 to 49 years ................................... 50.8 47.4 49.0 45.4 48.1 42.9 43.5 43.7

50 to 54 years ................................... 54.9 52.8 51.6 54.0 53.0 49.7 50.4 51.3

55 to 59 years ................................... 55.7 56.5 53.7 56.5 53.4 51.0 54.9 53.6

60 to 64 years ................................... 50.4 55.7 52.4 48.4 48.5 48.1 52.4 56.8

65 years and over ............................. 47.6 42.3 48.6 46.4 46.8 47.2 58.9 51.9

Women

 25 years and over ....................... 27.6 28.4 29.5 28.8 28.6 28.8 30.0 31.9

25 to 29 years ................................... 2.2 2.2 1.9 1.8 1.9 2.1 2.1 1.6

30 to 34 years ................................... 13.6 14.0 12.5 10.2 9.8 9.4 8.7 11.1

35 to 39 years ................................... 22.9 24.0 22.3 22.9 21.3 20.5 20.3 24.0

40 to 44 years ................................... 30.4 31.8 31.2 30.2 28.5 28.4 29.9 32.9

45 to 49 years ................................... 38.1 38.4 41.4 37.0 36.2 36.9 36.7 38.0

50 to 54 years ................................... 45.8 44.6 45.8 44.8 44.1 43.6 45.0 46.5

55 to 59 years ................................... 52.1 49.2 52.5 49.9 48.4 49.1 50.0 51.2

60 to 64 years ................................... 52.7 53.0 53.6 52.6 51.0 48.7 54.8 52.2

65 years and over ............................. 47.2 47.7 51.0 49.7 50.7 49.9 53.8 54.3
Table 3. Distribution of employed wage and salary workers by tenure with current employer, age, sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, January 2010

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 ............. 121,931 100.0 19.0 7.0 5.8 18.9 20.5 12.2 6.1 10.5

16 to 19 years ......................... 3,984 100.0 66.7 12.7 10.7 9.6 .3 – – –

20 years and over ................... 117,946 100.0 17.4 6.8 5.6 19.2 21.2 12.6 6.3 10.9

 20 to 24 years ....................... 11,835 100.0 45.1 13.3 12.1 22.4 7.0 .1 – –

 25 to 34 years ....................... 27,756 100.0 23.3 9.8 7.5 27.7 24.4 6.6 .8 –

 35 to 44 years ....................... 27,205 100.0 14.4 6.3 4.8 19.2 24.7 18.2 8.0 4.3

 45 to 54 years ....................... 28,841 100.0 10.6 4.4 4.1 14.6 21.5 16.0 9.8 18.9

 55 to 64 years ....................... 17,740 100.0 7.8 3.6 2.9 12.8 19.7 15.6 9.6 27.9

 65 years and over ................. 4,570 100.0 6.9 2.9 2.7 12.9 21.4 15.3 9.8 28.0

Men

 16 years and over ............. 61,495 100.0 18.5 6.6 5.7 18.3 20.8 12.4 6.1 11.5

16 to 19 years ......................... 1,850 100.0 65.8 12.4 10.2 11.3 .3 – – –

20 years and over ................... 59,646 100.0 17.1 6.4 5.5 18.5 21.4 12.8 6.3 11.9

 20 to 24 years ....................... 5,746 100.0 44.2 12.7 11.9 22.8 8.3 .1 – –

 25 to 34 years ....................... 14,604 100.0 22.9 9.2 7.3 26.6 25.4 7.6 1.0 –

 35 to 44 years ....................... 14,160 100.0 14.0 5.8 4.7 18.4 24.7 19.4 8.3 4.7

 45 to 54 years ....................... 14,239 100.0 10.8 3.9 4.1 13.1 20.7 15.4 10.5 21.4

 55 to 64 years ....................... 8,655 100.0 7.2 3.4 2.7 12.3 19.4 14.5 9.0 31.4

 65 years and over ................. 2,242 100.0 6.8 4.0 2.5 13.9 20.9 15.3 7.0 29.6

Women

 16 years and over ............. 60,435 100.0 19.4 7.4 5.9 19.5 20.2 12.0 6.0 9.5

16 to 19 years ......................... 2,135 100.0 67.4 12.9 11.2 8.2 .3 – – –

20 years and over ................... 58,300 100.0 17.7 7.2 5.7 19.9 21.0 12.4 6.2 9.9

 20 to 24 years ....................... 6,089 100.0 46.0 13.9 12.2 22.0 5.8 .1 – –

 25 to 34 years ....................... 13,151 100.0 23.8 10.4 7.7 28.8 23.2 5.5 .5 –

 35 to 44 years ....................... 13,045 100.0 14.8 7.0 4.8 20.1 24.7 17.0 7.7 3.9

 45 to 54 years ....................... 14,602 100.0 10.5 4.9 4.1 16.1 22.3 16.6 9.2 16.4

