Burnout among leaders has reached alarming levels in 2024 and 2025. From middle managers to C-suite executives, many leaders are overwhelmed by stress, exhaustion, and disengagement – often even more so than their teams. Economic uncertainty, “always-on” work culture, and the tail end of a pandemic have all intensified the pressure on those at the helm of organizations. The result? Record-high burnout rates and a potential exodus of top talent in search of better well-being.
If you’re an HR professional or leadership coach, understanding these trends is crucial. In this article, we’ll explore hard data on leadership burnout in the U.S., including how prevalent it’s become, what’s driving it, and how it’s impacting both leaders and organizations. We’ve gathered the latest research (2024 and 2025) — with comparisons to prior years — to give you a comprehensive picture backed by expert analysis.
In this article, you will find out:
- How widespread burnout is among leaders (and how it has risen from 2022 to 2025)
- Which groups of leaders are most at risk, including by management level, gender, and generation
- Key causes of leadership burnout, from workload and long hours to lack of support and recognition
- The impact of burnout on retention and performance, including turnover rates and productivity losses
- What leaders and organizations are (or aren’t) doing to combat burnout – and which strategies employees say would help
Let’s dive into the statistics that shed light on the leadership burnout crisis.
10 most interesting leadership burnout statistics in the US (2024/2025)
Statistics on the rising burnout rates among leaders
Over half of leaders are burned out, and it’s getting worse. It is found that 56% of leaders reported feeling burned out – up from 52% in the previous year. This highlights a growing trend: leadership burnout has increased year-over-year through the pandemic recovery period.
Source: LHH
Middle managers are especially feeling the heat. In a recent survey, 71% of middle managers in the U.S. reported being burned out – more than any other group of workers. This suggests that those in the middle (juggling demands from both senior executives and frontline teams) are bearing a disproportionate burden of stress.
Source: Capterra
Burnout has become a widespread issue across the workforce by 2025. Overall, employee burnout in the U.S. hit an all-time high of 66% in 2025. This broad wave of burnout in the workforce sets the context in which today’s leaders are operating, creating difficult conditions that can further tax managers and executives.
Source: Moodle
Burnout statistics on managers vs. non-managers
Managers are more likely to burn out than their direct reports. New data shows that compared to non-managers, managers are 36% more likely to report feeling burned out. In other words, being in a leadership role itself increases the risk of burnout. The added responsibilities and pressure on managers translate into higher stress levels than those of individual contributors.
Source: meQuilibrium
Stressed managers are eyeing the exit. The same study found managers are 24% more likely to consider quitting in the next six months compared to non-managers. Burnout is contributing to a leadership retention problem – when managers reach exhaustion, they are more inclined to look for relief by changing jobs or even careers.
Source: meQuilibrium
“Always on” and squeezed in the middle. Surveys indicate that middle managers have the highest burnout of any level. As noted, 71% of mid-level managers report burnout, surpassing both more junior employees and senior executives. Middle managers often face pressure from all sides: they must meet upper management’s targets while also supporting their teams – a dual strain that can accelerate burnout.
Source: Capterra
Burnout differences by gender and generation in leadership
A “Great Breakup” in leadership: women are quitting at higher rates. Women leaders aren’t just more burned out – they’re also leaving companies at unprecedented rates. In fact, women leaders are switching jobs at the highest rate, and at a higher rate than men in leadership. Burnout is cited as a major driver of this exodus, with nearly 41% of women looking for new jobs naming burnout as their top reason for leaving.
Source: CNBC
Younger leaders are feeling the strain, too. Recent research suggests that Millennial and Gen Z leaders are the most affected by burnout in leadership ranks. This aligns with broader workforce trends – for instance, 72% of Gen Z and 77% of Millennials (many of whom are in early to mid-career roles, including first-line management) reported experiencing burnout. Meanwhile, older generations (62% of Gen X-ers and 38% of Boomers) often report slightly lower burnout rates. The data imply that generational expectations (such as striving for work-life balance and meaning) and life stage stressors may influence burnout levels among leaders.
