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Nearly one in five older Americans in the labor force in 2025

May 28, 2026

In 2025, 19.1 percent of people age 65 and older participated in the labor force by working or looking for work. The labor force participation rate for older Americans was down from a recent peak of 20.2 percent in 2019 but was still higher than the rate in 2000 (12.9 percent).

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Chart Data

Labor force participation rates by age and sex, 2000 to 2025, annual averages
Category	Women, 65 and older	Women, 65 to 69	Women, 70 to 74	Women, 75 and older	Men, 65 and older	Men, 65 to 69	Men, 70 to 74	Men, 75 and older
2000	9.4	19.5	10.0	3.6	17.7	30.3	18.0	8.1
2001	9.6	20.0	10.9	3.3	17.7	30.2	18.2	8.3
2002	9.8	20.7	11.1	3.5	17.9	32.2	17.6	7.6
2003	10.6	22.7	11.2	4.1	18.6	32.8	18.8	8.3
2004	11.1	23.3	12.0	4.3	19.0	32.6	19.4	9.0
2005	11.5	23.7	12.8	4.5	19.8	33.6	20.7	9.4
2006	11.7	24.2	13.1	4.4	20.3	34.4	21.6	9.5
2007	12.6	25.7	14.0	4.8	20.5	34.3	21.2	10.0
2008	13.3	26.4	14.3	5.2	21.5	35.6	21.9	10.4
2009	13.6	26.6	15.0	5.3	21.9	36.3	22.5	10.3
2010	13.8	27.0	14.7	5.3	22.1	36.5	22.0	10.4
2011	14.0	27.3	14.6	5.4	22.8	37.4	23.8	10.4
2012	14.4	27.6	15.4	5.0	23.6	37.1	24.2	11.3
2013	14.9	27.6	15.8	5.6	23.5	37.2	23.2	11.3
2014	15.1	27.5	15.6	5.9	23.0	36.1	22.8	11.0
2015	15.3	27.9	14.9	6.0	23.4	36.8	22.8	11.2
2016	15.5	28.0	15.2	6.1	24.0	36.9	23.8	11.7
2017	15.7	27.9	16.2	6.0	23.9	37.3	23.7	11.5
2018	15.9	28.9	15.8	6.4	24.0	37.6	23.8	11.9
2019	16.4	29.8	16.1	6.8	24.7	39.4	24.1	12.1
2020	15.8	28.0	15.6	6.8	23.9	38.6	22.7	11.8
2021	15.2	27.7	14.3	6.4	23.3	37.9	22.0	11.5
2022	15.5	28.4	14.9	6.0	23.7	38.7	22.3	11.2
2023	16.0	29.1	16.4	6.3	23.2	38.1	22.4	10.9
2024	16.2	29.4	16.6	6.5	23.4	37.9	23.0	11.3
2025	15.7	28.9	15.7	6.6	23.1	38.1	22.3	11.1
Note: Annual estimates for 2025 are 11-month averages that exclude October. Data for October 2025 were not collected due to the federal government shutdown.

The labor force participation rate for men age 65 and older was 23.1 percent in 2025, down from 24.7 percent in 2019 but still higher than 17.7 percent in 2000. For women age 65 and older, the participation rate increased from 9.4 percent in 2000 to 16.4 percent in 2019 but has since declined to 15.7 percent in 2025.

These data are from the Current Population Survey (CPS) and are not seasonally adjusted.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Nearly one in five older Americans in the labor force in 2025 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/nearly-one-in-five-older-americans-in-the-labor-force-in-2025.htm (visited May 29, 2026).

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