This paper describes commuting patterns of older workers in the United States, based on data from the 5-year 2008-2012 American Community Survey (ACS). Labor force participation of older Americans has increased over the past 30 years, particularly during the last decade. By 2010, the labor force participation rate for the population aged 65 and older reached 22.1 percent for men and 13.8 percent for women, up from 17.7 percent and 9.4 percent, respectively, in 2000.2 It is projected that workers 55 years and older will comprise 25 percent of the labor force in 2019.3 Older women’s working is an important part of this trend.

Older workers are a diverse group, but understanding how their collective commuting behavior varies from that of younger workers helps planners and policy makers accommodate the needs of this growing share of the working population.