Andrew Soergel

Associated Press

In this July 10, 2019, photo, farmer Mark Hosier, 58, rides a scooter as he checks on his pigs on his farm in Alexandria, Ind. Hosier was injured in 2006, when a 2000-pound bale of hay fell on him while he was working. Assistive technology, help from seasonal hires and family members, and a general improvement in the health of U.S. seniors in recent decades have helped farmers remain productive and stay on the job well into their 60s, 70s and beyond.

Tech Helps Farmers Work Longer

The median age for domestic farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers is now 56.4 years old, the highest of any major occupation.

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo Steve Burghardt, a professor of social work at the City University of New York, gestures as he speaks in his office at Hunter College's Silberman School of Social Work. Seniors in major metropolitan areas, especially in big Northeastern cities and around Washington, D.C., are more likely to continue working past 65 than those in other areas around the country, according to an analysis of Census data by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Seniors Work Longer in Big Cities

Labor-intensive jobs that are prominent in rural areas often preclude folks from working later into life.