Paid Time Off Statistics: Average PTO In The USA In 2024

Americans Are Leaving Paid Time Off on the Table – And Their Health Is Suffering

Working 9 to 5 is taking a bigger toll than ever before. Overwork is rampant, with the rise of always being “on call” – answering emails after hours, taking work calls during family time, monitoring Slack on the weekends. This so-called “hustle culture” comes at a steep price: burnout, stress, decreased mental health, strained family relationships, and more health problems.

Paradoxically, most workplaces in America today offer employees paid time off (PTO). Even as our working hours grow longer, more companies provide PTO and vacation time. So why aren’t employees taking advantage of it? The statistics reveal a startling picture of how little time off American workers feel able to take, and the price they pay in lost health, diminished productivity, and more.

Paid Time Off by the Numbers

To start, let’s look at the PTO that companies typically allot. While the United States federal government does not mandate any paid leave or vacation days, most companies voluntarily offer paid time off:

The average is 10 combined PTO days per year. These can be used for vacation, sick time, personal days, etc.
36% of companies offer 6-10 days of PTO annually
24% offer a more generous 11-15 days
12% offer a paltry 1-5 days
Government workers receive the most: 18 days annual PTO on average

The amount of offered PTO is just the beginning of the story. The more startling statistics reveal how much of this paid time off employees actually utilize:

55% of PTO goes totally unused by employees each year
In 2021, the average employee left 9 unused PTO days on the table
Salaried employees are the most likely not to take PTO. 52% of salaried workers forego their PTO.
Executives and higher earners leave the most days unused. 51% of executives take less PTO than allotted.

Why Aren’t We Taking Time Off?

Clearly, most American employees are leaving significant paid vacation unused. Why would someone leave a free benefit on the table? Some reasons include:

49% cite worries about falling behind at work as the top reason for not using PTO fully
43% feel guilty about colleagues having to cover for them
Women report more discomfort with taking PTO than men (19% vs 13%). They also take 33% less PTO time than men.

These statistics paint a troubling picture. Despite PTO being guaranteed paid time employees have earned, social and cultural pressures make them afraid to use it fully. Fears over being perceived as not hardworking enough or letting coworkers down drive us back into the office, even when time off is available.

For some groups, there are even stronger influences holding them back from PTO:

Black employees have particular fears over taking PTO. 21% fear being fired or other job repercussions if they take time off, versus just 13% of white employees.

Why does PTO remain stubbornly underutilized even when companies provide it? In some cases, it’s company policies themselves discouraging usage, like “use it or lose it” expiration on unused days. But the statistics also suggest a more ingrained cultural issue at play. Having a strong worth ethic is valued more highly than openly taking earned time for vacation, rest and leisure. So employees let PTO days go unused out of pride and unwillingness to feel lazy or create more work for colleagues. Until these cultural attitudes shift more, PTO underutilization seems likely to persist.

The Hidden Costs: Health, Burnout and More

Leaving allocated PTO unused might seem like no big deal or even something to take pride in. But a growing body of evidence suggests there are steep physical and mental health costs to chronic overwork and failing to take time away from the daily grind.

89% of employees say having PTO is important for mental health and avoiding burnout
Yet 84% still go into work when sick even though PTO is available
Chronic overwork results in 120,000 deaths annually according to one study

Stress from overwork manifests itself in cardiovascular disease, impaired immunity, anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Clearly the human body needs periodic rest and recovery time. When we don’t allow that with PTO, illness can result or be exacerbated. The culture says powering through is good, but biologically our health suffers.

Beyond personal costs to health and home life quality, unused paid leave also harms worker productivity and company bottom lines:

Failing to take PTO predicts higher turnover. One survey showed turnover was 2.5 times higher for those with fewer vacation days used
Conversely, taking time off fully makes employees happier with their jobs. One study showed job satisfaction higher by over 30% for those using more of their allotted PTO

Despite stereotypes that vacationers might slack off, evidence doesn’t support the concept that PTO usage harms overall employee productivity:

Following vacation days, one study measured an 80% increase in employee productivity
82% of American employees reported better focus and productivity after taking a vacation

Clearly, unused PTO benefits neither employee nor employer. While American cultural attitudes and workplace policies might dissuade using time off, the statistics support embracing PTO to reverse burnout, health issues, job dissatisfaction and more.

The Path Forward: Changing Perspectives on PTO

Research suggests American ideas on work-life balance are due for an update in the name of supporting better mental and physical health. Embracing and encouraging responsible PTO usage is an important piece of changing attitudes away from overwork.

While changing deep-rooted cultural ideas is difficult, perspectives in America do appear to be shifting on prioritizing rest, health and work-life balance:

85% of workers say they’d choose, or stay in, a job that encourages taking time off over one that discourages it
78% of employees say they’d choose a job offering better PTO benefits over a job offering higher pay
“Hustle culture” appears to be giving way to increasing talk of “quiet quitting” — doing your job but not going “above and beyond” outside of work hours

Employers wise to these trends are establishing Flexible PTO policies without set annual limits, which research shows can increase morale, engagement and retention. A cultural change toward embracing rest could finally see American workers using their hard-earned PTO.

In Conclusion: Paid Leave Pays Off

The bottom line is that unused PTO benefits no one. Despite company allotments and increasing flexibility, American employees today leave over half of their paid time off unused due to cultural attitudes and workplace pressures. Yet research confirms using PTO to rest, relax and reenergize has no negative impact on productivity. In contrast, time away pays dividends in better health, focus, job satisfaction and happiness outside of work.

As perspectives shift on the role work plays in life fulfillment, America seems poised for a paid leave culture change. Workers prodded to leave PTO on the table should feel empowered to claim it proudly. Responsible time away is a key ingredient in bringing one’s best, most focused self to the job. Our sickness as a society for overwork demands the restorative medicine of paid time off. The healthiest, most balanced work cultures will be those that encourage workers to fully disconnect.

Sources:
Fast Company: https://www.fastcompany.com
HR Drive: https://www.hrdive.com
Quartz: https://qz.com
Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org