Source: Doyle Group, Seramount
Key causes of leadership burnout
Workload and staffing shortfalls are the top culprits. By the numbers, the leading cause of burnout is sheer workload. In a mid-2024 survey, 51% of U.S. workers experiencing burnout cited excessive workload as the number one cause. The second most common cause was staff shortages (reported by 42%, as many have to cover unfilled roles), followed by difficulty balancing work and personal life (41%) as the third major factor. For leaders, these issues are often magnified – they are filling gaps when teams are shorthanded and frequently working long hours, leaving little time for life outside work.
Source: Eagle Hill Consulting LLC
Lack of support and recognition from the top. Burnout isn’t just about tasks and hours; organizational culture plays a huge role. The single biggest driver of burnout cited was a lack of support or recognition from leadership. Simply put, leaders who don’t feel supported by their own higher-ups – or who don’t receive acknowledgment for their efforts – are far more likely to burn out. (It’s telling that the same survey found one in four professionals “never or rarely” take all their vacation days, often due to a culture that implicitly discourages time off.)
Source: Forbes
Other common burnout triggers: There are several pervasive causes of burnout that affect employees and leaders alike. These include insufficient support, lack of recognition or rewards for contributions, overwhelming workloads, long working hours, and lack of work-life balance. All of these factors erode mental well-being over time. For example, a chronically high workload combined with long hours can lead to exhaustion, while a toxic team environment or an uncaring boss can sap a leader’s morale – together creating a perfect storm for burnout.
Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
Burnout’s impact on retention and turnover
Many executives have considered quitting for their well-being. Burnout at the top is so severe that it’s fueling thoughts of career change. 69% of C-level executives said they have seriously considered quitting their jobs for one that better supports their well-being. This was in 2022; a year later, in 2023, that figure climbed to roughly 75% of executives. It’s a startling statistic – even those at the pinnacle of their careers are ready to walk away if it means a life with less burnout.
Source: Deloitte
Burnout triples the risk of job hunting. Workers who feel burned out are almost 3× more likely to be actively looking for a new job compared to those who aren’t burned out (45% of burned-out employees were job-searching versus only 16% of non-burned-out employees). This stark difference shows how burnout can push even high performers out the door. When leaders are burned out, they may either disengage or decide to leave, creating costly turnover for their organizations.
Source: SHRM
Leaving due to burnout has become common. 1 in 5 of respondents (across all levels) said they think about quitting because they felt burned out.
Source: My Perfect Resume
Among Millennials – now a large share of managers and mid-level leaders – 70% reported wanting to switch jobs. These numbers underscore that burnout isn’t just causing fatigue; it’s actively driving talent out of companies. Employers who ignore burnout risk losing some of their best people.
Source: Talker Research
Retention bonus: supportive bosses keep people on board. Leadership behavior itself influences retention: employees who feel well-supported by their manager are 4.5 times less likely to be eyeing the exit. In contrast, when employees don’t feel supported by their manager, they are far more likely to become a “retention risk” (i.e., start looking for other jobs). This finding reinforces that leaders’ burnout isn’t just a personal issue – it directly affects their team’s stability. A burned-out, disengaged manager is less able to support their team, potentially prompting more turnover down the line.
Source: meQuilibrium
Burnout’s impact on work performance and health
Burned-out employees call in sick more often. One tangible indicator of burnout is increased absenteeism. Research shows that burned-out individuals are 76% more likely to take a stress-related absence. Leaders experiencing burnout may find themselves taking more mental health days (or sometimes “sick” days to simply recover from stress.) This absenteeism, in turn, puts additional strain on colleagues and direct reports, potentially spreading the burnout.
