Number of sick days taken from work or school among adults in the U.S. 2020-2024

According to a Statista survey from the middle of 2024, among the roughly 78 percent of adult respondents who worked or studied, almost one quarter did not take any sick leave in the last 12 months. However, this was a decrease from previous years. In the first quarter of 2021, for example, around 34 percent of U.S. adults reported not taking any sick leave days in the past year. Of those that did miss work or school due to ill health in 2024, 2-3 days of sick leave was most common. 

Health-related absenteeism among U.S. workers

From October 2022 to September 2023, the month with the highest share of full-time workers in the United States who were absent from work for health-related reasons was December, with around 3.25 percent of workers absent from work because of illness. However, the month with the largest share of workers absent for health reasons varies year to year. Women in the United States tend to report being absent from work due to ill health more often than men, with this true for every month from October 2022 to September 2023. Seniors are also more likely to be absent from work for health-related reasons than younger adults.

What share of U.S. workers get paid sick leave?

In 2021, around 80 percent of civilian and private industry workers in the United States had access to paid sick leave benefits. In comparison, around 91 percent of local government workers had paid sick leave benefits, while 96 percent of state government workers had such benefits. Among the civilian workers with paid sick leave, around 66 percent had a fixed number of days per year which they either earn or accrue. Only three percent of civilian workers have access to paid sick leave as needed. Access to paid sick leave in the United States does differ slightly depending on the occupation.