Working Seniors Are Most Common In These 5 States, Data Shows
In New Hampshire, seniors are most likely to still have a job, according to the October 2026 occupational report. With the elder population (65+ years) expected to exceed 20% by 2050, a new study by digital personal finance company Freedom Debt Relief shows where the largest shares of older residents keep earning a paycheck.
Over 23.5% of seniors over 65 are still working in New Hampshire, the highest rate in the country.
New Jersey saw the fastest growth of the senior workforce, increasing by 4.2% in just 10 years.
No state has a larger share of residents aged 75 and older who are still employed than Vermont.
The research examined all 50 states to find where people aged 65 and older are still working. The report measured each state's employment rate for that age group: the share of residents 65 and older with a full-time, part-time, or self-employed job in 2024. Other measures covered rates for ages 65 to 74 and 75 and older, the change since 2014, median rent, the average Social Security check, and what goods and services costing $100 nationally cost in each state. States were ranked by that rate, showing where seniors most often remain employed.
Here’s How the Top 10 States Compare:
State | Seniors (65+) Working, 2024 (%) | Seniors (65+) Working, 2014 (%) | Median Monthly Rent, 2024 | What Shopping Costs Here When It Costs $100 Nationally ($) |
New Hampshire | 23.51 | 20.11 | $1,558 | $104.17 |
Maryland | 23.40 | 20.45 | $1,721 | $104.96 |
Massachusetts | 23.24 | 19.72 | $1,848 | $105.76 |
New Jersey | 23.17 | 18.97 | $1,800 | $108.81 |
Vermont | 22.87 | 23.10 | $1,319 | $97.96 |
Connecticut | 22.78 | 20.37 | $1,550 | $103.61 |
Hawaii | 22.33 | 19.13 | $1,942 | $109.95 |
South Dakota | 21.46 | 22.14 | $999 | $88.59 |
Nebraska | 21.37 | 21.47 | $1,102 | $90.10 |
Virginia | 20.57 | 18.41 | $1,646 | $101.10 |
You can find the countrywide report by following this link.
1. New Hampshire
Seniors (65+) working, 2024: 23.5%
Seniors (65+) working, 2014: 20.1%
Median monthly rent: $1,558
Shopping costs: 4.17% higher than the national average
New Hampshire tops the list of the states where older residents are still working, with 23.51% of people 65 or older holding a job in 2024. Put simply, close to one in four of the state's seniors is still earning a living. That share has climbed from 20.11% in 2014, and the state's gain since 2019 is the biggest recorded by any state. Retirees in New Hampshire collect the second-largest average Social Security check among the states, and only one state has a lower poverty rate for people 65 and older.
2. Maryland
Maryland has the second-highest share of seniors in the workforce, with 23.4% of people 65 and over employed. Among Marylanders between 65 and 74, 33.57% have a job, which puts Maryland in second place for that age range. Most of the state's working seniors are in that ‘younger’ group. Median rent of $1,721 a month runs higher than what renters pay in New Hampshire, and prices for everyday goods and services sit above the U.S. average. Maryland's retired workers draw an average Social Security benefit that comes fifth among all the states.
3. Massachusetts
Massachusetts ranks third for the share of older residents with a job, at 23.24% of its 65-and-older population. Over the ten years, that share rose by 3.52 percentage points, the second-biggest gain among the states. For the employment rate among people 75 and older, Massachusetts shares fourth place with another state. Renting costs more here than in Maryland, with a median rent of $1,848 a month, the third highest of any state. At that level, the typical rent takes up most of the average monthly Social Security benefit paid to a retired worker in Massachusetts.
4. New Jersey
New Jersey takes fourth place for working seniors, with 23.17% of residents past 65 working. In 2014 the rate was 18.97%, and New Jersey's rise over the ten years is the largest of any state. For people aged 65 to 74, the state's employment rate of 33.82% leads all states, and it ranks first as well for the share of seniors who are working or looking for work. Almost every one of those seniors already has a job rather than still searching for one.
5. Vermont
Vermont rounds out the top five states for working seniors, with 22.87% of people 65 and up still at work. Among residents 75 and older, Vermont has the highest employment rate of any state, at 10.81%. Staying on the job past 65 is not a new pattern there: back in 2014, the state's rate of 23.10% was already the second highest of the states.
A spokesperson from Freedom Debt Relief noted:
"A lot of people still think of 65 as the age you stop working, but for plenty of older Americans it's just another birthday. Some stay on for the work itself, the people, and having somewhere to be each morning. Others sit down with their rent, their grocery bill, and their Social Security check and decide to pick up part-time work to go with it. Neither choice is wrong. What helps is planning for it early: know what your month really costs, find out how a paycheck fits with your benefits, and look for work that suits the life you want in your late 60s and 70s."
