'I’m broke and poor and still working at 69,' says Walter Carpenter

About 19% of people 65 and older in the U.S. are still working, up from 10% four decades ago .

Vermont is at the forefront of a national trend: as birth rates decline and the country ages, older people are staying in the workforce longer.

As lifespans lengthen, wages are not keeping up with inflation, and even a decent nest egg may not go far enough.

As a result, millions of Americans are going to have to keep working longer.

Walter Carpenter , 52 , lives in a rent-subsidized apartment in Montpelier , Vermont , with no retirement savings.

He's a seasonal worker, spending winters at Mad River Glen and summers at Waterbury Center State Park , where he is a park attendant for $ 22 an hour.

When people lose good jobs in their 50s , it's common for them to struggle in their 60s and in retirement.

Vermont is the third oldest state in the nation; the number of residents 65 and older has nearly doubled during the past two decades .

The Census Bureau predicts that the 65-and-older population in the U.S. will leap from 58 million in 2022 to 82 million by 2050 .

State officials are beginning to look for ways to support older workers willing to fill the gaps.