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National Longitudinal Surveys
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National Longitudinal Surveys Home Page
The National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS) are a set of surveys designed to gather information at multiple points in time on the labor market activities and other significant life events of several groups of men and women. NLS data have served as an important tool for economists, sociologists, and other researchers for more than 50 years. Learn about the different NLS cohorts.
Notices
- NLSY79 data from 1979 through 2022 (Rounds 1-30) released. Read More »
- NLSY97 data from 1997 through 2021 (Rounds 1-20) released. Read More »
- Introducing the NLSY27 Read More »
Graphics
Click the graphic to enlarge chart: NLSY79 cumulative number of jobs held from age 18 to age 56 in 1978-2020, by sex and age.
Click the graphic to enlarge chart: NLSY79 percent of weeks employed from age 18 to age 56 in 1978-2020, by educational attainment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.
Click the graphic to enlarge chart: NLSY79 percent of weeks not in the labor force from age 18 to age 56 in 1978-2020, by sex and age.
Click the graphic to enlarge chart: NLSY79 marital status at age 24, age 34, age 44, and age 56 by educational attainment.
Click the graphic to enlarge chart: NLSY79 percent of individuals whose health limited the kind or amount of work they performed by age and educational attainment.
Latest News Releases
Americans born in the early 1980s hold an average of 9.0 jobs from ages 18 through 36
04/02/2024
A longitudinal study of Americans born in the early 1980s reveals that individuals held an
average of 9.0 jobs from ages 18 through 36. Over half of these jobs were held between the
ages of 18 and 23. Individuals were employed for an average of 76 percent of weeks from ages 18 to 36.
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Individuals born in the years 1957-64 held 12.9 jobs from ages 18 to 58
08/26/2025
Individuals born in the latter years of the baby boom held an average
of 12.9 jobs from age 18 to age 58, with nearly half of these jobs
held from ages 18 to 24.
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Publications
Monthly Labor Review
Patterns of marriage and divorce from ages 15 to 55: Evidence from the NLSY79
The timing and frequency of marriage and divorce varied by race, ethnicity, sex, education, and work history. read more »
The Economics Daily
People born between 1980 and 1984 held an average of 9.0 jobs from ages 18 through 36
People born in 1980–84 and living in the United States in 1997 held an average of 9.0 jobs from age 18 through age 36. These adults held more jobs at younger ages: they held an average of 5.1 jobs from ages 18 to 23 compared with 2.5 jobs from ages 30 to 36. Men held an average of 8.9 jobs from ages 18 to 36 and women held an average of 9.1 jobs. read more »