 55 to 64 years ....................... 9,085 100.0 8.2 3.7 3.1 13.3 20.0 16.7 10.2 24.6

 65 years and over ................. 2,328 100.0 7.0 1.9 2.8 12.0 21.9 15.4 12.5 26.5

White 

 16 years and over ............... 99,768 100.0 18.6 7.1 5.7 18.4 20.4 12.4 6.4 11.1

Men ......................................... 51,081 100.0 18.1 6.7 5.6 17.7 20.6 12.6 6.5 12.3

Women ................................... 48,687 100.0 19.2 7.6 5.8 19.1 20.1 12.1 6.3 9.8

Black or African American 

 16 years and over ............... 13,508 100.0 20.7 6.1 6.1 20.9 20.4 11.6 4.9 9.3

Men ......................................... 5,969 100.0 20.4 5.1 6.6 20.7 21.1 11.9 4.8 9.4

Women ................................... 7,539 100.0 20.9 6.9 5.8 21.0 19.8 11.3 5.0 9.2

Asian 

 16 years and over ............... 5,598 100.0 18.1 7.0 6.8 22.1 25.4 11.8 3.3 5.5

Men ......................................... 2,922 100.0 18.7 7.1 5.8 23.6 25.1 11.5 3.5 4.7

Women ................................... 2,677 100.0 17.4 6.8 7.8 20.5 25.7 12.2 3.2 6.4

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

 16 years and over ............... 18,016 100.0 22.5 7.0 7.4 23.2 20.4 9.8 4.2 5.6

Men ......................................... 10,279 100.0 22.5 6.7 7.0 23.1 19.9 10.2 4.3 6.3

Women ................................... 7,737 100.0 22.4 7.4 7.8 23.3 21.1 9.1 4.1 4.7

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.

Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 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 2010

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 ........................................................ 5.2 3.1 5.1 7.8 10.0 9.9

Less than a high school diploma ................ 4.4 2.8 4.3 5.5 8.6 9.8

High school graduates, no college ............. 5.4 3.1 5.1 7.7 10.0 9.7

Some college, no degree ............................ 5.2 3.1 5.1 7.6 10.2 9.6

Associate degree ........................................ 5.3 3.2 5.1 8.6 10.0 10.0

College graduates ...................................... 5.2 3.1 5.3 8.3 10.1 10.3

 Bachelor’s degree ..................................... 5.0 3.1 5.3 8.4 9.9 9.9

 Master’s degree ........................................ 5.7 3.3 5.8 8.1 10.3 10.4

 Doctoral or professional degree ............... 5.2 2.4 4.8 8.5 11.3 14.4

 Men ......................................................... 5.3 3.2 5.3 8.5 10.4 9.7

Less than a high school diploma ................ 4.5 3.0 4.5 6.7 8.1 8.5

High school graduates, no college ............. 5.5 3.2 5.4 9.0 10.4 8.9

Some college, no degree ............................ 5.3 3.3 5.7 8.2 11.8 8.1

Associate degree ........................................ 5.6 3.4 5.3 9.8 10.5 10.1

College graduates ...................................... 5.4 3.1 5.3 8.8 10.4 10.5

 Bachelor’s degree ..................................... 5.3 3.1 5.6 8.8 10.3 9.8

 Master’s degree ........................................ 5.6 3.5 5.2 7.9 10.2 12.6

 Doctoral or professional degree ............... 6.1 2.2 4.4 10.0 13.3 18.8

 Women ................................................... 5.1 3.0 4.9 7.1 9.7 10.1

Less than a high school diploma ................ 4.3 2.6 3.8 4.8 9.3 10.2

High school graduates, no college ............. 5.4 2.9 4.7 6.8 9.7 10.1

Some college, no degree ............................ 5.0 3.0 4.7 6.9 9.8 10.4

Associate degree ........................................ 5.2 3.1 4.9 8.0 9.6 9.9

College graduates ...................................... 5.0 3.0 5.4 7.8 9.8 9.7

 Bachelor’s degree ..................................... 4.7 3.0 5.0 7.8 9.2 10.3

 Master’s degree ........................................ 5.8 3.1 6.6 8.3 10.4 9.1

 Doctoral or professional degree ............... 4.5 2.5 5.3 5.2 9.5 8.0
Table 5. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by industry, selected

years, 2000-2010

Industry February

2000

January

2002

January

2004

January

2006

January

2008

January

2010

 Total, 16 years and over ....................................................................... 3.5 3.7 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.4

Private sector .......................................................................................... 3.2 3.3 3.5 3.6 3.6 4.0

 Agriculture and related industries ......................................................... 3.7 4.2 3.7 3.8 4.3 4.8

 Nonagricultural industries ..................................................................... 3.2 3.3 3.5 3.6 3.6 4.0

 Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction ..................................... 4.8 4.5 5.2 3.8 4.1 4.8

 Construction ....................................................................................... 2.7 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.5 4.2

 Manufacturing ..................................................................................... 4.9 5.4 5.8 5.5 5.9 6.1

 Durable goods manufacturing .......................................................... 4.8 5.5 6.0 5.6 6.1 6.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products ......................................................... 5.5 5.3 4.8 5.0 4.8 7.7

 Primary metals and fabricated metal products ............................... 5.0 6.3 6.4 6.2 5.2 7.2

 Machinery manufacturing ............................................................... 5.3 6.8 6.4 6.6 6.0 8.3

 Computers and electronic products ................................................ 3.9 4.7 5.2 5.9 6.7 5.9

 Electrical equipment and appliances .............................................. 5.0 5.5 9.8 6.2 6.2 5.0

 Transportation equipment ............................................................... 6.4 7.0 7.7 7.2 7.8 8.3

 Wood products ............................................................................... 3.7 4.3 5.0 4.7 6.2 4.7

 Furniture and fixtures ...................................................................... 4.4 4.7 4.7 4.2 5.2 5.0

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ......................................................... 3.7 4.5 4.6 3.9 4.7 5.4

 Nondurable goods manufacturing .................................................... 5.0 5.3 5.5 5.4 5.4 5.5

 Food manufacturing ........................................................................ 4.6 5.0 4.9 5.2 4.3 4.7

 Beverage and tobacco products ..................................................... 5.5 4.6 8.0 5.4 6.9 8.1

 Textiles, apparel, and leather ......................................................... 4.7 5.0 5.0 4.4 4.6 4.7

 Paper and printing .......................................................................... 5.1 6.2 6.9 6.3 5.5 6.8

 Petroleum and coal products .......................................................... 9.5 9.8 11.4 5.0 4.3 5.1

 Chemicals ....................................................................................... 6.0 5.7 5.3 6.1 7.6 7.3

 Plastics and rubber products .......................................................... 4.6 5.3 5.7 5.0 5.3 7.4

 Wholesale and retail trade .................................................................. 2.7 2.8 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.6

 Wholesale trade ................................................................................ 3.9 3.9 4.3 4.6 5.0 5.2

 Retail trade ....................................................................................... 2.5 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.3

 Transportation and utilities ................................................................. 4.7 4.9 5.3 4.9 5.1 5.3

 Transportation and warehousing ...................................................... 4.0 4.3 4.7 4.3 4.6 5.0

 Utilities .............................................................................................. 11.5 13.4 13.3 10.4 10.1 9.1

 Information 1 ....................................................................................... 3.4 3.3 4.3 4.8 4.7 5.0

 Publishing, except Internet ............................................................... 4.2 4.8 4.7 5.3 4.7 5.6

 Motion pictures and sound recording industries ............................... 1.6 2.3 2.2 1.9 1.9 3.8

 Radio and television broadcasting and cable

 subscriptions programming 2 ..................................................... 3.6 3.1 4.0 4.6 3.4 4.3

 Telecommunications 2 ...................................................................... 4.3 3.4 4.6 5.3 6.9 6.6

 Financial activities .............................................................................. 3.5 3.6 3.9 4.0 4.5 4.6

 Finance and insurance ..................................................................... 3.6 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.7 4.8

 Finance ........................................................................................... 3.3 3.6 4.0 3.9 4.4 4.5

 Insurance ........................................................................................ 4.4 4.5 4.4 4.7 5.2 5.5

 Real estate and rental and leasing ................................................... 3.1 3.0 3.3 3.4 3.7 3.9

 Real estate ..................................................................................... 3.1 3.2 3.5 3.5 3.9 4.1

 Rental and leasing services ............................................................ 3.0 2.2 2.9 3.1 3.0 3.3

 Professional and business services ................................................... 2.4 2.7 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.4

 Professional and technical services ................................................. 2.6 3.1 3.6 3.8 3.3 4.0

 Management, administrative, and waste services 1 ......................... 2.0 2.1 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.9

 Administrative and support services ............................................... 1.8 1.9 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.8

 Waste management and remediation services .............................. 3.6 4.3 3.4 4.1 4.1 2.9

 Education and health services ............................................................ 3.4 3.5 3.6 4.0 4.1 4.1

 Educational services ......................................................................... 3.2 3.6 3.8 4.0 4.3 4.4

 Health care and social assistance .................................................... 3.5 3.5 3.6 4.1 4.1 4.1

 Hospitals ......................................................................................... 5.1 4.9 4.7 5.2 5.4 5.3

 Health services, except hospitals ................................................... 3.2 3.1 3.3 3.6 3.6 3.6

 Social assistance ............................................................................ 2.4 2.5 2.8 3.1 3.0 3.1

