Aging workforce? Here are jobs with the oldest, youngest employees

The typical American worker was 42.4 years old in 2018.

But like any median statistic — the mid-point for all workers — this figure hides a huge variance in how age plays out across industries and the workforce.

Federal data give some surprising insight into which professions are filled with seasoned vets or newer members of the job market.

Ponder the extremes: Of the 155 million U.S. workers counted, 12.3 percent were under age 25 and 6.2 percent were 65 or older.

When I put this data into my trusty spreadsheet, looking at 255 positions with at least 100,000 workers nationwide, the older workers weren’t just senior executives. Bosses in these niches with aging workers may have to look hard for replacements in the years to come.

At the other end of the working-age spectrum, hospitality service jobs dominated the list of fields with the most youthful workforces.

Here are the 10 jobs with the oldest typical employee, and the slices of workers under-25 and 65-plus …

1. Farmers and other agricultural managers: 56.4 years. Of 991,000 workers, 2 percent are under age 25; 28.9 percent are 65-plus.

2. Clergy: 53.4 years. Of 415,000 workers, 2.4 percent under 25; 21.2 percent 65-plus.

3. Bus drivers: 53.2 years. Of 599,000 workers, 1.7 percent under 25; 16.5 percent 65-plus.

4. Chief executives: 51.5 years. Of 1,573,000 workers, 0.2 percent under 25; 12.3 percent 65-plus.

5. Construction and building inspectors: 51 years. Of 108,000 workers, 2.8 percent under 25; 9.3 percent 65-plus.

6. Tax preparers: 50.8 years. Of 113,000 workers, 4.4 percent under 25; 16.8 percent 65-plus.

7. Flight attendants: 50.3 years. Of 104,000 workers, 3.8 percent under 25; 9.6 percent 65-plus.

8. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks: 50.2 years. Of 1,045,000 workers, 4.7 percent under 25; 13.1 percent 65-plus.

9. Administrative services managers: 50 years. Of 161,000 workers, 3.7 percent under 25; 5.6 percent 65-plus.

10. Property/community association managers: 49.8 years. Of 717,000 workers, 2.6 percent under 25; 14.2 percent 65-plus.

Counting down the 10 jobs with the youngest typical worker …

10. Hotel clerks: 29.5 years. Of 131,000 workers, 32.8 percent under 25; 3.8 percent 65-plus.

9. Dining room attendants, bar helpers: 28.6 years. Of 309,000 workers, 43 percent under 25; 3.9 percent 65-plus.

8. Food preparation workers: 28.3 years. Of 988,000 workers, 43.6 percent under 25; 3.5 percent 65-plus.

7. Food preparation/servers: 26.4 years. Of 322,000 workers, 46.6 percent under 25; 4.7 percent 65-plus.

6. Cashiers: 26.2 years. Of 3,200,000 workers, 48.9 percent under 25; 4.9 percent 65-plus.

5. Waiters: 26.1 years. Of 2,020,000 workers, 47.9 percent under 25; 1.5 percent 65-plus.

4. Entertainment attendants: 23.7 years. Of 210,000 workers, 55.7 percent under 25; 9 percent 65-plus.

3. Counter attendants, food shops: 21.7 years. Of 202,000 workers, 72.8 percent under 25; 3 percent 65-plus.

2. Hosts, restaurants: 21.6 years. Of 354,000 workers, 74.9 percent under 25; 2.8 percent 65-plus.

1. Lifeguards and other recreational protective service workers: 21.1 years. Of 117,000 workers, 80.3 percent under 25; 2.6 percent 65-plus.