Oregon’s Aging Workforce by Industry and County in 2023

by Gail Krumenauer

November 25, 2024

Oregon’s workforce has been aging for decades. The number of Oregon jobs held by workers age 55 and over more than tripled from 1992 to 2023, while the total number of jobs grew by more than half (58%). In 1992, workers 55 years and over held 10% of all jobs. By 2023, that share rose to 24%. The youngest of the large Baby Boomer Generation turned 60 in 2024, and they are more likely to be in the labor force at ages 55 and over when compared with previous generations. Many of these workers may plan to retire in the next 10 years, taking their skills and experience with them.

Graph showing Nearly One out of Four Oregon Jobs Held by Workers Ages 55 or Older

In 2023, Oregon reached a record number of people (786,000) who were not in the state’s labor force due to retirement. The aging workforce and shift into retirement is a general demographic trend that’s expected to continue in the coming years. This impacts different employers, industries, and regions to varying degrees. Employers should know the age profile of their own workforce so they can plan accordingly for increased turnover due to retirements. At a broader level, workforce planners need to know the demographic profiles of entire industries and regions to help gauge the need for future replacement workers. 

Health Care Has the Most Workers Age 55 and Over

The pace of retirements will likely be faster in industries that have an older workforce profile. Industry age profiles vary. The relatively young accommodation and food services sector has 18% of jobs held by workers ages 55 and over. By contrast, one out of three jobs (33%) in the mining and quarrying sector are held by workers 55 and older. Although natural resources, utilities, and real estate have higher concentrations of older workers, they employ fewer workers than many industries and are expected to require relatively fewer replacement workers. Some employers in industries with a large number of workers 55 years and older may struggle to a greater degree to find enough workers if they don’t plan ahead.

Table showing Workers Ages 55+ May be Within a Decade of Retirement Health care (both private and public) stands out for the size of its aging workforce, with 73,000 workers ages 55 and over. Other industries with a large number of workers nearing retirement age include manufacturing (50,000), retail trade (49,000), and private and public educational services (38,000). Employers in these and in all other industries need to plan for how they are going to attract replacement workers, especially for jobs that require significant training.

Rural Counties Have Older Workforces

Rural counties tend to have a higher share of older workers and may feel the impact of the aging workforce more than metro counties. More than one out of four jobs (27%) were held by workers 55 years or older in rural counties. That represents approximately 67,000 workers in rural Oregon who may be looking to retire within the next decade. 

Table showing Larger Shares of Jobs Held by Workers Ages 55+ in Rural Areas, 2023 Although older workers are a smaller share of the workforce (24%) in metro counties, there are a lot more of them. Multnomah County alone has more workers ages 55 and older (112,000 workers) than all of Oregon’s rural counties combined (67,000).

However, employers in metro counties will generally tend to have a larger pool of younger workers to recruit from when replacing retiring workers. Multnomah County has nearly as many jobs held by workers ages 45 to 54 (108,000) as in the 55 and over age group. Meanwhile, rural Oregon has fewer jobs held by workers ages 45 to 54 (50,000). Rural counties will need to either recruit workers from other areas, or engage area workers who aren’t actively in the labor force, just to maintain the size of their current workforces.

Employment by Age Data

Information about employment by age group for industries and counties is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Center for Economic Studies Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) program and the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) partnership with the states. Employment data is the average of quarterly employment for 2021.

To explore and use the data available from LED, visit lehd.ces.census.gov.

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