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Baby boomers born from 1957 to 1964 held an average of 11.9 jobs from ages 18 to 50
August 28, 2017
Individuals born from 1957 to 1964 held an average of 11.9 jobs from ages 18 to 50. These baby boomers held an average of 5.5 jobs while ages 18 to 24. The average fell to 4.5 jobs from ages 25 to 34, to 2.9 jobs from ages 35 to 44, and to 1.7 jobs from ages 45 to 50.
White non-Hispanic, less than a high school diploma
12.3
5.3
4.8
2.8
1.3
White non-Hispanic, high school graduates, no college(4)
11.6
5.4
4.4
2.9
1.7
White non-Hispanic, some college or associate degree
12.3
5.8
4.6
2.9
1.8
White non-Hispanic, bachelor's degree and higher(5)
12.0
6.2
4.4
2.8
1.8
Black non-Hispanic
11.5
4.6
4.6
3.2
1.7
Black non-Hispanic, less than a high school diploma
9.6
3.6
4.0
2.5
1.2
Black non-Hispanic, high school graduates, no college(4)
11.3
4.4
4.6
3.1
1.6
Black non-Hispanic, some college or associate degree
12.4
5.0
4.8
3.5
1.9
Black non-Hispanic, bachelor's degree and higher(5)
12.3
5.6
4.6
3.1
2.1
Hispanic or Latino
11.6
4.9
4.3
3.0
1.7
Hispanic or Latino, less than a high school diploma
11.3
4.4
4.3
2.9
1.5
Hispanic or Latino, high school graduates, no college(4)
11.2
4.9
4.2
3.0
1.7
Hispanic or Latino, some college or associate degree
12.6
5.2
4.6
3.2
1.9
Hispanic or Latino, bachelor's degree and higher(5)
11.2
5.3
4.4
2.8
1.7
Footnotes:
(1) Jobs that were held in more than one of the age categories were counted in each appropriate column, but only once in the total column. The total excludes individuals who turned age 18 before January 1, 1978, or who had not yet turned age 51 when interviewed in 2014-15.
(2) This category excludes individuals who turned age 18 before January 1, 1978.
(3) This category excludes individuals who had not yet turned age 51 when interviewed in 2014-15.
(4) Includes individuals with a high school diploma or equivalent.
(5) Includes individuals with bachelor's, master's, professional, or doctoral degrees.
On average, men held 12.1 jobs and women held 11.6 jobs from age 18 to age 50. Men held 5.7 jobs from age 18 to age 24, compared with 1.7 jobs from age 45 to age 50. The reduction in the average number of jobs held in successive age groups was similar for women.
On average, men without a high school diploma held 13.1 jobs from ages 18 to 50, while men with a bachelor's degree and higher held 11.4 jobs between these ages. In contrast, women without a high school diploma held 9.3 jobs from ages 18 to 50, while women with a bachelor's degree and higher held 12.7 jobs between these ages.
From age 18 to age 24, Whites held more jobs than Blacks, or Hispanics or Latinos. On average, Whites held 5.7 jobs between the ages of 18 and 24, while Blacks held 4.6 jobs, and Hispanics or Latinos held 4.9 jobs. Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics or Latinos held between 4.3 and 4.6 jobs from age 25 to age 34, and between 2.9 and 3.2 jobs from age 35 to age 44. From age 45 to age 50, Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics or Latinos all held an average of 1.7 jobs.
Data are from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, a survey of 9,964 men and women who were ages 14 to 22 when first interviewed in 1979 and ages 49 to 58 when interviewed most recently in 2014–15. These respondents were born in the years 1957 to 1964, the latter years of the baby boom that occurred in the United States from 1946 to 1964. Jobs that span more than one age group were counted once in each age group, so the overall average number of jobs held from age 18 to age 50 is less than the sum of the number of jobs across the individual age groups. To learn more, see "Number of Jobs, Labor Market Experience, and Earnings Growth Among Americans at 50: Results from a Longitudinal Survey" (HTML) (PDF).
United States Department of Labor
