A KARA Effect reference page

Women after 50: the numbers behind the next chapter.

A living U.S. snapshot of women in midlife and beyond, with primary or named sources for every statistic.

Last updated September 21, 2026

Work. Care. Health. Possibility.

Later life is not one story.

Women’s lives after 50 hold more than one headline. They include work that changes shape, businesses that create jobs, care that holds families together, and health transitions that deserve better language. These figures offer a starting point for writers, researchers, and women imagining what comes next.

61.2M

people in the U.S. were age 65 or older in 2024.

This population is now larger than the nation’s population under age 18, a clear sign that later life is becoming a central part of the American story.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates, 2025 release

15.7%

of women age 65 and older were employed in 2024.

Later-life work takes many forms, from a new role or business to part-time work that brings purpose, income, or connection.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Women in the Labor Force, 2024 data

58.8%

of women age 55 to 64 were employed in 2024.

Midlife is not a pause in capability. This group brings experience, skills, and momentum to a changing world of work.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Women in the Labor Force, 2024 data

13.3M

U.S. businesses were women-owned in 2021.

Together, women-owned employer and nonemployer businesses generated $2.5 trillion in receipts, showing the scale of women-led work.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, 2024 release, 2021 data

63M

American adults provided ongoing care for someone with a medical condition or disability in 2025.

Caregiving is a major part of many women’s midlife years, often alongside work, family, and their own next chapter.

Source: AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving, Caregiving in the U.S., 2025

61%

of caregivers in the U.S. were women in 2025.

That reality gives many midlife women an outsized role in the practical and emotional work of holding families together.

Source: AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving, Caregiving in the U.S., 2025

is the average age of menopause in the United States.

The transition is personal and its timing varies, but it is a common part of midlife health that deserves clear, practical conversation.

Source: National Institute on Aging, Menopause, Reviewed 2024

How to use this page

Made to be read, quoted, and checked.

Every number above links to the organization that published it. The figures describe the United States and use each source’s own definitions, date, and scope. This page is a reference, not medical, legal, or financial advice.

We will revisit it regularly as newer source material becomes available. The section anchors stay in place so a reader can link directly to the figure they are citing.

Sources and citation

A clear trail back to the original research.

U.S. Census Bureau, older adults outnumber children, 2025 release U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Women in the Labor Force, 2024 data U.S. Census Bureau, characteristics of nonemployer business owners, 2024 AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving, Caregiving in the U.S., 2025 National Institute on Aging, What is menopause?

Suggested citation

The KARA Effect. “Women After 50 Statistics.” Updated September 21, 2026. https://the-kara-effect.com/women-after-50-statistics