Labor force participation among older Americans is steady or increasing: Labor force participation rate of older Americans, by gender and age, 1982–2022
| Men ages 55–64 | Women ages 55–64 | Men age 65+ | Women age 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 70.2% | 41.8% | 17.8% | 7.9% |
| 1983 | 69.4% | 41.5% | 17.5% | 7.9% |
| 1984 | 68.5% | 41.7% | 16.4% | 7.6% |
| 1985 | 68.0% | 42.0% | 15.8% | 7.3% |
| 1986 | 67.3% | 42.3% | 16.0% | 7.4% |
| 1987 | 67.6% | 42.6% | 16.3% | 7.4% |
| 1988 | 67.0% | 43.4% | 16.5% | 7.9% |
| 1989 | 67.2% | 45.1% | 16.7% | 8.4% |
| 1990 | 67.7% | 45.2% | 16.4% | 8.6% |
| 1991 | 66.9% | 45.4% | 15.7% | 8.6% |
| 1992 | 67.0% | 46.6% | 16.1% | 8.3% |
| 1993 | 66.7% | 47.3% | 15.6% | 8.1% |
| 1994 | 65.7% | 48.9% | 16.7% | 9.1% |
| 1995 | 66.0% | 49.3% | 16.7% | 8.8% |
| 1996 | 67.0% | 49.6% | 16.7% | 8.5% |
| 1997 | 67.7% | 50.9% | 17.0% | 8.6% |
| 1998 | 68.1% | 51.1% | 16.4% | 8.6% |
| 1999 | 68.0% | 51.6% | 16.9% | 8.8% |
| 2000 | 67.2% | 51.6% | 17.7% | 9.4% |
| 2001 | 68.0% | 53.2% | 17.8% | 9.5% |
| 2002 | 69.1% | 55.1% | 18.0% | 9.9% |
| 2003 | 68.7% | 56.8% | 18.5% | 10.6% |
| 2004 | 68.9% | 56.5% | 18.8% | 11.1% |
| 2005 | 69.3% | 57.0% | 19.7% | 11.5% |
| 2006 | 69.6% | 58.3% | 20.4% | 11.6% |
| 2007 | 69.6% | 58.2% | 20.5% | 12.7% |
| 2008 | 70.4% | 59.1% | 21.4% | 13.2% |
| 2009 | 70.2% | 59.9% | 21.9% | 13.7% |
| 2010 | 70.1% | 60.4% | 22.1% | 13.8% |
| 2011 | 69.3% | 59.8% | 22.8% | 14.0% |
| 2012 | 70.0% | 59.4% | 23.5% | 14.5% |
| 2013 | 70.0% | 59.2% | 23.5% | 14.9% |
| 2014 | 69.8% | 58.8% | 22.9% | 15.1% |
| 2015 | 70.0% | 58.5% | 23.3% | 15.3% |
| 2016 | 70.2% | 58.4% | 23.9% | 15.6% |
| 2017 | 70.7% | 59.0% | 23.9% | 15.6% |
| 2018 | 71.4% | 59.3% | 23.9% | 16.0% |
| 2019 | 71.6% | 59.7% | 24.6% | 16.4% |
| 2020 | 70.8% | 58.9% | 23.9% | 15.9% |
| 2021 | 70.4% | 59.1% | 23.2% | 15.3% |
| 2022 | 70.8% | 60.1% | 23.7% | 15.2% |
Notes: Labor force participants are employed workers and unemployed workers who are actively seeking work. The labor force participation rate for a given age group is the number of labor force participants divided by the total number of people in that age group.
Labor force participants are employed workers and unemployed workers who are actively seeking work. The labor force participation rate for a given age group is the number of labor force participants divided by the total number of people in that age group. The measure does not include discouraged workers who would like to work but are not actively looking due to weak job opportunities.
Source: Economic Policy Institute (EPI) and Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA) analysis of microdata from the Current Population Survey (CPS) 1976–2022 Outgoing Rotation Group, extracted from CPS-IPUMS (Flood et al. 2021).