Only One-Third Of Americans Work After Retirement, Despite Most Expecting To

When surveyed during the years leading up to retirement, 74% of American workers expected to work for pay in some capacity during retirement, whether full-time, part-time, seasonally, or intermittently. However, only 31% of retirees reported actually working after retirement. Among retirees who had fully left the workforce, 69% had expected to work during retirement, but only 26% ultimately did so.

The findings come from a survey of 2,544 respondents, including 1,007 workers and 1,045 retirees, all age 25 or older. The 2026 survey was conducted online between January 2 and January 28, 2026.

Surveyed workers . . .