CHART: The steady growth of seniors in the US workforce
The share of retirement-age Americans in the workforce has steadily increased over the last three decades.
The rate of Americans 65 and older who are working or seeking work has doubled, to 20% as of February from about 10% in 1985, according to a report from United Income, a financial services company.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 39.9% of people 55 and older were in the workforce as of April. That number was 30.4% in 1985.
The number of Americans 65 and older in the workforce represents a 57-year high. The BLS expects this upward trend to continue in the near term, estimating that 13 million Americans 65 or older will be in the labor force by 2024.
