Retirement means different things to different people, and not all retirees fit the stereotype. In fact, just how many older Americans are actually retired by definition remains, well, “fuzzy” as a recent Pew Research study puts it.
But government data has allowed the organization to fall on a few hard facts about retirees. In short, the average retiree is 75 years old and retired at age 62. Statistics also suggest the labor force participate rate of older adults began to trend back upward about 10 years ago. Nowadays, 83 percent of those age 65 and older describe themselves as retired, but only 76 percent can classify as having completely left the workplace. Here’s how the rest break down:
