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Projects
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Demographics: Elders in Massachusetts |
Labor Force Participation
Labor force participants are defined as
individuals who are either working for pay, unemployed and looking for
work or waiting for recall, or working in a family business. Older
individuals who participate in the labor force have access to a source
of income-earnings and wages-unavailable to non-participants.
Employment may also provide access to valuable health insurance
coverage for seniors and their families.
Seniors throughout the United States
report characteristically low rates of labor force participation,
especially at the higher ages. In Massachusetts, 33% of men aged 65-69
and 23% of women aged 65-69 were labor force participants in 2000. The
rate of participation was substantially lower for those aged 70 and
above (14% for men and 6% for women). Overall, seniors in
Massachusetts are somewhat more likely than their counterparts in the
United States as a whole to be participating in the labor force.
Percentage in the Labor Force by Age
and Sex, Massachusetts and the United States, 2000
Percentage in the Labor Force
by Age and Sex, Massachusetts and the United States, 2000
| Age |
Massachusetts, 2000 |
United States, 2000 |
| Men 65 - 69 |
33.5% |
30.2% |
| Men 70 and Over |
13.8% |
13.1% |
| Women 65 - 69 |
23.3% |
19.9% |
| Women 70 and Over |
6.1% |
6.3% |
| Total (%) |
13.8% |
13.3% |
| Total (N) |
118,380 |
4,638,745 |
Source: United StatesCensus Bureau, 2002, Census 2000 Summary File 3
(SF 3), Sample Data, Table QT-P24.
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