Baby boomers born from 1957 to 1964 held an average of 12.7 jobs from ages 18 to 56

People born from 1957 to 1964, the latter years of the baby boom, held an average of 12.7 jobs from ages 18 to 56. Nearly half of these jobs were held before age 25. On average, men held 12.8 jobs and women held 12.5 jobs.

The average number of jobs held by women from ages 18 to 56 increased by educational attainment for those born from 1957 to 1964. Women who had less than a high school diploma averaged 10.4 jobs, while women with a bachelor’s degree and higher averaged 13.4 jobs.

Among men, those with less than a high school diploma held the greatest average number of jobs, at 14.1. Men with a bachelor’s degree and higher averaged 12.1 jobs from ages 18 to 56.

These data are from the National Longitudinal Surveys. To learn more, see “Number of Jobs, Labor Market Experience, Marital Status, and Health for those Born 1957–1964.” The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 consists of men and women who were born in the years 1957–64 and were ages 14 to 22 when first interviewed in 1979. These individuals were ages 55 to 64 in 2020–21.