Feb 23, 2026

Question of the Day: What percent of people age 75 and older are still working?

Many of our parents and grandparents are hard workers, but how many are carrying on into their late 70s?

Answer: 8.6%

A cartoon image of a man and women of retirement age standing next to a house.

Questions:

  1. What are some reasons that people would still be working into their late 70s?
  2. Do you think your generation will retire earlier or later than baby boomers, on average? Why?
  3. What steps can you take as a young adult to make it more likely you can retire by 70?

 

Here are the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

 

Behind the numbers (BLS data): 

Workers aged 75+ are expected to have the largest growth in labor force participation of any age bracket over the next 10 years. The BLS projects that 10.2% of people aged 75 and older will be working (or actively looking for work) in 2034.

 

About the Author

Kathryn Dawson

Kathryn (she/her) is excited to join the NGPF team after 9 years of experience in education as a mentor, tutor, and special education teacher. She is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in policy analysis and management and has a master's degree in education from Brooklyn College. Kathryn is looking forward to bringing her passion for accessibility and educational justice into curriculum design at NGPF. During her free time, Kathryn loves embarking on cooking projects, walking around her Seattle neighborhood with her dog, or lounging in a hammock with a book.

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