Age, AI, and Wealth—Fewer Older Americans Are Working Today

It’s not only immigration and artificial intelligence that are driving change in the U.S. labor market.
Age, AI, and Wealth—Fewer Older Americans Are Working Today
A hiring sign displayed in a business window in New York City on Sept. 5, 2025. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
|Updated:
0:00

Immigration has dominated the conversation around today’s labor market, but another force reshaping employment conditions is the steady exit of older Americans from the workforce.

The share of Americans aged 55 and older who are working sits slightly above 37 percent, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the lowest level since April 2005 and has been steadily declining since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Google LogoMark Us Preferred on Google
Andrew Moran
Andrew Moran
Author
Andrew Moran has been writing about business, economics, and finance for more than a decade. He is the author of "The War on Cash."