Joyce Fleming and Greg Piazza discuss returning to the workforce due to rising costs.
The share of Americans who report being retired has fallen the past two years, and some states have seen a sharp surge in their percentages of older workers over the same time period.
A recent analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by LendingTree found the percentage of adults 65 and over still working decreased slightly from 22.5% in March 2022 to 22% in March 2024. At the same time, the share of adults who reported they were retired fell from 16.8% to 16.2%.
The study said that significant growth in the 65-plus population, changes in Social Security policies and a higher cost-of-living have all contributed to a large share of older adults remaining in the workforce and noted for comparison that Pew Research Center data shows the number of retirement-age folks in the workforce was only 11% in 1987.
LendingTree pointed to states that have seen the largest increases in older workers over the past two years.
HIGH INFLATION IS CHANGING THE WAY AMERICANS RETIRE
Downtown Newark, N.J., and the Passaic River (Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
New Jersey topped the list with the largest increase in retirement-age workers with a staggering 66.5% jump. The percentage of 65-plus workers in the Garden State jumped from 20.3% to 33.8% from March 2022 to the same month this year.
Delaware saw the second-highest surge in older workers, going from 19.8% two years ago to 27.2%, a 37.4% increase.
Aerial view of downtown Indianapolis (iStock / iStock)
Coming in at No. 3, the state of Indiana saw its 65-plus workforce climb from 17.4% to 23% over the past few years.
Montana's share of older workers went from 18.9% to
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