The 21^st Century Age Demographics project was designed to provide information to state leaders across the country that would help them examine the connection between aging and work, and how shifts in the labor force demographics will affect their states.

To date, most of the research on the aging workforce has examined national trends, but there is also a significant need to explore changes at the state level. Why? Because states play crucial roles, as large employers, as leaders for economic development, and as providers of services to older adults.

The 21st Century Age Demographics project producted a report which examines the aging demographics, and provides options for states to enhance their readiness for the aging workforce.

The study was funded by the Massachusetts Chapter of AARP.

key research questions

• Why should state leaders pay attention to changes in the age demographics of the population?
• What are the implications of the aging of the workforce?
• How are age demographics of the workforce connected to the economic conditions in the state?
• What can state leaders do to enhance their states’ readiness for the aging of the workforce?

selected findings

• The six states with the highest percentage of people age 50 and older in 2006 are: Maine (43.7%), West Virginia (43.3%), Vermont (42.7%), Montana (42.2%), Florida (42.0%), and Pennsylvania (41.9%).
• In 2000, there were no states where 41% or more of the population was age 50 or older. By 2006, the number of states where 41% or more of the population was 50 years or older had increased to six.
• Anticipated Changes in the Age Distribution of the Population: Maine, Montana, and Wyoming are among the states that experienced the most significant change in the percent of the population age 50 years and older between 2000 and 2006. These three states (along with Florida, West Virginia and Vermont) are also expected to experience the greatest increase in the percentage of their populations age 50 and older by the year 2010.
• Industry Sectors: There can be significant variation in the age composition of workforces by industry sector. For example, workers age 50 and older comprise only 10.8% of the workforce in the food services and drinking industry (nationally) but 41.2% of the agriculture industry (nationally). Industry sectors with workforces where employees age 50 and older comprise 35% or more of that industry sector include: Membership associations (43.7%); Agriculture (41.2%); Real estate (38.7%); Textile, apparel and leather manufacturing (37.2%); Forestry, logging, fishing, hunting and trapping (35.7%); Utilities (35.5%); Equipment and appliance manufacturing (35.3%); Public administration (35.2%); and Machinery manufacturing (35.0%).
• Occupational Groups: The age distribution within occupational groups provides additional insights into pockets of workforce vulnerabilities that may result from the aging of the workforce. Occupations with more than 30% of their workforces age 50 and older (national statistics) include: Community and social service occupations (37.2%); Management (37.0%); Legal occupations (34.2%); Education, training and library occupations (33.6%); Business and financial operations occupations (32.6%); Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations (32.0%); Building/grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (30.6%); and Architecture and engineering (30.6%).

publications

• 21st Century Age Demographics: Opportunities for Visionary State Leadership (March 2008)


contact

For questions of information regarding 21st Century Age Demographics project please contact:

Chad Minnich, Assistant Director, Marketing/Communications
minnicch@bc.edu  |   +1 . 617 . 552 . 3122

21^st century age demographics team

To schedule a conversation with any of our staff, please contact Chad Minnich, Assistant Director, Marketing & Communications, at 617-552-3122, or minnicch@bc.edu.

Tay McNamara, PhD	Co-Director, Research Sloan Center on Aging & Work, Boston College  Tay K. McNamara is the co-director of research at the Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College. Due to her past experience in using large datasets, she both serves as an internal consultant and to oversee research projects related to secondary data sets. Additionally, her current research projects include secondary analysis related to work in countries around the world and a primary data collection project dealing with state agencies as employers.
Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, PhD	Director Sloan Center on Aging & Work, Boston College Associate Professor Graduate School of Social Work & Carroll School of Management, Boston College Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes directs the Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College. She is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Social Work, and has appointments at the Boston College Carroll School of Management and the Business School at Middlesex University in London. She was the Co-Principal Investigator for the 2006 National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development and the 2007-2008 Age & Generations Study. Her current work includes oversight of the 2009 Talent Management Study. She will be leading the 2010 Generations of Talent study with colleagues from around the world. She was invited to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging as an issue expert, and recently co-edited a special issue of Generations (2007) that focused on aging and work. Dr. Pitt-Catsouphes was a recipient of the 2007 Work-Life Legacy Award. She serves on several boards and advisory committees, including the National Advisory Committee for Workplace 2010 at Georgetown University, the Strategy Board for the Association of Work/Life Professionals at the World of Work, and the Purdue Center for Families. Dr. Pitt-Catsouphes’ articles have been published in a number of scholarly and practitioner journals. She was a founding co-editor for the international journal, Community, Work and Family. Her publications include The Work-Family Handbook: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives and Approaches to Research, published by Erlbaum Publishers (2006) which she edited with colleagues. She received her BA from Tufts University, MSP from Boston College, and PhD from Boston University.
Sandee Tisdale	Project Manager Sloan Work and Family Research Network, Boston College Doctoral Student Graduate School of Social Work, Boston College Sandee Tisdale is a Project Manager at the Sloan Work and Family Research Network and a PhD student in the Graduate School of Social Work, Boston College.
Michelle Wong, JD, MSW	Research Associate Sloan Center on Aging & Work, Boston College  Michelle Wong is a Research Assistant at the Sloan Center on Aging & Work. Her research focuses on public policy in the United States, both at the state and federal level. Michelle’s prior work includes analysis of federal employment laws, research for the States as Employers-of-Choice study and state profiles focused on labor force demographics.