RETIRED
Total Donated
$1,794,359,307
Contributions
10,609,566
Unique Donors
347,125
Top Employer
RETIRED
Donors who listed RETIRED as employer or occupation on federal contribution records account for $1.8B, according to FEC.gov aggregates indexed on LobbyVault. That total sits on 10,609,566 itemized contributions attributed to 347,125 donors. The RETIRED string is a self-reported FEC employer/occupation value, not a NAICS industry code. LobbyVault groups rows that share this exact label so readers can open the underlying donor table without treating the word as a Census sector.
Key figures
- RETIRED filers account for $1.8B in itemized FEC contributions.
- The cluster contains 10,609,566 contribution lines from 347,125 donors.
- RETIRED is a self-reported FEC string, not a NAICS industry.
- The total is not a party split and excludes unitemized and non-federal money.
What the RETIRED string actually records
FEC schedules ask for the contributor's employer and occupation. Many filers type RETIRED in one or both fields, and committees report that text as filed. LobbyVault's industry table therefore ranks RETIRED as a label cluster, not as a trade association or a licensed profession. The same person can appear under other strings in other cycles if they typed a company name, NONE, or a different status line.
Because the field is free text, RETIRED is not cleaned into a Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation or a NAICS code. Two donors who both left the workforce can still land in different buckets if one wrote RETIRED and the other wrote NOT EMPLOYED. The $1.8B figure is the sum for this string only.
A high-count cluster, not a PAC
The 10,609,566 contributions under RETIRED are individual schedule lines, not a single committee's disbursement. 347,125 donors produced that activity, which means the label is wide: many people, many receipts, one shared word on the form. Nothing in the aggregate says those gifts went to one party, one candidate, or one super PAC.
Itemization rules still apply. Small unitemized amounts that never appear on a public schedule are outside this table. What you see is the disclosed RETIRED cluster as FEC.gov published it and as LobbyVault rolled it up.
Full analysis: RETIRED on FEC filings: $1.8B in itemized gifts →
Questions
- How much have RETIRED donors given in federal races?
- LobbyVault's FEC.gov rollup attributes $1.8B to the RETIRED employer/occupation string. That sum is 10,609,566 itemized contributions from 347,125 donors. It is not a NAICS sector total and does not include unitemized gifts or non-federal filings. Figures on this answer are limited to that FEC string as indexed on LobbyVault; unitemized gifts and non-federal filings are omitted.
- Is RETIRED an official industry in campaign finance data?
- No. RETIRED is the text donors or treasurers entered on FEC employer and occupation fields. Committees report that string; LobbyVault groups matching rows. It is not a Census industry, not a union, and not a PAC. Other status labels stay in their own buckets.
- Why are there 10,609,566 contributions but only 347,125 donors?
- Each itemized receipt is a contribution line. The same donor can give many times across committees and dates, so contribution count exceeds unique-donor count. The 347,125 figure is the donor count LobbyVault attaches to this label, not a headcount of all U.S. retirees.
- Does this total show which party retirees support?
- The $1.8B figure is not split by party on this industry page. Recipient committees are listed on the donor table and on candidate, PAC, and party pages. Party inference from a status word alone is not part of the FEC record LobbyVault is showing here.
Industry labels come from FEC employer/occupation self-reports, not NAICS. Data from FEC.gov via LobbyVault.
