HOW OLD?

Garner, the Colorado state demographer.

“We’ve just been such a young state. We’ve never had a lot of people over the age of 65. And (that age population) is just growing really fast,” Garner said. “ e decade we’re in right now, the fastest growth is in the 75 to 84 year olds. And that has an even lower labor force participation rate than the 65 to 74 year olds.”

Many people also plan to work longer anyway, partly because the toll of labor hasn’t been as harsh on their bodies as it was centuries ago. Some plan to work longer because they haven’t saved enough for retirement. e important point here is that Colorado needs all the workers it can get, she said.

“When a 50-something worker leaves the labor force, it’s much harder to get back in again. So trying to keep the 50-somethings