A former colleague retired last year at age 64. He was, he says, “burned out” on everything from office politics to his difficulty understanding younger teammates. He had worked hard, saved money, and figured now was the time to begin to enjoy it.

His father had died literally the day after cashing his first retirement check (back in the days of pensions), and he wanted to enjoy some free time before he was too old to do so. “I’ve earned this,” he said.

Less than six months in, he was ready to return to some kind of work. “It’s where the action is,” he told me, adding that he knew he needed something to do when the highlight of his day was streaming old episodes of Dr. Phil.

He found a part-time job at a nonprofit helping the unhoused, working on everything from accounting to business development (he’s a former sales executive). He was, he says, pleasantly surprised at how quickly he was able to jump back into the workforce.

Washington, it turns out, is the best state for older workers.

Seniorly — a company that helps people find senior living communities — says “Washington ranked first due to its strong business environment, with no personal income tax and the highest rate of new business growth last year (88.6%). It also has a high median income for senior households ($63,963) and a strong work-from-home culture (22.4% of older adults are remote).” Almost 30% of people 60 and older in Washington state are working.

The survey says that a record 11.2 Americans ages 65 and older are in the workforce, a number expected to climb to 14.8 million in eight years. By 2033, roughly one in 12 Americans will be 65 or older.

New Hampshire, Alaska, Maryland, and Colorado round out the top five. Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama are at the bottom.