Cycle-over-Cycle Trend
| Cycle | Total | Contributions | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $4,530,198 | 5,917 | 3,077 |
| 1982 | $2,268,138 | 2,356 | 879 |
| 1984 | $2,559,869 | 2,533 | 870 |
| 1986 | $1,817,413 | 1,811 | 679 |
| 1988 | $1,677,107 | 1,645 | 703 |
| 1990 | $1,248,661 | 1,860 | 620 |
| 1992 | $1,583,715 | 2,311 | 623 |
| 1994 | $1,242,040 | 1,846 | 523 |
| 1996 | $1,688,541 | 2,129 | 518 |
| 1998 | $971,855 | 1,345 | 372 |
| 2000 | $1,808,825 | 2,219 | 511 |
| 2002 | $1,154,583 | 1,334 | 356 |
| 2004 | $1,605,544 | 1,940 | 425 |
| 2006 | $1,662,285 | 1,749 | 351 |
| 2008 | $2,265,554 | 2,306 | 394 |
| 2010 | $1,798,681 | 1,623 | 302 |
| 2012 | $2,232,927 | 2,132 | 348 |
| 2014 | $1,865,323 | 1,609 | 252 |
Top Donors
| # | Name | Total | Contributions | City / State | Occupation | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LEACH, JAMES A | $42,077 | 4 | DAVENPORT, IA | — | 1980 |
| 2 | LESLIE, JOHN W MRS | $37,150 | 12 | EVANSTON, IL | — | 1980 |
| 3 | DAYTON, DONALD C | $32,200 | 21 | LONG LAKE, MN | — | 1980 |
| 4 | GRIFFITH, WALTER S | $31,650 | 13 | SEA RANCH LKS, FL | — | 1980 |
| 5 | KOCH, MARY R | $23,000 | 4 | WICHITA, KS | — | 1980 |
| 6 | BETTINGEN, WILLIAM J MRS | $22,650 | 18 | BEVERLY HILLS, CA | — | 1980 |
| 7 | HARRINGTON, CHARLES J | $22,150 | 21 | GREENVILLE, DE | — | 1980 |
| 8 | MCCLARY, JAMES D | $21,500 | 19 | BOISE, ID | — | 1980 |
| 9 | HUMES, JOHN P HON | $21,000 | 3 | NEW YORK, NY | — | 1980 |
| 10 | KOCH, MARY | $21,000 | 2 | WICHITA, KS | — | 1980 |
| 11 | DONNELL, JOHN R | $18,100 | 12 | FINDLAY, OH | — | 1980 |
| 12 | FACTOR, JOHN | $18,000 | 11 | LOS ANGELES, CA | — | 1980 |
| 13 | BLODGETT, JOHN W JR | $16,650 | 7 | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | — | 1980 |
| 14 | MANN, FREDRIC R | $16,500 | 4 | PHILADELPHIA, PA | — | 1980 |
| 15 | LUND, RUSSELL T | $15,750 | 9 | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | — | 1980 |
| 16 | EDWARDS, GORDON | $15,500 | 2 | GREENWICH, CT | — | 1980 |
| 17 | CLAPP, NORTON | $15,449 | 18 | MEDINA, WA | — | 1980 |
| 18 | FURGATCH, HARVEY | $15,000 | 17 | SAN DIEGO, CA | — | 1980 |
| 19 | BLODGETT, JOHN W | $14,000 | 4 | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | — | 1980 |
| 20 | BUTTERWORTH, FRANK JR | $13,925 | 28 | MT CARMEL, CT | — | 1980 |
| 21 | BUCHANAN, EUGENE D | $13,900 | 21 | WILMETTE, IL | — | 1980 |
| 22 | HOPPER, BERT C | $13,900 | 6 | TAYLORVILLE, IL | — | 1980 |
| 23 | DENNEY, CORWIN D | $13,500 | 3 | BEVERLY HILLS, CA | — | 1980 |
| 24 | MCLENNAN, DONALD R JR MR | $13,300 | 7 | LIGONIER, PA | — | 1980 |
| 25 | ALLEN, PHILIP K | $13,000 | 6 | ANDOVER, MA | — | 1980 |
| 26 | HARRINGTON, CHARLES J MR | $12,300 | 6 | GREENVILLE, DE | — | 1980 |
| 27 | MCDONALD, ELLICE JR MR | $12,300 | 5 | GREENVILLE, DE | — | 1980 |
| 28 | CHAMPION, GEORGE | $12,200 | 17 | NEW YORK, NY | — | 1980 |
| 29 | CABANISS, W J MR | $11,950 | 5 | BIRMINGHAM, AL | — | 1980 |
