Maybe it’s financial need. Maybe it’s a desire to stay active, or professional pride. Whatever the reason, seniors are working longer. A recently released study from Provision Living, which operates senior communities in the Midwest, shows that a substantial 20% or more of the senior population remains part of the workforce that in 25 cities across the United States. “Many seniors cannot afford to retire — either they’re still supporting their families, they have debt, or they haven’t saved enough — while other seniors continue to work because they enjoy it, or they want to avoid potential retirement boredom,” says Todd Spittal, president of Provision Living. Here’s a closer look at the cities with the most working seniors, and, courtesy of RetirementJobs.com, what they might be doing.
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Plano, Texas
Seniors in the workforce: 25.4% Senior population: 34,164 Texans certainly appear to have a strong work ethic — Provision Living’s research found that five of the top 10 cities with the most seniors still in the workforce are in Texas. The state is also well represented beyond the top 10 cities, taking up slots 11 through 13 in the ranking as well. Another set of data from Provision Living reveals that the senior workforce in Plano has grown 99% since 2009, while the city’s overall senior population during that time has increased about 65%.
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Washington, D.C.
Seniors in the workforce: 24.1% Senior population: 79,769 Coming second is Washington, D.C., where about 13.4% of those 65 and older live below the federal poverty line, compared with about 9.2% nationally, according to the D.C. Policy Center. There’s a wide variation in senior income in the nation’s capital, though, with the median income of those 60 and above somewhere between $50,000 and $75,000 annually. As for job opportunities, RetirementJobs shows a range, from business sales consultant gigs to project management work.
Anchorage, Alaska
Seniors in the workforce: 24% Senior population: 28,148 Anchorage is another city with a senior population on the rise, according to Provision Living. Since 2009, it’s increased 49%, while the number of seniors in the workforce has spiked 61%. RetirementJobs mentions employment opportunities such as caregiver, restaurant host, and tutor.
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Minneapolis
Seniors in the workforce: 23.4% Senior population: 37,718 The senior population as a whole in Minnesota has been growing by leaps and bounds, so perhaps it should be no surprise that Minneapolis ranks high for senior employment. According to the state government, Minnesota’s baby boomer population is unlike anything the state has seen: As of 2020, there will be more people 65 and older than ages 5 to 17 — the first time in history.
Related: America’s Healthiest States for Seniors, Ranked
Garland, Texas
Seniors in the workforce: 23.1% Senior population: 26,302 Yet another Texas city among the top 10, Garland has a variety of work opportunities including sales representative, social worker, and dietary aide, according to Retirement Jobs.
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Austin, Texas
Seniors in the workforce: 22.8% Senior population: 76,788 In addition to ranking sixth among cities with the most working seniors, Austin also shows up near the top of Provision Living’s list of cities where the senior workforce has grown the most since 2009. It placed third there, with a 95% increase in the senior workforce over the past 10 years. (Austin’s senior population grew 53% overall during the same time.) Job opportunities include service specialist, insurance claims adjustor, and loan closer.
Durham, North Carolina
Seniors in the workforce: 22.6% Senior population: 27,781 Not only is Durham seventh in this ranking; it tops Provision Living’s ranking of senior workforce growth, increasing a whopping 109% over the past decade while overall population growth was just 46%. Job postings include opportunities in software development, sales, marketing, and security.
Dallas
Seniors in the workforce: 22.5% Senior population: 127,622 There are thousands of job opportunities available for those over 50 in Dallas, including sales territory manager, senior claims business process consultant, and senior business analyst.
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Nashville, Tennessee
Seniors in the workforce: 22.4% Senior population: 73,240 Known as one of the country’s music capitals, Nashville also keeps its seniors busy. The job market here includes listings for a project manager, superintendent, title clerk, engineer, and online sales agent.
Irving, Texas
Seniors in the workforce: 22.4% Senior population: 17,417 Rounding out the top 10 places with the most working seniors, Irving offers such job opportunities as construction manager, internet analyst, and insurance claims adjuster for job seekers 50-plus.
Lubbock, Texas
Seniors in the workforce: 22% Senior population: 28,413 This northwest Texas city has evolved into a vibrant cultural hub where residents will find art exhibits, live music, and plenty of wineries. It’s also a place where seniors choose to remain in the workforce in significant numbers. Some of the job openings include line cook, tutor, and insurance underwriter.