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, 2000-2010—Continued

Industry February

2000

January

2002

January

2004

January

2006

January

2008

January

2010

 Leisure and hospitality ........................................................................ 1.7 1.8 2.0 1.9 2.1 2.5

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation .................................................. 2.6 2.3 2.8 3.1 2.8 3.3

 Accommodation and food services ................................................... 1.5 1.6 1.9 1.6 1.9 2.3

 Accommodation .............................................................................. 2.8 2.7 3.1 2.5 3.1 3.3

 Food services and drinking places ................................................. 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.4 1.6 2.2

 Other services .................................................................................... 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.3 4.0

 Other services, except private households ....................................... 3.2 3.3 3.5 3.3 3.4 4.1

 Repair and maintenance ................................................................ 3.0 3.0 3.2 2.9 3.0 4.0

 Personal and laundry services ....................................................... 2.7 2.8 3.4 2.8 3.2 3.5

 Membership associations and organizations .................................. 4.0 4.1 3.9 4.2 4.4 4.5

 Other services, private households .................................................. 3.0 2.7 2.3 2.8 2.8 3.4

Public sector ........................................................................................... 7.1 6.7 6.9 6.9 7.2 7.2

 Federal government ............................................................................. 11.5 11.3 10.4 9.9 9.9 7.9

 State government ................................................................................. 5.5 5.4 6.4 6.3 6.5 6.4

 Local government ................................................................................. 6.7 6.2 6.4 6.6 7.1 7.5

1 Includes other industries, not shown separately. 2 Data for these industries are not directly comparable over time due to industry classification changes in 2003 and 2009.

NOTE: Beginning with data for January 2010, industries reflect the introduction of the 2007 census industry classification system into the Current Population Survey.

This industry classification system is derived from the 2007 North American Industry Classification System. No historical data have been revised.
Table 6. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by

occupation, selected years, 2000-2010

Occupation February

2000

January

2002

January

2004

January

2006

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

 Management, professional, and related occupations ............................ 4.6 4.6 5.0 5.2

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

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

 Business and financial operations occupations ................................ 4.0 4.2 4.5 4.7

 Professional and related occupations .................................................. 4.4 4.2 4.7 5.0

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

 Architecture and engineering occupations ....................................... 4.8 5.2 5.8 6.5

 Life, physical, and social science occupations ................................. 4.6 4.3 4.2 4.7

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

 Legal occupations ............................................................................. 3.9 4.5 4.1 5.0

 Education, training, and library occupations ..................................... 5.4 4.8 5.1 5.3

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

 Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ........................... 4.6 4.3 4.5 4.8

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

 Healthcare support occupations .......................................................... 2.8 2.5 2.9 3.1

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

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

 Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ............ 3.4 3.0 3.3 3.7

 Personal care and service occupations ............................................... 2.3 2.3 2.7 2.4

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

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

 Office and administrative support occupations .................................... 3.4 3.6 4.0 4.1

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ........... 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.5

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .......................................... 2.8 4.0 3.7 3.6

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................. 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.0

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

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ............... 3.9 4.3 4.2 4.0

 Production occupations ....................................................................... 4.5 5.2 5.0 4.8

 Transportation and material moving occupations ................................ 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.3
Table 6. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and

salary workers by occupation, selected years, 2000-2010—Continued

Occupation January

2008

January

2010

 Total, 16 years and over ..................................................................... 4.1 4.4

 Management, professional, and related occupations ............................ 5.1 5.2

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ........... 5.4 5.4

 Management occupations ................................................................ 6.0 6.1

 Business and financial operations occupations ................................ 4.6 4.6

 Professional and related occupations .................................................. 4.9 5.0

 Computer and mathematical occupations ........................................ 4.5 4.8

 Architecture and engineering occupations ....................................... 6.4 5.7

 Life, physical, and social science occupations ................................. 4.0 4.6

 Community and social services occupations .................................... 4.8 4.6

 Legal occupations ............................................................................. 4.3 4.6

 Education, training, and library occupations ..................................... 5.4 5.6

 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations ............ 3.4 3.9

 Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ........................... 4.9 4.8

 Service occupations .............................................................................. 2.8 3.1

 Healthcare support occupations .......................................................... 3.1 3.3

 Protective service occupations ............................................................ 5.9 5.0

 Food preparation and serving related occupations ............................. 2.0 2.3

 Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ............ 3.6 4.1

 Personal care and service occupations ............................................... 2.6 2.9

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................. 3.5 4.1

 Sales and related occupations ............................................................ 2.9 3.4

 Office and administrative support occupations .................................... 4.2 4.7

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ........... 4.0 4.7

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .......................................... 3.1 4.2

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................. 3.5 4.1

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations .............................. 5.0 5.7

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ............... 4.5 4.6

 Production occupations ....................................................................... 5.0 5.3

 Transportation and material moving occupations ................................ 3.8 4.0