States with the most adults of retirement age still working

Aruta Images // Shutterstock For many Americans, the typical life plan has long been school, work, retirement at 65, and living comfortably. But not as many people are traveling that path anymore. Nearly 19% of people of retirement age–65 years or older–remain in the workforce. In fact, Americans over 55 are the only age group that increased its labor force participation rate from 2001 to 2021. Projections expect that trend to continue into the next decade. Many simply don’t want to retire because they enjoy what they do and don’t want to slow down. Some find that retirement doesn’t suit them and return to work to add meaning to their lives. Others work because they can’t afford retirement. According to the Economic Policy Institute, roughly one-third of workers aged 55 to 64 don’t have access to a retirement savings plan. Those who rely solely on Social Security benefits may find they don’t cover all of their living expenses. Major unplanned expenses like medical bills can also keep people in the workforce. Stacker used 2021 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau to find what share of each state’s retirement-age population, those 65 and older, still participate in the labor force. Labor force statistics are calculated based on the civilian noninstitutional population, meaning those adults who are not incarcerated or in long-term medical facilities. It’s helpful to note that age 65 is the typical age for retirement, as it’s the age to qualify for Medicare. Continue reading to find out whether your state has the most adults of retirement age still at work. You may also like: How the ‘Great Resignation’ has impacted 10 industries #51. South Carolina Susanne Pommer // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 14% (142,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 18.6% (967,223 people) #50. West Virginia Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 14.8% (56,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 20.7% (368,775 people) #49. Mississippi Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 14.9% (73,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 16.8% (496,945 people) #48. Arizona Tim Roberts Photography // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 15.1% (195,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 18.3% (1.33 million people) #47. Alabama Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 15.8% (137,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 17.6% (885,809 people) You may also like: 50 most common jobs in America 100 years ago #46. Tennessee Brian Wilson Photography // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 16% (194,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 17.0% (1.19 million people) #45. Kentucky f11photo // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 16.1% (123,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 17.0% (768,416 people) #44. New Mexico turtix // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 16.3% (65,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 18.5% (391,797 people) #43. Arkansas Eduardo Medrano // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 16.6% (91,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 17.4% (525,153 people) #42. Florida mariakray // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 16.7% (744,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 21.1% (4.60 million people) You may also like: Fastest-growing jobs that pay over $100K #41. Delaware Real Window Creative // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 17.1% (35,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 20.1% (201,551 people) #39. Michigan (tie) Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 17.2% (319,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 18.1% (1.82 million people) #39. Ohio (tie) photo.ua // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 17.2% (373,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 17.8% (2.10 million people) #37. Georgia (tie) Brett Barnhill // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 17.4% (279,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 14.7% (1.59 million people) #37. Idaho (tie) Charles Knowles // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 17.4% (56,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 16.5% (314,010 people) You may also like: Richest women in America #35. Washington (tie) kan_khampanya // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 17.8% (213,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 16.2% (1.25 million people) #35. Illinois (tie) marchello74 // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 17.8% (373,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 16.6% (2.10 million people) #34. Oregon Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 18% (148,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 18.6% (789,896 people) #33. Pennsylvania ESB Professional // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 18.3% (466,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 19.0% (2.46 million people) #32. Missouri Joe Hendrickson // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 18.6% (203,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 17.6% (1.08 million people) You may also like: The unemployment rate the year you turned 16 #31. New York Ryan DeBerardinis // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 18.9% (669,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 17.5% (3.48 million people) #30. North Carolina Derek Olson Photography // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 19.1% (367,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 17.0% (1.80 million people) #29. Louisiana TFoxFoto // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 19.3% (147,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 16.6% (766,330 people) #27. Indiana (tie) KYPhua // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 19.5% (219,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 16.4% (1.12 million people) #27. California (tie) TierneyMJ // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 19.5% (1.18 million people) – Population ages 65+: 15.2% (5.96 million people) You may also like: The most common jobs in America today #26. Virginia Sherry V Smith // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 19.6% (277,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 16.3% (1.41 million people) #25. Oklahoma Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 19.7% (126,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 16.2% (645,174 people) #24. Texas Canva – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 19.9% (788,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 13.2% (3.89 million people) #21. Wisconsin (tie) Tony Savino // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 20.1% (205,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 17.9% (1.05 million people) #21. Maine (tie) Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 20.1% (63,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 21.7% (297,101 people) You may also like: Former jobs of every Supreme Court justice #21. Nevada (tie) Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 20.1% (114,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 16.5% (519,568 people) #20. Utah Canva – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 20.9% (79,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 11.6% (388,120 people) #18. Colorado (tie) Paul Gana // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 21% (182,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 15.1% (880,167 people) #18. New Jersey (tie) f11photo // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 21% (341,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 16.9% (1.56 million people) #17. Montana Jon Bilous // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 21.1% (49,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 19.7% (217,298 people) You may also like: Inside the chaotic, highly lucrative world of influencer marketing today #16. New Hampshire Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 22% (65,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 19.3% (267,741 people) #13. Hawaii (tie) MNStudio // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 22.1% (62,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 19.6% (282,567 people) #13. Wyoming (tie) C Model // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 22.1% (23,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 17.9% (103,822 people) #13. Massachusetts (tie) Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 22.1% (271,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 17.4% (1.22 million people) #12. North Dakota Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 22.7% (29,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 16.0% (123,840 people) You may also like: How the gender wage gap has changed over the last 40 years #11. Rhode Island Big Joe // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 22.9% (48,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 18.3% (200,201 people) #10. Iowa Grindstone Media Group // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 23.3% (130,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 17.8% (567,581 people) #9. Maryland Real Window Creative // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 23.4% (234,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 16.3% (1.00 million people) #7. Minnesota (tie) ostreetphotography // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 23.5% (215,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 16.8% (959,272 people) #7. Washington D.C. (tie) Orhan Cam // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 23.5% (20,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 12.8% (85,615 people) You may also like: The most important well-being programs, according to workers #6. Kansas Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 23.8% (116,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 16.7% (489,676 people) #5. Connecticut Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 24.3% (164,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 18.0% (649,172 people) #4. Alaska Mary Swift // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 24.7% (24,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 13.4% (98,410 people) #2. Nebraska (tie) Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 25% (77,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 16.4% (322,833 people) #2. Vermont (tie) haveseen // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 25% (36,000 people) – Population ages 65+: 20.6% (133,173 people) You may also like: Highest-paying jobs with no formal education requirements #1. South Dakota Steven Frame // Shutterstock – Labor force participation among ages 65+: 26.7% (Estimated 42,000) – Population ages 65+: 17.6% (157,883 people) Note: Labor force participation data for South Dakota seniors was not available from BLS, so Stacker used data from a South Dakota Department of Labor report. Stacker estimated the state’s 65+ labor force based on available Census Bureau data. Since the data comes from two sources, there may be some discrepancies in actual values and comparisons.