Jobs for seniors: where workers 65 and older actually work
The occupations where people aged 65 and older make up the largest share of workers, from the federal household survey.
In 2025, 7.0% of employed Americans were 65 or older (CPS). Among occupations with at least 100,000 workers, the highest share is in “Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers”: 32.2% of workers are 65+. By headcount, the most workers 65+ are in “Driver/sales workers and truck drivers” (320,000). This shows where older people work, not which jobs suit any one person.
30 occupations with the highest share of workers 65+
Data CPS 2025 annual averages, occupations with at least 100,000 workers.
| # | Occupation (CPS title) | Share 65+ | Workers 65+ | All workers | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers | 32.2% | 261,000 | 810,000 | 56.1 |
| 2 | Bus drivers, school | 27.1% | 57,000 | 210,000 | 55.9 |
| 3 | Musicians and singers | 20.4% | 34,000 | 167,000 | 44.1 |
| 4 | Clergy | 20.2% | 82,000 | 405,000 | 51.6 |
| 5 | Bus drivers, transit and intercity | 19.8% | 53,000 | 268,000 | 53.0 |
| 6 | Property, real estate, and community association managers | 16.5% | 130,000 | 790,000 | 49.6 |
| 7 | Construction and building inspectors | 15.0% | 18,000 | 120,000 | 46.1 |
| 8 | Tax preparers | 14.9% | 20,000 | 134,000 | 47.7 |
| 9 | Real estate brokers and sales agents | 14.6% | 156,000 | 1,065,000 | 49.8 |
| 10 | Lawyers | 14.1% | 162,000 | 1,146,000 | 46.4 |
| 11 | Facilities managers | 14.1% | 18,000 | 128,000 | 52.7 |
| 12 | Postsecondary teachers | 13.6% | 144,000 | 1,058,000 | 49.2 |
| 13 | Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks | 13.5% | 169,000 | 1,254,000 | 49.8 |
| 14 | Writers and authors | 13.2% | 31,000 | 234,000 | 44.7 |
| 15 | Broadcast, sound, and lighting technicians | 13.2% | 16,000 | 121,000 | 44.5 |
| 16 | Chief executives | 13.0% | 235,000 | 1,802,000 | 51.6 |
| 17 | Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive | 12.3% | 184,000 | 1,491,000 | 47.9 |
| 18 | Librarians and media collections specialists | 11.8% | 23,000 | 195,000 | 45.6 |
| 19 | Management analysts | 11.7% | 127,000 | 1,084,000 | 45.2 |
| 20 | Laundry and dry-cleaning workers | 11.7% | 16,000 | 137,000 | 46.4 |
| 21 | Cost estimators | 11.6% | 17,000 | 146,000 | 45.5 |
| 22 | Dentists | 11.5% | 22,000 | 192,000 | 46.1 |
| 23 | Artists and related workers | 10.9% | 33,000 | 302,000 | 42.4 |
| 24 | Home health aides | 10.9% | 79,000 | 726,000 | 48.7 |
| 25 | Parts salespersons | 10.9% | 14,000 | 129,000 | 38.3 |
| 26 | Medical records specialists | 10.8% | 18,000 | 166,000 | 49.8 |
| 27 | Insurance sales agents | 10.8% | 67,000 | 618,000 | 45.1 |
| 28 | Personal care aides | 10.6% | 195,000 | 1,840,000 | 45.4 |
| 29 | Interior designers | 10.4% | 13,000 | 125,000 | 41.7 |
| 30 | Janitors and building cleaners | 10.3% | 242,000 | 2,341,000 | 46.7 |
Where the most workers 65+ are
| # | Occupation (CPS title) | Workers 65+ | Share 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Driver/sales workers and truck drivers | 320,000 | 8.9% |
| 2 | Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers | 261,000 | 32.2% |
| 3 | Retail salespersons | 261,000 | 9.8% |
| 4 | Janitors and building cleaners | 242,000 | 10.3% |
| 5 | Chief executives | 235,000 | 13.0% |
| 6 | First-line supervisors of retail sales workers | 205,000 | 6.9% |
| 7 | Personal care aides | 195,000 | 10.6% |
| 8 | Registered nurses | 188,000 | 5.3% |
| 9 | Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive | 184,000 | 12.3% |
| 10 | Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks | 169,000 | 13.5% |
Using this list
Advice
A high share of older workers often reflects jobs people keep into later life (farm and property managers, clergy, real estate) as much as jobs people move into after retiring. Check the pay and duties on each career page, and if you are returning after time away, see how to explain a career break.
How this page is built
BLS Current Population Survey table 11b, 2025 annual averages: employed people by detailed occupation and age (household survey). Share 65+ = workers aged 65 and over divided by all workers in the occupation (calculated). Only occupations with at least 100,000 workers are ranked; residual “other” and “all other” groups are left out. Titles are the CPS occupation titles. BLS note: NOTE: Median age represents the midpoint in the age distribution such that half of workers are younger and half are older. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria (values not shown where base is less than 50,000). Annual estimates for 2025 are 11-month averages that exclude October. (Data for October 2025 were not collected due to the federal government shutdown.) As a result, 2025 annual estimates are not strictly comparable with annual averages for other years.
- Which jobs are hiring older workers near you.
- Part-time or flexible schedules: this table counts all employed people.
- Pay: CPS age data has no wages; open the career pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Table 11b, employed people by detailed occupation and age, 2025 annual averages (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).