Source: CIPD
Chronic stress takes a toll on physical health. Burnout is now recognized as a legitimate workplace health condition (the World Health Organization classifies it as an occupational phenomenon), and it can lead to serious medical issues. Experts have linked long-term job burnout to a greater risk of conditions like heart disease, hypertension, insomnia, and depression. In essence, burnout can literally make you sick. Leaders under unrelenting stress may experience symptoms from constant fatigue and headaches to more severe stress-related illnesses, underscoring the importance of addressing burnout for one’s overall health.
Statistics on workplace culture, flexibility, and burnout prevention
Many professionals aren’t taking needed breaks. A significant cultural contributor to burnout is the inability (or unwillingness) to disconnect from work. About 4 in 10 professionals say they never or rarely take all of their vacation days. Whether due to heavy workloads or a company culture that frowns on time off, the result is the same: leaders and employees alike are not getting enough recovery time. Regular vacations and breaks are proven to reduce stress – without them, burnout accumulates faster.
Source: Pew Research Center
Supportive leadership can cut burnout in half. On the positive side, data shows the power of supportive managers in preventing burnout. The prevalence of burnout is 58% lower among employees who feel they have strong manager support for their mental well-being. Leaders who create psychologically safe, supportive team environments actively buffer their people (and themselves) against burnout. In short, training managers to lead with empathy and resilience isn’t just “nice to have” – it can dramatically reduce burnout company-wide.
Source: meQuilibrium
Flexible schedules and workload relief are top burnout antidotes. When asked what would help alleviate burnout, employees point to work–life balance solutions. 69% of workers said a four-day workweek would reduce burnout for them, and 66% said more flexibility in when and where they work would help. Other popular remedies were a decreased workload (63%) and the ability to work from home or remotely (56%). These responses send a clear message: a one-size, 9-to-5 in-office grind isn’t ideal for everyone, and giving people more control over their work arrangements can be a powerful lever to combat burnout.
Source: Eagle Hill Consulting LLC
Remote work doesn’t automatically erase burnout. It’s worth noting that burnout spans all work arrangements. Interestingly, some surveys have found that fully remote workers report slightly higher stress rates. For example, 45% of remote workers report stress compared to fully in-office workers (38%). Hybrid workers fell to 46%. This suggests that while remote work can eliminate commuting and offer flexibility, it also can blur boundaries (work never fully “shuts off” at home) and create isolation, which can contribute to burnout. The takeaway: offering remote or hybrid work is helpful, but it should be coupled with healthy boundary-setting and support systems to truly reduce burnout.
Source: Gallup
The financial costs of leadership burnout
Burnout carries a massive cost to organizations. Beyond the human impact, burnout has a serious effect on the bottom line. A 2025 analysis quantified that employee burnout in the U.S. costs companies between $4,000 and $21,000 per employee per year in lost productivity (due to absenteeism, lower output, etc.). For a mid-size organization of 1,000 employees, that could translate to around $5 million per year lost to burnout-related impacts.
Source: American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Globally, the problem is even more staggering – it is estimated that lost productivity from disengagement (closely tied to burnout) costs the world $438 billion in 2024, and another study pegs direct burnout-related losses at $322 billion annually worldwide.
Burnout hits leadership roles especially hard in dollars. A study found that the cost of burnout rises with seniority. On average, burnout was calculated to cost about $4,000 per year for a non-manager, around $10,000 per year for a manager, and over $20,000 per year for an executive. Why the jump? When a leader is burned out – missing workdays or not performing at full capacity – the ripple effects are bigger. Their decisions carry more weight, and their absence or disengagement can affect entire teams or strategic initiatives. This means burnout among leaders is not only a morale issue but also a direct financial liability for companies.
Source: American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Conclusion
Burnout isn’t inevitable. The data proves that with the right leadership practices and workplace policies, burnout can be mitigated – improving not just leaders’ lives but the performance of their organizations as a whole. It’s time for businesses to take these statistics seriously and make burnout prevention a strategic priority. By doing so, they can retain top talent and create a healthier, more sustainable work environment for everyone.
