This project focuses on the facts of the aging of the population, juxtaposed with the realities that state leaders are facing. The State Contexts Project includes in-depth analyses of demographic trends in each of the 50 states, providing individualized information regarding aging in each state’s population and workforce. The insights from the State Context papers bring the facts of each state’s demographics to life, offering glimpses of the opportunities that can be seized as state leaders move from awareness of the situation into action steps.

key research questions

• How significant are the shifts in the age demographics in states?
• What might these changes mean to an individual state’s workforce?

selected findings

• The aging of the population is a national trend. Florida is the sate with the highest percent of its population age 55 and older, followed by West Virginia, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Montana.
• In 2006, 10 states had populations with at least 25% of residents aged 55 or older. According to the US Census Bureau, that number will increase to 31 states by 2010. Wyoming is expected to have the largest percentage point increase of people aged 55 and older, followed by New Mexico, Montana, Florida, and Arizona.
• The labor force participation rate in Wyoming for people aged 55 and older is 46.8%. This is the highest rate for older workers in the country.
• The under-utilization of talent is a public concern, as well as a private worry. State leaders who monitor the unemployment rates in their states should pay attention to variation according to age groups. In 2006, Michigan had the highest unemployment rate for those aged 55 and older.
• In general, the state government workforce in the public sector is aging more rapidly than the private sector. In Nevada and Indiana, over one-third of the state workforce is aged 55 or older. Public sector state leaders have responsibilities for the productivity and the well-being of their workforces.
• Older adults with more education will have more choices with regard to employment. Higher percentages of older adults in Washington, DC have college degrees (or more) than elsewhere in the country, followed by Maryland, Colorado, Vermont, and Connecticut.
• Over the next 10 years, occupations such as farming, fishing and forestry and those in production, are expected to decline. Other occupations, however, are expected to grow significantly, creating an increased demand for employees with skills related to those occupations: healthcare support, computer and mathematical science, community and social service, personal care, and healthcare technical occupations. Education and training for older adults in these fields can help meet the gap created by the increased growth in these occupations.

implications for employers

• Employers in states with anticipated workforce shortages may find opportunities to utilize the older adult population in order to meet workplace demands.
• Employers in states with high unemployment rates among older adults have the opportunity to expand recruitment to different demographic groups by hiring older adults and retirees.
• Due to anticipated workforce shortages, employers may find that offering flexible work options or other benefits to older adults will encourage them to work past traditional retirement ages.

publications

• State Statistical Profiles (November 2007-April 2008)
  
  --- Select a State --- Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbus Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada NewHampshire NewJersey NewMexico NewYork NorthCarolina NorthDakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania RhodeIsland SouthCarolina SouthDakota.pdf Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington WestVirginia Wisconsin Wyoming
  
  
• State Profiles Executive Summary (September 2008)

contact

For questions of information regarding the State Contexts Project, please contact:

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

the state contexts project team

To schedule a conversation with any of our staff about the State Contexts project, 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.
Michelle M. Wong, JD, MSW	Research Associate Sloan Center on Aging & Work, Boston College Michelle Wong is a Research Associate at the Sloan Center on Aging & Work and joint Law/Social Work student at Boston College. Her previous work includes state profiles focused on labor force characteristics.
Vanessa Careiro	Undergraduate Research Assistant Sloan Center on Aging & Work, Boston College
Sandee Tisdale, MSW	Project Manager Sloan Work and Family Research Network, 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.