Indeed, with ever fewer workers to support a ballooning retired population, there is pressure to increase, not cut, labor taxes.

FORBES: Euroflop

Although new home sales may have shown a small overall drop in February, builders expect the building of new homes for the nation's middle-aged and retired population to expand strongly.

BBC: Why the US housing market is still booming

Meanwhile, local governments across the country will have to cope with a fast-rising population of retired people whose pensions, if any, will have to be paid for by contributions from a shrinking working population.

ECONOMIST: The consequences of an ageing population

Its main hope for growth is health care, thanks in part to its large population of retired people.

ECONOMIST: Paradise foreclosed

It can grow its way out of it, but that will be hard when 30% of the population is retired.

FORBES: By 2015, Taxes and Entitlement Cuts to Ease Deficit

Retired people account for a much smaller part of the population growth in Arizona than in other retirement havens, such as Florida.

ECONOMIST: Urban sprawl

By 2015, their population will be so large, that unless the US economy grows like an emerging market, tax revenues from the working age population will unlikely be able to cover the social security and medicare expenses of retired persons.

FORBES: By 2015, Taxes and Entitlement Cuts to Ease Deficit

At that bottom end of the scale, retired and unemployed Americans rely far more on safety nets: the lowest-earning fifth of the population gets 48% of its yearly income from retirement funds like Social Security, and 9% from public assistance programs like food stamps.

FORBES: Magazine Article