U.S. Workers' Retirement Outlook

December 15, 2023

Millions of Americans are ill-prepared for retirement, as they navigate the pandemic’s aftermath, soaring inflation, economic uncertainty, and concerns about Social Security. Enhancing retirement security requires recognizing demographic disparities, bridging inequalities, and implementing solutions so that everyone can retire with dignity.

The Compendium offers demographic insights about the general population, household income (less than $50K, $50K to $99K, $100K to $199K, and $200K+), urbanicity (urban, suburban, rural residents), race and ethnicity (White, Hispanic, Black/African American, and Asian American/Pacific Islander), gender, and LGBTQ+ status.

It examines more than 25 indicators of retirement readiness stemming from financial factors – access to employer-sponsored retirement benefits, household retirement savings, emergency savings, and sources of retirement income – to attitudinal and behavioral factors – retirement confidence and fears, outlook on life, retirement investing knowledge, and concerns about the future of Social Security.

Chapters - Influences of Demographics on Retirement Readiness 

1. U.S. General Population
2. Household Income
3. Urbanicity 
4. Race and Ethnicity
5. Gender
6. LGBTQ+ Status

December 16, 2022

Demographic influences can profoundly affect a worker’s ability to save and prepare for a financially secure retirement. Enhancing retirement security in the U.S. requires recognizing and addressing demographic disparities, implementing public policy reforms, and future-proofing the retirement system so that all workers can retire with dignity. 

The Compendium offers demographic analyses and insights about workers by employment status (full-time vs. part-time), household income, educational attainment, urbanicity, caregiver status, LGBTQ+ status, and race/ethnicity by White, Black/African American, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander (AAPI). It offers more than 35 key indicators of retirement readiness such as access to retirement plans, emergency savings, health care savings, household retirement savings, and employment impacts from the pandemic.

Every election cycle, the Compendium also features American's perspectives on retirement security priorities for the President and Congress ranging from addressing Social Security and Medicare's funding shortfalls, expanding the Saver's Credit, supporting family caregivers, to implementing financial literacy curriculums in schools, and more.

Chapters - Influences of Demographics on Retirement Readiness 

1. U.S. Workers and Employment Status
2. Household Income
3. Educational Attainment
4. Urbanicity 
5. Caregiver Status
6. LGBTQ+ Status 
7. Race/Ethnicity 

June 28, 2022

The pandemic has precipitated major disruptions to the workforce, resulting in setbacks that could have lasting repercussions on workers’ ability to achieve a secure retirement. This report offers portraits of a diverse workforce of the employed, self-employed, and unemployed but looking for work, and their real stories of how life priorities changed because of the pandemic. It also offers recommendations for workers, employers, and policymakers for strengthening the U.S. retirement system to help everyone have a financially secure retirement. 

November 30, 2021

A Compendium of Findings About the Retirement Outlook of U.S. Workers explores demographic influences on worker's health, employment, and finances amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers 35 key indicators such as concerns about physical and mental health, employment impacts of the pandemic, emergency savings, health care savings, retirement savings rates, and household retirement savings.

The Compendium offers demographic analyses and insights about workers by employment status (full-time vs. part-time), work arrangements (remote, in-person, hybrid), urbanicity, household income, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+, and caregiver status. 

Chapters - Influences of Demographics on Retirement Readiness 

1. U.S. Workers and Employment Status
2. Work Arrangements 
3. Urbanicity 
4. Household Income
5. Race/Ethnicity 
6. LGBTQ+ Status 
7. Caregiver Status