Quick Read

• Tom, 66, turned errands and rides into paid work to avoid draining his $180,000 IRA or claiming Social Security early.

• Montana's aging population (21% are 65+) shrinks the working-age labor pool, driving up demand and prices for personal local services.

• Claiming Social Security before full retirement age while still earning can permanently shrink monthly benefits and trigger the earnings test simultaneously.

• Are you ahead, or behind on retirement? SmartAsset's free tool can match you with a financial advisor in minutes to help you answer that today. Each advisor has been carefully vetted, and must act in your best interests. Don't waste another minute; learn more here.

Tom is 66, lives outside Great Falls, and retired two years ago with roughly $180,000 in an IRA and a paid-off truck. He has not claimed Social Security yet. The math on paper said he could make it work. The math in his kitchen, after a hard winter and a vet bill, said otherwise. Rather than sell stocks into a shaky market or claim Social Security before he wanted to, he started charging for the rides, errands, and light repair work his neighbors already needed.

His clients are almost all older than he is. That is by design. It is the business plan.

Why Montana's Age Curve Is a Local Service Boom

Montana is aging quickly. In 2024, about 21% of residents were 65 or older, making Montana the eighth-oldest state. By 2030, Montanans 65 and older are projected to make up 23% of the population, up from an earlier 22% projection, while children 17 and under are projected at 20%, down from 21%, per the Montana Free Press.

About 221,000 Montanans were retired in 2025, nearly 24% of residents age 16 and older, and labor-force participation fell from 68.8% in 2000 to 62.4% in 2025, a decline analysts attributed largely to the wave of retirement-age residents. Deaths have exceeded births in Montana every year this decade except 2024.

_________________________________

What's Your Number...?

Here's a question most people 5y from retirement can't answer: at your current savings rate, how much do you need, and how long will it actually last? A good advisor can put a date on that in a single meeting. SmartAsset's free quiz matches you with up to three fiduciary advisors serving your area, so you can get YOUR retirement number now (sponsor)

__________________________________________

When the customer base skews older and the working-age labor pool thins, the price of small, personal services rises. Someone still has to shovel the walk, drive a neighbor to a medical appointment, clear out a parent's estate, or fix a broken storm door.