Can you guess what age group reports the highest rates of entrepreneurship in the United States?  Could it be the young 20 – 25 year olds looking to make a mark on the world?  What about the 35 – 40 year olds who have some experience in the work force and now seek to start their own company?  Or could it be the 55-64 year olds who have recently retired and can’t seem to sit still?

According to the Marion Kaufmann Foundation, it is the 55 – 64 year olds who have the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity.  And not only for 2009, but for the past 10 years!

55-64 year olds bring a unique skill set as entrepreneurs.

First, they have capital.  They have a lifetime of savings and chances are their 401k’s have just opened up or are about to.

Secondly, they have a perspective on problems unique to their age group.  They start businesses to address problems that 20 & 30 year olds might not even know exist.

And third, they have a set of skills learned through a lifetime of work.

And last of all, even though older entrepreneurs likely have some savings to pull from, they also know that they don’t have a backup source of income should the venture fail.  This likely leads to retirees bootstrapping to get their business up and running instead of putting huge financial burdens on the beginning of the venture.