Age Discrimination Holds Steady Among Older Workers in 2025

Age discrimination against older workers is a persistent problem. Its negative impact on getting and keeping jobs is detrimental to a worker’s financial security, retirement security and ability to access benefits like health insurance.

Consistent with previous data, (first Work and Jobs Data Trend Series), this second wave of research shows that about two-thirds (64%) of workers age 50-plus have reported seeing or experiencing age discrimination in the workplace, a proportion that has not changed since 2024. In fact, 22% (in both 2024 and 2025) feel like they are being pushed out of their job because of their age.

These levels are also high for multicultural populations, though slightly lower in 2025 than in 2024: African American/Black (AA/B) older workers (74 % in 2024; 71% in 2025), Hispanic/Latino (H/L) older workers (62% in 2024; 60% in 2025) and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) older workers (67% in 2024; 63% in 2025). One-third or more of AA/B (37%), H/L (38%) and AAPI (32%) older workers feel like they are being pushed out of their jobs because of their age.

Of those who have seen or experienced it, nearly all (91% in 2025; 90% in 2024) in the general population and among AA/B (93% in both 2024 and 2025), H/L (93% in 2025; 86% in 2024) and AAPI  (92% in 2025; 87% in 2024) older workers believe age discrimination toward older workers is common, including 36% of the general population who believe it is very common.

In addition to asking about age discrimination in general, we explored more subtle forms of age discrimination that can hinder an older worker’s experience. Our study finds that subtle forms of age discrimination have been experienced by a consistent 60% of workers 50-plus (in both 2024 and 2025). These include assuming older employees are less tech savvy (33% in each wave), assuming older employees are resistant to change (24% in 2025; 25% in 2024), not acknowledging older employees’ accomplishments or expertise (20% in 2025; 22% in 2024), making jokes about different generations (21% in 2025; 22% in 2024) and giving preference to younger employees for training (20% in each wave). And of those who have experienced these subtler forms of age discrimination, 79% believe they are common (85% in 2024), including 29% who say they are very common (32% in 2024).

The most common forms of subtle age discrimination were  similar for AA/B, H/L and AAPI older workers as for the general population, but at slightly higher rates. Subtle forms of age discrimination had been experienced by 72% of AA/B (2025 and 2024), 69% of H/L (66% in 2024) and  64% of AAPI older workers (73% in 2024).

No workplace seems to be immune from subtle forms of age discrimination, as workers 50-plus have experienced them in job searches (37% in 2025; 30% in 2024), in work meetings (22% in 2025; 29% in 2024), at social events outside of work (19% in 2025; 24% in 2024) and with senior leadership on the job (16% in 2025; 18% in 2025).

Similarly, AA/B, H/L and AAPI older workers most commonly experienced subtle forms of age discrimination in the job search process in both years (41% AA/B, 38% H/L, 51% AAPI in 2025), followed by work meetings (31% AA/B, 33% H/L, 21% AAPI in 2025). They also experienced it in one-on-one situations (26% AA/B, 24% H/L, 21% AAPI) and with senior leadership (23% AA/B, 20% H/L, 19% AAPI in 2025).

Methodology

General Population interviews were conducted in two waves: Wave 1: June 13 to 17, 2024 and July 18 to 24, 2024; Wave 2: June 12 to 16, 2025 and July 17 to 28, 2025 among 901 (2024) and 1,656 (2025) U.S. adults age 50-plus who were in the labor force (i.e., either working or looking for work) using the Foresight 50+ Omnibus.

Multicultural oversample interviews were conducted in two waves: Wave 1: September 18 to October 11, 2024, among 937 African American/Black, 508 Hispanic/Latino and 502 Asian American and Pacific Islander U.S. adults 50-plus who were in the labor force, using NORC’s AmeriSpeak panel and nonprobability panel; Wave 2: September 29 to October 22 and November 4, 2025, among 503 African American/Black, 513 Hispanic/Latino and 513 Asian American and Pacific Islander U.S. adults age 50-plus who were in the labor force, using NORC’s AmeriSpeak panel and a nonprobability panel.

Both Foresight 50+ and AmeriSpeak panel are probability-based panels designed to be representative of the U.S. household population. Interviews were conducted online and via telephone. All data are weighted to the latest Current Population Survey (CPS) benchmarks developed by the U.S. Census Bureau and are balanced by gender, age, education, race/ethnicity and region.

For more information about this survey, please contact Rebecca Perron at rperron@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.