Every single senior’s retirement journey is different. Some work past their retirement age because they love what they do and their health allows it. Others have no choice but to keep working, typically because of precarious financial conditions.

But have you ever wondered just how many people still work past the age of 65? Here are the numbers with help from the Bureau of Labor Statistics the America’s Health Rankings Senior Report 2019. We hope these can give you an insight into the reason so many seniors chose to stay in the workforce.
And who knows, if you plan on retiring to one of these states, perhaps these are factors that you should take into account before making that decision.

Alabama

There are 130,000 workers over the age of 65 in Alabama, bringing the percentage of seniors in the workforce to 16,5%. Of these, 66,000 are men and 64,000 are women.
If you’re thinking that those are pretty high numbers, you’re not wrong. That’s because studies show that 9.9% of people over 65 live in poverty. Even more concerning, 19.3% are worried about where their next meal is coming from.

Alaska

As many as 7.4% of seniors in Alaska live in poverty. That may be a contributing factor behind the fact that 20,000 people over the age of 65 are still working in this state. All in all, that means that 21.6% of elders still in the workforce.
Another worrying fact is the drastic 76% increase in these numbers. In 2018, 4.2% of seniors live in poverty, compared to know. Food insecurity is also an issue that has been on the rise, from 8.9% in 2018 to 14.1% in 2019.

Arizona

Percentage-wise, 15.1% of seniors are still working in Arizona, totalling up to 181,000 people over the age of 65 in the workforce. 9% of seniors in this state live in poverty and 18.9% struggle with food insecurity on a daily basis.
These numbers have also been on the rise. For example, those who did not know where their next meal was coming from jumped from 12.3% to 18.9% in 2019 alone. So while Arizona is a well-known retirement destination, it is not without its problems for many seniors living here.

Arkansas

There are around 84,000 people 65 or older still working in Arkansas. In fact, 16.5% of seniors are still working across this state.
10.2% of retirees live in poverty but luckily, food insecurity has been on the decline. In 2019, the percentage reached 17.5%, jumping down from 25.4%.

California

A whopping 1.1 million seniors still work in California, meaning that 18.8% of older folk are still cashing in those paychecks.
But despite the concerning numbers, the percentage data isn’t as bad as you’d expect it to be. 10.2% of Californian seniors live in poverty and 14.1% worry about their next meals.