A new information source, the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) program for West Virginia, shows:

• The workforce is aging. From 1997 through 2002, an increasing percentage of the workforce was 45 years and older. The proportion of people 65 years and older who continue working has also increased, but slightly.
• Industries in which more than 1-in-5 workers were 55 years and older in 2002 include: membership organizations, real estate, and personal services. Of these three industries, personal services and real estate can be found in the list of top 10 industries employing workers 65 years of age and older.
• An example of an industry with a high turnover rate for workers 55 years and older is business services.
• An example of an industry with a low turnover rate for older workers is health services.
• Industries where workers 65 years and over are most likely to be employed include health services, business services, social services, and eating and drinking places. Miscellaneous retail is also an important source of work for the oldest workers.
• On average, in 2002, for workers 65 years and over, about 918 jobs were created and 1,342 were lost.
• Of the industries that employed more than 500 workers 65 years and older, the highest paying was health services ($2,561 a month). The industry with the highest average monthly earnings in 2002 for workers 65 years and older was primary metal industries ($4,906), but the number of such workers was only 64.