The following statistics show the demographics of Oklahomans aged 60 or older:
• 9% are employed.
• 58% are married, while 42% are divorced, widowed or never married.
• 56% live in family households, while 41% live alone.
• 32% have associate degrees or higher while 23% have some college, 33% are high school graduates and 12% did not graduate high school.
• 83% white; 9% American Indian/Alaskan Native; 5% Black or African American; 2% some other race alone, or two or more races; and 1% Asian.
The following date on the labor force participation rate by age is from the Center for Workforce Inclusion:
• For those aged 55 and older, the labor participation rate is projected to reach 25% this year.
• Nearly 10% of 55 year-olds were retired 20 years ago, but dropped to now 5%, while retirees aged 59 fell from 20% to 10%.
• Less than half of Americans aged 65 are now retired, against 58% who were retired in 2000.
• In 2000, more than 42% of 16-19 year-olds had a full or part-time job, but it dropped to 31% in 2022.