Federal Employees Average Retirement Age

federal workers - Aubrey Lovegrove

Working with the federal government means that at some point you’ll have to retire according to the regulations put forth. So, are you thinking of retiring from your job? What’s your current age? What’s the typical retirement age for most employees? These are some of the common questions that every federal employee planning to retire should ask themselves. It will enable you to make the right decision and take the necessary measures when the time comes. Retirement comes with a lot of obligations so don’t be in a rush to avoid missing some crucial details.

Office of personnel management recently reported that there is a gradual increase in the retirement age every fiscal year across the world. This rise over the last few years is not rapid but is slowly increasing showing that the older population in federal government take longer before going for retirement every year.

Recent research showed that Asian federal employees often take longer before going for retirement than any other racial/ethnic categories. The retirement trend varies from one race to another and is mainly influenced by the rules and regulations put in place by the federal government. Also, the average age of the working population has a significant influence on when people retire. This is because if the community is mainly made up of the older generation rather than the youth, then the retirement age will be relatively higher to increase productivity.

However, across all races, something remains constant, and that is women retire earlier than men. It is almost noticeable that older men stay active and can continue working for much longer than women, so it’s quite understandable. Kentucky records the earliest employee retirement closely followed by Hawaii.

Average Retirement Age for Federal Employees

The following is the latest OPM report of the average age of people retiring from the federal government from 2015-2017 fiscal years.

Fiscal Year Average Age
2015 61.3
2016 61.7
2017 61.8

 

Women Retire Earlier Than Men

On average women tend to retire earlier than men according to the latest reports

Gender 2015 2016 2017
Female 61.1 61.5 61.7
Male 61.5 61.8 61.9

The average retirement age for women increased from 61.1 in the 2015 fiscal year to 61.7 in the 2017 fiscal year while that of men raised by 0.4 in the same span of time. It shows the difference between the retirement age of women to that of men. A man spends a longer time in the workforce than a woman.

Average Retirement Age by Race/Ethnicity

Race/ethnicity is a very diverse topic, and different rules apply in different ethnic groups. Also, aging varies from one to the other hence the difference in retirement ages.

Ethnicity/Race 2015 2016 2017
American Indian/ Alaskan Native 61.6 62.3 62.1
Asian 63.8 63.9 63.8
Black 60.9 61.4 61.6
Hispanic/Latino 60.3 60.5 60.6
White 61.4 61.7 61.8
Two or More / Other 59.9 60.7 61.4
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 62.4 62.4 62

 

State Differences

The average retirement age varies from one state to the other. Kentucky has the lowest retirement age of all the other countries; 61 years. Hawaii on the other end records the highest federal retirement age.

federal

Other Admin Articles

Critical Aspects of TSP Installments Sponsored By:Jeff Boettcher

10 Ways to Boost Your Retirement Savings - Regardless of Your Age

Ways to Catch Up on Retirement

Learn How to Live a Retirement That’s Worth Saving for

Leave a Reply