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The Retirement Savings Gap, State Retirement Savings Resource Center - AARP Skip to content

Check out the 10th anniversary edition of ’99 Great Ways to Save,’ AARP’s annual guide to saving money.

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  1. AARP Public Policy Institute
  2. State Retirement Savings Resource Center
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Nearly half of the American workforce does not have the option to save at work for retirement. Without a workplace retirement plan, their only sources of income in retirement are Social Security benefits and other personal savings, which tend to fall far short of what is needed to be financially secure.

By the Numbers: Workplace Retirement Coverage by State

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Recent Analysis

Access to Workplace Retirement Plans by Race and Ethnicity

Catherine Harvey — February 2017

Hispanics' Retirement Security

Urban Institute — September 2016

Less education and lower earnings only partially explain the disparities in retirement savings between Hispanics and non-Hispanics. This comprehensive report examines these factors and others at a national level.

Workplace Retirement Plans Will Help Workers Build Economic Security     

David John and Gary Koenig — October 2014

Livability Index

How livable is your community?

AARP Real PossibilitesLearn More

Other Resources

Retirement Plan Trends and Participation

Employee Benefit Research Institute

National data on employer-sponsored retirement plan coverage with geographic and demographic characteristics.

A Look at Access to Employer-Based Retirement Plans in the States: Who's in, who's out

The Pew Charitable Trusts — January 2016

State-by-state analysis of access to and participation in employer-based retirement plans.

A Look at Access to Employer-Based Retirement Plans in the Nation's Metropolitan Areas: Who's in, who's out

The Pew Charitable Trusts — May 2016

Analysis of access to and participation in employer-based retirement plans by metropolitan area.

Lower-Income Individuals Without Pensions: Who Misses Out and Why? (PDF)

April Yanyuan Wu and Matthew S. Rutledge — March 2014

A Center for Retirement Research paper showing the importance of access to an employer-provided retirement plan in building retirement security.

Worker Participation in Employer-Sponsored Pensions: A Fact Sheet

John J. Topoleski, Congressional Research Service — March 2014

Data on the share of workers who have access to and participate in employer-sponsored retirement plans coverage and participation rates.

Blacks and Hispanics Are Falling Behind Whites in Retirement Coverage

Monique Morrissey — September 2013

The Economic Policy Institute in 2013 examines retirement coverage among racial and ethnic groups.

Saving for Retirement: A Look at Small Business Owners (PDF)

Jules H. Lichtenstein — March 2010

This report lists some characteristics of business owners and the self-employed with regard to how they save for retirement.

Small Business Retirement Plan Availability and Worker Participation (PDF)

Kathryn Kobe for the U.S. Small Business Administration — March 2010

This report considers the factors that affect access and participation in workplace retirement plans among small business employees.

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Susan Reinhard is senior vice president and director of AARP Public Policy Institute. Read her latest blogs on family caregiving, healthy living, nursing and more. Read Susan's Blogs

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