Age 64-66: 35% fewer callbacks vs 29-31 year olds (n=40K+ applications, JOLE 2019)
A correspondence study sending 40,000+ fictitious applications found workers aged 64-66 received roughly 35% fewer callbacks than otherwise-identical 29-31-year-old applicants for white-collar jobs; a smaller but significant 18% penalty was observed beginning at age 50.
Primary source
Why this stat matters
This figure belongs to the age bias in hiringvertical of JobCannon's ongoing review of hiring, AI, and career-outcome research. We track it because it is one of the few primary-source estimates with a published sample, methodology, or legal record. Cite the original source first; this page exists to make the figure easy to find and link to.
Related stats
- 34% of workers 50+ fear AI threatens their job (n=3,580)AARP Research, Jan 2025 — 2025
- 16,223 EEOC age-discrimination charges in FY2024 (+9.2% YoY)EEOC enforcement & litigation statistics — 2024
- 20-35% callback penalty for 50+ workers across 20+ audit studies (NBER WP 28379)Neumark, NBER WP 28379 — 2020
- iTutorGroup auto-rejected 200+ over-55s; $365K EEOC settlementEEOC press release, Aug 2023 — 2023
Find your career fit
JobCannon assessments map your strengths to careers using primary-source research like this one. Free, with results across 2,500+ profiles.
Take the RIASEC Test