Study reveals cities with the fastest aging workforces
Posted February 7, 2017
Is your city’s workforce growing older or younger? A new study explores employment trends for the 100 most populous U.S. cities, tracking how the shares of workers ages 22 to 34 and ages 55 and older have changed from 2001 to 2016.
According to the CareerBuilder study, the city aging the fastest is North Port, Florida, while Madison, Wisconsin, takes the lead for cities that are experiencing the biggest infusion of millennials into their workforce.
“Whether they are motivated by financial reasons or personal choice, people are staying in the workforce longer,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder and co-author of The Talent Equation. “At some point those workers and their intellectual capital will retire, so a city with a workforce that is aging at a faster rate needs to ensure it is attracting an adequate supply of new talent to fill the gap and fuel economic growth. While big cities have broad appeal, younger generations are also gravitating toward second tier markets with diverse economies, a strong technology presence and affordable cost of living.”
Summary of key trends
Cities aging the fastest since 2001
| City | Total Population in 2016 | Share of Workers Ages 55+ in 2016 | Change in Share of Workers Ages 55+ from 2001 to 2016 |
| North Port, FL | 779,799 | 25.8% | 1.5% |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 1,376,790 | 21.0% | 1.5% |
| Virginia Beach, VA | 1,734,618 | 19.5% | 1.3% |
| Sacramento, CA | 2,296,511 | 21.2% | 1.3% |
| Spokane, WA | 551,091 | 21.7% | 1.3% |
Cities growing younger the fastest since 2001
| City | Total Population in 2016 | Share of Workers Ages 22-34 in 2016 | Change in Share of Workers Ages 22-34 from 2001 to 2016 |
| Madison, WI | 647,860 | 30.3% | 3.1% |
| El Paso, TX | 847,282 | 32.3% | 2.1% |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 707,073 | 31.6% | 2.0% |
| Allentown, PA | 835,117 | 26.2% | 1.7% |
| Austin, TX | 2,051,270 | 32.3% | 1.6% |
Cities with the biggest decreases in millennial workers since 2011
| City | Total Population in 2016 | Share of Workers Ages 22-34 in 2016 | Change in Share of Workers Ages 22-34 from 2001 to 2016 |
| Tucson, AZ | 1,016,717 | 29.1% | -0.2% |
| San Diego, CA | 3,338,449 | 31.9% | -0.2% |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | 1,006,973 | 30.8% | -0.2% |
| Bakersfield, CA | 891,750 | 29.9% | -0.1% |
| Toledo, OH | 605,122 | 28.1% | -0.1% |
The study is based on data from Emsi, CareerBuilder’s labor market analysis arm, which pulls information from nearly 100 national, state, and local employment resources.
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