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The U.S. Census Bureau, in partnership with 31 states, has launched a series of reports on older workers that presents a detailed picture for people 55 and older in the work force.

Individual reports will present data at the county and metropolitan area levels for 2004, based on data from the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) program.

“The retirement of baby boomers will have a huge impact on the work force,” said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon. “Businesses and planners need a better understanding of labor force trends, the loss of experienced workers and the payout of retirement benefits.”

The first report, The Geographic Distribution and Characteristics of Older Workers in Iowa: 2004 [PDF], highlights the age composition of the state’s work force, job gains and losses for older workers by industry, industries in which older workers are concentrated and their job stability and earnings. More extensive data are in tables available on the Internet.

Reports will be issued on a flow basis for the other 30 partner states:

• Second wave: Maine, Vermont, Arkansas, Hawaii and Indiana.
• Third wave: Maryland, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Colorado, Delaware, Kentucky and South Carolina.
• Fourth wave: Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.
• Fifth wave: California.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institute on Aging, a component of the National Institutes of Health, funded the reports on older workers. This series is limited to partner states with the cooperative program.

In addition, quarterly work force indicators on subjects such as job creation and new hires are available for men and women in all partner states for selected years, age groups and geographic areas at <http://lehd.did.census.gov/led/>. Also available on the site is OnTheMap, an interactive application that shows, in high-definition, commuting patterns where people live and work.