How Much Is the Average PTO in the US?

Did you know that according to Business Insider, employees value their paid time off (PTO) more than healthcare coverage? Work-life balance is an employee concern that businesses should take seriously.

As a small business owner, it may be critical to your business to have a documented and competitive PTO plan for full-time employees as well as part-timers. But what makes an employee benefits plan competitive in small business these days? The short, dry answer is: anything above average.

Learning about the average PTO in U.S. job markets can help you set your own policies to attract job candidates and retain current employees, especially as the markets tighten.

Then the questions become: What’s average? How much paid time off is normal?

How Much Is Average for PTO?

Eleven days is the average number of vacation days for private sector employees who have completed one year of service, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Seven days is the average number of sick leave days for private sector employees who have completed one year of service.

It turns out the average PTO length varies substantially depending on a number of factors, like tenure with a company, public vs. private industries and your geographic location.

Here, we look at average days of PTO across various metrics, based on data compiled from the BLS as well as our own survey data. We hope this helps you stay above the curve, literally, when it comes to positioning your competitive PTO policy, or at least guide you on what the average PTO looks like in other companies, industries, and geographies around you.

How much does the average Number of Days of PTO Increase Over Time?

The average vacation days per year for a given employee tends to increase over time. This BLS data, stemming from a representative sample of U.S. workers, confirms that.

The average American employee can expect to earn an extra three to four days of PTO every five years of service to an employer, according to the BLS.

By the time you’ve worked 10 years at the same employer, you are putting three to four weeks’ paid vacation in your pocket every year, federal data shows.

Length of service and average sick leave and vacation leave

After 1 year, Private—7 days; Government—11 days

After 5 years, Private—7 days, Government—12 days

After 10 years, Private—7 days, Government—12 days

After 20 years, Private—7 days, Government—12 days

Length of Service and Average Number of Days of Vacation Leave

After 1 year, Private—11 days, Government—13 days

After 5 years, Private—15 days, Government—16 days

After 10 years, Private—18 days, Government—19 days

After 20 years, Private—20 days, Government—22 days

Adapted graph using BLS data. Source.

What Is the Average Number of PTO Days by Industry?

How much PTO do you get in your field these days? There are 32 industries listed below, with PTO data averaged from only 606 small business employees from our survey. Because of the diffusion of the data across many categories, the sample size is not likely to provide statistical significance for each industry. Still, we thought this “starter data” was worth sharing to help you gauge how much PTO is normal, so to speak. Just, please, take these numbers with a small grain of salt.

Average number of PTO days by industry

• Non-Profit/Foundation - 17.5
• Government/Military - 17.3
• Utilities - 15.8
• Media/Printing/Publishing/Broadcasting - 14.8
• Manufacturing - 14.2
• Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing - 14.0
• Finance/Banking/Insurance - 14.0
• Internet (Including SaaS/Mobile) - 13.7
• Telecommunications - 12.3
• Engineering/Architecture - 11.4
• Communications - 10.9
• Legal - 10.9
• Wholesale - 10.6
• Healthcare/Medical (including Hospice/Homecare/Outpatient) - 10.4
• Business/Professional Services - 9.8
• Real Estate - 9.7
• Transportation/Distribution - 8.7
• Entertainment/Recreation - 8.6
• Construction/Home Improvement - 8.5
• Education - 8.5
• Retail - 8.3
• Computers (Hardware, Desktop Software) - 7.9
• Business Services (Hotels, Lodging Places) - 7.8
• Biotechnology - 7.2
• Food Service/Hospitality/Travel (including restaurants, hotels, etc.) - 6.9
• Consulting - 6.0
• Accounting - 5.6
• Aerospace/Aviation - 5.3
• Automotive (Sales/Repair) - 4.7
• Advertising - 3.3
• Mining - 2.0
• Marketing/Market Research/Public Relations - 0.0

It’s not surprising that our survey found that people aged 55 and older feel more satisfied with their PTO plan (67%) compared to their 18-24-year-old counterparts (50%).

If you're looking for more insights into PTO availability across industries in both the private and public sectors, check out this chart from the BLS. One headline is that in management, business, and financial occupations in private industry, 96% get sick leave, 97% get paid vacation and 96% get paid holidays.

What Is the Average PTO Across the US?

Perspective is everything. When you’re talking to new candidates during the hiring process, consider that geographic perspective might influence what your candidate's views on leave policy. According to our findings, Northeasterners might assume a more generous PTO allowance compared to their Southeastern neighbors.

Average PTO days by region

West - 9.4:

• California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming

Southwest - 10.3:

• Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas

Midwest - 8.5:

• Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin 

Northeast - 11.4:

• Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont

Southeast - 8.5:

• Alabama, Arkansas, DC, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia

What Is the Average Number of PTO Days by Age?

Employees earn longer stints of PTO over time and often take accrued time off with them from employer to employer. If you’re hiring new employees, make sure your HR team is sensitive to more seasoned workers who likely expect more liberal vacation policies compared to younger hires.

It’s not surprising that our survey found that people aged 55 and older feel more satisfied with their PTO plan (67%) compared to their 18-24-year-old counterparts (50%).

Average Number of PTO Days by Age

• 18-24 years old - 6.2
• 5-34 years old - 7.8
• 35-44 years old - 9.5
• 45-54 years old - 11.3
• 55-64 years old - 10.4
• 65+ years old - 13.0

Where do I document my PTO policy?

These averages can help you contextualize your business and its policies. When you’re ready to get pen to paper and start drafting or revamping your PTO policy, consider filing it into an HR resource that your employees can access with ease and familiarity.

An employee handbook is a great start. Download our free template to help you get started and simply the process.

If you need help, consider TriNet. TriNet offers on-demand HR support to our customers, providing best practices to help answer HR questions, even the tough ones about federal, state, and local rules and requirements.