Free tool
Employee Turnover Rate Calculator
Enter your headcount at the start and end of a period and how many people left. The calculator returns your turnover rate for the period, the average monthly rate you can compare with official U.S. benchmarks, and an annualized rate.
Calculate your employee turnover rate
Example numbers are prefilled; replace them with yours. A rate measures how many people left, not why they left.
How it is calculated
The calculator follows the way the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics measures turnover. A separations rate is the number of separations divided by employment, multiplied by 100. Separations include everyone who left the payroll for any reason: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations.
- Average headcount = (employees at the start + employees at the end) divided by 2.
- Turnover rate for the period = employees who left divided by average headcount, times 100.
- Average monthly rate = the period's rate divided by the number of months it covers.
- Annualized rate = the average monthly rate times 12.
How to compare your rate
BLS publishes turnover as monthly rates: total separations during a month as a percent of employment. Its annual figures are averages of those monthly rates, so compare them with your average monthly rate, not with your rate for the whole year. The benchmarks below are the 2025 annual averages for selected industries.
Turnover is not one number. Split it by type before you act on it: quits are voluntary departures other than retirements and transfers, while layoffs and discharges are separations the employer initiates. Other separations are retirements, transfers to other locations, disability and deaths. They have different causes, so they call for different fixes.
What to do with the result
- Calculate the rate by team, location and tenure band. Company-wide averages hide the teams where people leave.
- Track the trend every quarter with the same method, so changes are real rather than artifacts of a new formula.
- Pair the number with the reasons: exit interviews and regular engagement surveys tell you why people leave and who is likely to be next.
Turnover benchmarks by industry (2025)
United StatesAs of Mar 13, 2026
- All industries (total nonfarm)
- 3.3% a month2025 annual average
- Total private
- 3.6% a month2025 annual average
- Construction
- 4.0% a month2025 annual average
- Manufacturing
- 2.4% a month2025 annual average
- Retail trade
- 3.8% a month2025 annual average
- Professional and business services
- 4.6% a month2025 annual average
- Health care and social assistance
- 2.9% a month2025 annual average
- Accommodation and food services
- 5.5% a month2025 annual average
- Government
- 1.5% a month2025 annual average
Average monthly total separations rate, 2025 annual average, not seasonally adjusted, as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey) on March 13, 2026.
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Sample question
Anonymity and confidentiality controls
Ask for the minimum group size before results show, how comments are masked, and what administrators can see.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate employee turnover rate?
Divide the number of employees who left during the period by your average headcount, then multiply by 100. Average headcount is the number of employees at the start plus the number at the end, divided by two.
How do I calculate monthly and annual turnover?
Divide the rate for the period by the number of months it covers to get your average monthly rate, then multiply the monthly rate by 12 to annualize it. BLS publishes turnover as monthly rates, so compare its benchmarks with your average monthly rate.
What does a 20% turnover rate mean?
It means the people who left during the period equal one fifth of your average headcount. Over a year, a 20% rate works out to about 1.7% a month, below the 2025 average of 3.3% a month for all U.S. industries.
What is a good employee turnover rate?
It depends on the industry, so compare your average monthly rate with the benchmark for your industry in the table. In 2025 the all-industry average was a total separations rate of 3.3% a month, from 1.5% in government to 5.5% in accommodation and food services.
Should I count people who were fired?
For total turnover, yes: count everyone who left the payroll. Then split the figure into voluntary quits and employer-initiated layoffs and discharges, because they have different causes and different fixes.
What is the difference between voluntary and involuntary turnover?
Voluntary turnover is quits: people who choose to leave, not counting retirements or transfers to other locations. Involuntary turnover is layoffs and discharges, which the employer initiates. BLS counts retirements, transfers, disability separations and deaths as a third group, other separations. Track the groups separately: they have different causes and fixes.
Software that tracks it for you
- Employee Engagement Software
Surveys and manager-level reports that explain why people leave, before they do.
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One employee record with hire and termination dates, so turnover reports itself.
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Regular check-ins and goals that keep good people engaged.
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