By the numbers
The ratio of working-age Wisconsin residents to retirement-age ones has reached its lowest level yet in the near-century of data for which such a ratio can be readily calculated.
In 1930, there were about 9.9 working-age adults for each retirement-aged resident in Wisconsin. “Working age” is defined as 15-64 years old, while “retirement age” is 65 years or greater.
By 1990, that ratio fell by half to 4.8. The value then slightly increased to 5.4 by 2005 before reversing course and steadily falling once again.
In 2024, the latest figures, the ratio had fallen to 3.24, less than a third of its value 94 years prior.
The data come from two sources: U.S. Census Bureau decennial census figures (1930–2020), compiled via IPUMS’s National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS), and Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates (2005–2024). The data do not reflect actual employment status — only age.
Wyatt Eichholz is a policy and legislative associate at the Badger Institute.
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