Turning 65 no longer marks the end of working life for many Americans. Whether through choice, financial pressure or the availability of suitable jobs, a significant share of older adults remain employed well into their late sixties and early seventies.
A new study by The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia has revealed where this is most common, ranking US cities by the percentage of residents aged 65 to 74 who currently have a job.
Manchester, New Hampshire, leads the country, with 44.3% of people in this age group employed. It is the only city examined where the figure exceeds 40%, and sits five percentage points ahead of second-placed Santa Barbara, California, at 39.3%.
Bridgeport, Connecticut, follows closely in third at 39.1%, just 0.2 percentage points behind Santa Barbara. Columbia, Maryland, ranks fourth at 38.6%, while Arlington, Texas, completes the top five at 36.7%.
Washington, DC, and Barnstable Town, Massachusetts, share sixth place, with 36.2% of residents aged 65 to 74 employed. Lawrence, Kansas, ranks eighth at 35.7%, followed by Miami at 35.2% and Sioux Falls at 34.5%.
The results mean more than one-third of older residents are still working in every top-10 location. Manchester’s rate is also almost 10 percentage points higher than Sioux Falls, showing the considerable difference between even the highest-ranked cities.
Los Angeles narrowly misses the top 10, placing 11th at 34.4%, ahead of Newark at 34.1%. Burlington, Midland, Urban Honolulu and Dallas share 13th place, with exactly 34% of their 65-to-74-year-old residents employed.
Texas has the strongest presence in the wider ranking. Seven Texas cities appear among the leading 50, including Arlington in fifth, Midland and Dallas in joint 13th, and Wichita Falls in 17th. Lubbock, Abilene and Odessa also feature.
Several Northeastern cities rank highly, including Manchester, Bridgeport, Barnstable Town, Newark and Burlington. Connecticut alone has three entries, with New Haven placing joint 20th at 33.5% and Hartford joint 41st at 30.5%.
In Pennsylvania, Lancaster ranks 30th nationally, with 32.3% of residents aged 65 to 74 employed. Gettysburg shares 45th place with Rochester, Minnesota, at 30.1%.
Top 50 cities with the most employees over 65:
| Rank | Cities | 65 to 74 years working rate |
| 1 | Manchester, NH | 44.3 |
| 2 | Santa Barbara, CA | 39.3 |
| 3 | Bridgeport, CT | 39.1 |
| 4 | Columbia, MD | 38.6 |
| 5 | Arlington, TX | 36.7 |
| 6 | Washington, DC | 36.2 |
| 6 | Barnstable Town, MA | 36.2 |
| 8 | Lawrence, KS | 35.7 |
| 9 | Miami, FL | 35.2 |
| 10 | Sioux Falls, SD | 34.5 |
| 11 | Los Angeles, CA | 34.4 |
| 12 | Newark, NJ | 34.1 |
| 13 | Burlington, VT | 34 |
| 13 | Midland, TX | 34 |
| 13 | Urban Honolulu, HI | 34 |
| 13 | Dallas, TX | 34 |
| 17 | Wichita Falls, TX | 33.7 |
| 18 | Boulder, CO | 33.6 |
| 18 | Ithaca, NY | 33.6 |
| 20 | Grand Forks, ND | 33.5 |
| 20 | New Haven, CT | 33.5 |
| 22 | Grand Island, NE | 33.2 |
| 23 | Fargo, ND | 32.9 |
| 24 | Iowa City, IA | 32.8 |
| 24 | Atlantic City, NJ | 32.8 |
| 26 | Pittsfield, MA | 32.7 |
| 27 | Trenton, NJ | 32.6 |
| 28 | Harrisonburg, VA | 32.5 |
| 29 | Long Beach, CA | 32.4 |
| 30 | Lancaster, PA | 32.3 |
| 31 | Worcester, MA | 31.8 |
| 32 | Portland-South Portland, ME | 31.6 |
| 33 | Ann Arbor, MI | 31.2 |
| 33 | Kingston, NY | 31.2 |
| 35 | Lubbock, TX | 31 |
| 36 | Abilene, TX | 30.9 |
| 36 | Providence, RI | 30.9 |
| 38 | Bozeman, MT | 30.7 |
| 39 | Minot, ND | 30.6 |
| 39 | Salisbury, MD | 30.6 |
| 41 | Hartford. CT | 30.5 |
| 41 | Odessa, TX | 30.5 |
| 41 | Omaha, NE-IA | 30.5 |
| 44 | Charlottesville, VA | 30.3 |
| 45 | Gettysburg, PA | 30.1 |
| 45 | Rochester, MN | 30.1 |
| 47 | Lexington Park, MD | 30 |
| 47 | Manhattan, KS | 30 |
| 49 | San Francisco, CA | 29.9 |
| 49 | Enid, OK | 29.9 |
| 49 | Napa, CA | 29.9 |
Methodology
The study ranked US cities using the employment-to-population ratio for residents aged 65 to 74. This represents the percentage of everyone within that age group who currently has a job. It excludes people who are unemployed and actively seeking work, who would be included within the wider labor force participation rate.
Cities were ranked from the highest to the lowest employment-to-population ratio. Locations recording the same percentage received the same ranking.
Data was sourced from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