Houston
Seniors in the workforce: 22% Senior population: 228,460 A sizable number of seniors in sprawling Houston stay in the workforce. “Our study revealed several Texas communities with significant senior working populations, a reflection in part of [the state’s] growing aging demographics, but also of its growing overall workforce,” Spittal says. Job opportunities include internet analyst, insurance claims adjuster, and tutor.
Arlington, Texas
Seniors in the workforce: 21.8% Senior population: 38,652 One last Texas city to make the top 25, Arlington, just west of Dallas, has a median senior household income of $48,286. Job opportunities include insurance underwriter, application developer, accounts payable clerk, and business intelligence developer.
Seattle
Seniors in the workforce: 21.7% Senior population: 83,068 Breaking Texas’ dominance in the rankings, Seattle comes in 14th for its percentage of working seniors and ranks high for the growth of its senior workforce. Between 2009 and 2019, the number of working seniors increased 73%, while the senior population overall grew just 27%. The range of available jobs includes senior relationship manager for community lending, insurance underwriter, client manager for financial services, and sales associate.
Lincoln, Nebraska
Seniors in the workforce: 21.6% Senior population: 34,621 Lincoln comes in 12th on the list of places where the senior workforce has been growing: Since 2009 there’s been a 74% spike in the senior workforce, while the city’s senior population grew about 36%. As in many cities on this list, job opportunities range from tutor to insurance underwriter to security officer.
Raleigh, North Carolina
Seniors in the workforce: 21.4% Senior population: 43,725 In Raleigh, the senior workforce has grown 78% since 2009, placing the city ninth in that ranking. Over the same period, the senior population as a whole grew 46%. Top employment opportunities include outside sales representative, technical sales manager, and sales associate.
Huntington Beach, California
Seniors in the workforce: 21.3% Senior population: 33,768 Huntington Beach has seen a 64% uptick in its number of working seniors since 2009, while the senior population grew 36%. The city’s increase in working seniors is 20th in the nation.
Oklahoma City
Seniors in the workforce: 21.2% Senior population: 74,930 The state has seen an unprecedented growth in its senior population — the 65-and-older demographic is its fastest-growing, expected to reach 18.8% of Oklahomans by 2030. So it should be no surprise that the state’s capital lands among the top 25 cities for seniors still working.
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Seniors in the workforce: 20.8% Senior population: 57,339 More than 25% of the Virginia Beach population is 55 or older, yet job opportunities appear somewhat limited for those choosing to keep working: A search on RetirementJobs turns up a little over 450 openings. Postings range from nurse to direct sales representatives to line cooks.
Los Angeles
Seniors in the workforce: 20.6% Senior population: 462,838 While large metros don’t have much of a presence on the Provision Living list (less than half of the cities within the top 25 have a population of 500,000 or more), sprawling Los Angeles did make the cut. There are also thousands of potential job opportunities — more than 3,447. Postings include senior claim representative, experience guide, audit consultant, account executive, and regional sales director.
Scottsdale, Arizona
Seniors in the workforce: 20.6% Senior population: 55,093 The 85th-largest city in the country by population, Scottsdale has job opportunities including advertising manager, report writer, and business intelligence developer.
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Omaha, Nebraska
Seniors in the workforce: 20.6% Senior population: 56,803 During the coming decade, Omaha’s senior population is expected to increase about 28.9%, according to the Omaha World-Herald. Job opportunities are slim, though: A search turns up listings for just under 500 positions, including server assistant, internet analyst, and insurance claims adjuster.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Seniors in the workforce: 20.5% Senior population: 80,050 Charlotte may be a challenging place to live for seniors who hope to continue working. RetirementJobs lists just under 1,000 openings for those 50-plus, while the senior population is growing rapidly. By 2025, about 90 of 100 counties will have more people 60 or older than people under 18, The Charlotte Observer reports.
Yonkers, New York
Seniors in the workforce: 20.4% Senior population: 32,928 Yonkers, which is New York’s fourth-largest city, has seen a 63% growth in working seniors since 2009, while there has been a mere 13% growth in the senior population. The spike in working seniors may be due to steep cost of living — the average home is $525,000 here. Job opportunities include registered nurse, automotive parts specialist, sales, and bus driver.
Santa Clarita, California
Seniors in the workforce: 20.2% Senior population: 23,354 The number of seniors working in Santa Clarita has increased 75% since 2009. The city’s senior population during that time grew 65%. Lab project manager, payroll specialist, and software engineer are among the job options.
