Quarter of Americans experience burnout by age of 30

A quarter of Americans are burnt out before they’re 30, according to new research.

A survey of 2,000 adults, conducted by Talker Research, looked at how the stress of the past decade has culminated and found that the average respondent experiences peak burnout at around 42 years old.

For Gen Z and millennial adults, now 18 to 44, the highest point of their stress is occurring even younger — averaging at 25 years old.

Looking at how they got here through their current stress levels, the average person is at half of their stress capacity.

Yet, 42% are feeling even more stressed than this — with Gen Z and millennials feeling this more heavily than respondents belonging to Gen X or older (51% vs. 37%).

When asked what’s currently causing their burnout, finances were most commonly ranked as the top factor (30%).

Politics (26%), work (25%) and their physical health (23%) were also significant sources of major worries for respondents.

All kinds of relationships are weighing on those surveyed, with one in six of those who named their love life or their family as a stressor putting it in the top spot (18% each).

Among younger generations, work is the greatest point of contention (33%), with finances (27%) and mental health (24%) following suit.

Gen X respondents, baby boomers and those belonging to the silent generation said that politics is most concerning (27%), while their physical health is also an area of worry (24%).

Gen Z and millennials are not as concerned with their social life (12%) and love life (14%), while older generations say that the balance of their life and personal growth goals fall to the wayside for them (13% each.)

A third of Americans are gearing up for what they anticipate being their most stressful year yet, predicting that 2025 will be worse than the past three years.

However, more are hopeful than not, that the rest of this year will be more promising than last (42%).

When it comes to how stress will evolve with the years, 83% of those surveyed admit that entering adulthood today is more challenging than it was a decade ago.

Additionally, seven in 10 agree that it’ll only get more challenging to be an adult within the next 10 years (72%), with older Americans recognizing that more than the younger generations (75% vs. 63%).

Rebecka Parker, clinical social work and therapist, MSW, LCSW and writer at Birpnotes shared advice for how respondents of different generations can manage their stress before it becomes overwhelming:

• “For Gen Z & millennials: Digital detoxes, financial literacy education, and prioritizing real-life social connections.
• For Gen X & [baby] boomers: Mindfulness practices, setting boundaries, and proactive health screenings.
• For all ages: Prioritizing mental health, seeking therapy when needed, and fostering strong support networks.”

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans; the survey was administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Feb. 7 to Feb. 10, 2025.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.