NJ Sees Huge Spike In Number Of Workers Postponing Retirement: Study

NEW JERSEY — Working past retirement age has never been the American Dream. But more New Jersey residents over the age of 65 are still grinding out a living at their jobs than anywhere else in the nation, a new study says.

Population growth, changes to Social Security and a rising cost of living are forcing many Americans to postpone retirement – especially in the Garden State, according to financial website LendingTree.

Researchers analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau between March 2022 and April 2024, searching for the states with the highest share of people 65 and up who are still part of the workforce. See the full study and learn about its methodology here.

New Jersey landed at number one on the list, researchers noted. According to the study, a whopping 33.8 percent of the state's retirement-aged residents are still in the workforce.

New Jersey also saw the largest jump in older adults who still work. In March 2022, about 20.3 percent of Americans 65 and older were employed in New Jersey. By March 2024, this figure had risen to 33.8 percent: enough to land it atop the national rankings.

Nationwide, 22 percent of U.S. residents 65 and older are still working. One in four (24.2 percent) are self-employed, about half (50.5 percent) are employed by private companies and 10.3 percent are employed by the government, the study said.

The share of U.S. adults who reported being retired decreased from 16.8 percent in March 2022 to 16.2 percent in March 2024. Overall, the retiree percentage declined in 30 states, led by New Jersey (23 percent ), North Dakota (22.9 percent) and Connecticut (19.9 percent).

Besides population shifts, the surge in retirement-age workers in states like New Jersey is also financially driven, researchers suggested.

“These increases could be a concerning sign that more and more older Americans are finding themselves needing extra income in their so-called golden years,” said Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree.

“Inflation could be taking a major toll on the assumptions that these people made about what they’d need to get by in retirement,” Schulz added.

Other factors – such as improved health, higher education levels and a flexible job landscape – have also kept older Americans working, researchers said.

• See Related: Is NJ Ready For A 32 Hour Workweek? It Could Happen – Here’s How
• See Related: New Jersey Is Worst State To Retire In, Study Says

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