Civilian federal employees have continued to delay their retirement dates for the last three years according to a report released last month by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Average Federal Retirement Age in Executive Branch
According to OPM, the average retirement age has slightly increased by 0.82 percent from 61.3 years in 2015 to 61.8 years in 2017.
OPM’s report presents an historical overview on the retirement age of about 89% of the civilian employees in the executive branch of the federal government. The data exclude a few major components of the executive branch (most notably the US Postal Service and many intelligence agencies). OPM stated it does include some components of the legislative branch.
The report includes data from non-seasonal full-time permanent (NSFTP) employees and includes the following retirement types: voluntary, early out, disability, mandatory, and in-lieu of involuntary action.
Average Retirement Age by Federal Agency
The report presented the average retirement age of more than 100 federal agencies. The top three largest federal employers have all experienced an increase in the average retirement age as follows:
- Department of Veteran Affairs increased by 1.3 percent from 62.5 years in FY 2015 to 63.3 years in FY 2017
- Department of Army increased by 1.5 percent from 61.4 years in FY 2015 to 62.3 years in FY 2017
- Department of Navy increased by 0.3 percent from 61.6 years in FY 2015 to 61.8 years in FY 2017.
Average Federal Retirement Age by State
The top three states with the most federal employees all have experienced an increase in the average retirement age.
- California increased by 0.3 percent from 61.8 years in FY 2015 to 62.0 years in FY 2017
- Virginia increased by 1.0 percent from 61.2 years in FY 2015 to 61.8 years in FY 2017
- District of Columbia increased by 0.6 percent from 61.8 years in FY 2015 to 62.2 years in FY 2017
Average Federal Retirement Age by Gender
The average retirement age has increased over the last three fiscal years for both genders.
- Females: increased by 1.0 percent from 61.1 years in FY 2015 to 61.7 years in FY 2017
- Males: increased by 0.7 percent from 61.5 years in FY 2015 to 61.9 years in FY 2017.
To view the full report from OPM, click here (23-page PDF)