Employee Turnover Calculator
Calculate your annual turnover rate, compare it with the latest federal data for your industry, and estimate the annual cost of turnover.
Count everyone who left: people who quit, were let go or retired.
Optional: estimate what turnover costs you
Use the typical pay of the roles that turn over most.
Leave the replacement cost blank to use the research default for your pay level.
Your annual turnover rate
Enter your headcount at the start and end, and how many people left.
Compared with your industry
Choose your industry to compare.
Estimated yearly cost
Add hourly pay to see what turnover likely costs you.
Estimates for general information only. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.
How do you calculate employee turnover?
To calculate employee turnover, divide the number of employees who left during a period by your average number of employees, then multiply by 100. Your average number of employees is your headcount at the start of the period plus your headcount at the end, divided by two.
Example
You started the year with 40 employees and ended with 50. That is an average of 45. During the year, 27 people left. 27 ÷ 45 = 0.60, so your annual turnover rate is 60%.
Who counts as an employee who left?
Count everyone who left for any reason: people who quit, people you let go and people who retired. That matches how the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics measures turnover, so your rate compares fairly with the industry averages below. If you only want voluntary turnover, count quits alone, but expect that number to sit below the industry averages.
What is a normal turnover rate?
Across all private employers, about 43% of positions turned over in 2025. It varies a lot by industry. Restaurants, hotels and other hourly-heavy businesses run far higher than offices.
Restaurant owners often see turnover above 100%. That fits the data. Among hourly restaurant staff, turnover was 110% at quick-service restaurants and 92% at full-service restaurants. The government figure for restaurants and hotels is lower, about 66%, because it also counts managers and hotel staff, who stay longer.
| Industry | Annual turnover | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Quick-service restaurants, hourly staff | 110% | Black Box |
| Full-service restaurants, hourly staff | 92% | Black Box |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 73% | BLS |
| Restaurants and hotels, all staff | 66% | BLS |
| Business services, including staffing, cleaning and security | 55% | BLS |
| Construction | 48% | BLS |
| Transportation, warehousing and utilities | 48% | BLS |
| Retail | 46% | BLS |
| Other services, including repair, salons and laundry | 40% | BLS |
| Mining and logging | 40% | BLS |
| Health care and social assistance, including senior care and child care | 35% | BLS |
| Information and media | 34% | BLS |
| Manufacturing, nondurable goods, including food processing | 32% | BLS |
| Real estate and rental | 31% | BLS |
| Manufacturing, durable goods | 28% | BLS |
| Wholesale trade | 28% | BLS |
| Private education | 26% | BLS |
| Finance and insurance | 25% | BLS |
| All private employers | 43% | BLS |
Sources: BLS is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS Table 20, 2025 data published March 2026. It counts all employees and reports a monthly rate, which we multiply by 12. Black Box is Black Box Intelligence, State of the Restaurant Workforce, hourly staff over the 12 months through the third quarter of 2025.
What does employee turnover cost?
Every person who leaves has to be replaced. That means job ads, interviews, onboarding, training and the weeks it takes a new hire to get up to speed. A review of research by the Center for American Progress found that replacing an employee typically costs about 16% of annual pay for jobs paying under $30,000, and about 20% for jobs paying up to $75,000.
For a business with high turnover in hourly roles, those costs add up quickly. The calculator above uses these figures as a starting point. If you track your own hiring and training costs, enter your number instead.
Want to keep more of your hourly team?
Activ8 Health gives enrolled employees access to doctors, therapists, and prescription medications with no copays and no deductibles. Many part-timers and people in high-turnover roles qualify.
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This calculator is for general information only. It is not tax, legal or financial advice. Results are estimates and depend on the numbers you enter.