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States with the most adults of retirement age still working

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.

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#51. South Carolina

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 14% (142,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 18.6% (967,223 people)

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#50. West Virginia

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 14.8% (56,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 20.7% (368,775 people)

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#49. Mississippi

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 14.9% (73,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 16.8% (496,945 people)

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#48. Arizona

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 15.1% (195,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 18.3% (1.33 million people)

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#47. Alabama

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 15.8% (137,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 17.6% (885,809 people)

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#46. Tennessee

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 16% (194,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 17.0% (1.19 million people)

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#45. Kentucky

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 16.1% (123,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 17.0% (768,416 people)

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#44. New Mexico

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 16.3% (65,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 18.5% (391,797 people)

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#43. Arkansas

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 16.6% (91,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 17.4% (525,153 people)

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#42. Florida

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 16.7% (744,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 21.1% (4.60 million people)

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#41. Delaware

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 17.1% (35,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 20.1% (201,551 people)

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#39. Michigan (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 17.2% (319,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 18.1% (1.82 million people)

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#39. Ohio (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 17.2% (373,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 17.8% (2.10 million people)

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#37. Georgia (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 17.4% (279,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 14.7% (1.59 million people)

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#37. Idaho (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 17.4% (56,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 16.5% (314,010 people)

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#35. Washington (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 17.8% (213,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 16.2% (1.25 million people)

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#35. Illinois (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 17.8% (373,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 16.6% (2.10 million people)

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#34. Oregon

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 18% (148,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 18.6% (789,896 people)

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#33. Pennsylvania

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 18.3% (466,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 19.0% (2.46 million people)

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#32. Missouri

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 18.6% (203,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 17.6% (1.08 million people)

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#31. New York

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 18.9% (669,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 17.5% (3.48 million people)

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#30. North Carolina

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 19.1% (367,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 17.0% (1.80 million people)

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#29. Louisiana

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 19.3% (147,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 16.6% (766,330 people)

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#27. Indiana (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 19.5% (219,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 16.4% (1.12 million people)

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#27. California (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 19.5% (1.18 million people)
– Population ages 65+: 15.2% (5.96 million people)

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#26. Virginia

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 19.6% (277,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 16.3% (1.41 million people)

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#25. Oklahoma

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 19.7% (126,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 16.2% (645,174 people)

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#24. Texas

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 19.9% (788,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 13.2% (3.89 million people)

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#21. Wisconsin (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 20.1% (205,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 17.9% (1.05 million people)

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#21. Maine (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 20.1% (63,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 21.7% (297,101 people)

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#21. Nevada (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 20.1% (114,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 16.5% (519,568 people)

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#20. Utah

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 20.9% (79,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 11.6% (388,120 people)

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#18. Colorado (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 21% (182,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 15.1% (880,167 people)

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#18. New Jersey (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 21% (341,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 16.9% (1.56 million people)

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#17. Montana

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 21.1% (49,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 19.7% (217,298 people)

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#16. New Hampshire

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 22% (65,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 19.3% (267,741 people)

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#13. Hawaii (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 22.1% (62,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 19.6% (282,567 people)

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#13. Wyoming (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 22.1% (23,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 17.9% (103,822 people)

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#13. Massachusetts (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 22.1% (271,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 17.4% (1.22 million people)

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#12. North Dakota

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 22.7% (29,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 16.0% (123,840 people)

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#11. Rhode Island

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 22.9% (48,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 18.3% (200,201 people)

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#10. Iowa

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 23.3% (130,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 17.8% (567,581 people)

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#9. Maryland

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 23.4% (234,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 16.3% (1.00 million people)

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#7. Minnesota (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 23.5% (215,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 16.8% (959,272 people)

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#7. Washington D.C. (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 23.5% (20,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 12.8% (85,615 people)

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#6. Kansas

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 23.8% (116,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 16.7% (489,676 people)

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#5. Connecticut

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 24.3% (164,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 18.0% (649,172 people)

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#4. Alaska

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 24.7% (24,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 13.4% (98,410 people)

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#2. Nebraska (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 25% (77,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 16.4% (322,833 people)

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#2. Vermont (tie)

– Labor force participation among ages 65+: 25% (36,000 people)
– Population ages 65+: 20.6% (133,173 people)

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#1. South Dakota

– 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.