Hiring? Consider advantages and disadvantages of older workers

How old is too old to be in the workforce? There’s no good way to answer that question since some people remain in their prime even at an advanced age and others struggle to make it to a typical retirement age. The job matters too because some jobs are better suited to older workers than others. One thing is clear, though. Statistics show that workers 55 and older make up the fastest-growing age group in the labor force.

Employment picture

In December 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that workers at least 55 years old made up 24% of the U.S. workforce in 2022. That’s up from 10% in 1994. The Census Bureau’s research shows that some firms in some industries and some states had a greater concentration of older workers than others.

For example, in the utilities sector, the share of employment at firms with at least a quarter of their workers over age 55 rose from 35% in 2006 to 80% in 2022. That contrasts with the accommodations and food services sector, where just 10% of total employment was at firms with at least a quarter of workers over age 55.

In Maine, 39% of all employment in 2022 was at firms where at least a quarter of workers were over age 55, the highest in the country, according to the Census Bureau. But in Utah, only 14% of employment was at firms with at least a quarter of the workers over 55, the lowest in the country.