| 30 | MITCHELL, ALBERT K | $11,850 | 8 | ALBERT, NM | — | 1980 |
| 31 | BLODGETT, JOHN W JR MR | $11,615 | 5 | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | — | 1980 |
| 32 | CARTER, VICTOR M | $11,500 | 12 | LOS ANGELES, CA | — | 1980 |
| 33 | LOEB, JOHN L MR. | $11,500 | 6 | NEW YORK, NY | — | 1980 |
| 34 | KENDRICK, MARRON | $11,050 | 14 | ATHERTON, CA | — | 1980 |
| 35 | CARR, F WILLIAM | $11,000 | 2 | PALM BEACH, FL | — | 1980 |
| 36 | COOK, GEORGE B MR | $11,000 | 2 | LINCOLN, NE | — | 1980 |
| 37 | HUTCHESON, S LEWIS | $11,000 | 2 | GREENWICH, CT | — | 1980 |
| 38 | MCDONALD, ELLICE JR | $11,000 | 7 | MONTCHANIN, DE | — | 1980 |
| 39 | MOTT, C S HARDING MR | $11,000 | 2 | PALM BEACH, FL | — | 1980 |
| 40 | EATON, ROBERT E L | $10,750 | 15 | CHEVY CHASE, MD | — | 1980 |
| 41 | KILLGALION, W C | $10,730 | 5 | SEA ISLAND, GA | — | 1980 |
| 42 | BLOT, EMMET J | $10,500 | 2 | PALM BEACH, FL | — | 1980 |
| 43 | BOGERT, H LAWRENCE MR | $10,500 | 2 | NEW YORK, NY | — | 1980 |
| 44 | CLARK, HAYS MR | $10,500 | 2 | GREENWICH, CT | — | 1980 |
| 45 | FIRESTONE, LEONARD | $10,500 | 2 | LOS ANGELES, CA | — | 1980 |
| 46 | FULLER, ANDREW P. | $10,500 | 2 | PALM BEACH, FL | — | 1980 |
| 47 | GREENWAY, GEORGE L | $10,500 | 2 | GREENWICH, CT | — | 1980 |
| 48 | HARRINGTON, WILLIS F JR | $10,500 | 2 | WILMINGTON, DE | — | 1980 |
| 49 | DANE, MAXWELL | $10,450 | 26 | NEW YORK, NY | — | 1980 |
| 50 | AUSPLUND, ADA W | $10,250 | 6 | — | — | 1980 |
Top Recipients
| # | Committee | Total | Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ACTBLUEC00401224 | $4,584,840 | 499 |
| 2 | REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE - CONTRIBUTIONS (AKA REPUBLICAN NATIONAL FINANCE COMMITTEEC00003376 | $2,455,799 | 1,826 |
| 3 | NATIONAL REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL COMMITTEE - CONTRIBUTIONS *C00091009 | $1,754,643 | 1,676 |
| 4 | NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE CONTRIBUTIONSC00002931 | $1,193,014 | 1,581 |
| 5 | DCCCC00000935 | $1,072,421 | 362 |
| 6 | REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEEC00003418 | $1,020,473 | 886 |
| 7 | WINREDC00694323 | $959,347 | 337 |
| 8 | DSCCC00042366 | $932,940 | 321 |
| 9 | HILLARY VICTORY FUNDC00586537 | $928,616 | 130 |
| 10 | DNC SERVICES CORP / DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEEC00010603 | $821,271 | 512 |
| 11 | NRSCC00027466 | $761,609 | 704 |
| 12 | TRUMP VICTORYC00618389 | $396,578 | 36 |
| 13 | FIGHT FOR THE PEOPLE PACC00703975 | $392,345 | 291 |
| 14 | OBAMA FOR AMERICAC00431445 | $385,438 | 252 |
| 15 | AMERICAN LIBERTY FUNDC00623421 | $375,000 | 2 |
| 16 | NANCY PELOSI VICTORY FUNDC00492421 | $288,800 | 5 |
| 17 | HARRIS VICTORY FUNDC00744946 | $277,054 | 156 |
| 18 | NATIONAL CONSERVATIVE CLUB (FKA) NATIONAL CONGRESSIONAL CLUBC00119370 | $269,010 | 698 |
| 19 | NATIONAL CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEEC00024687 | $258,151 | 555 |
| 20 | SLF PACC00571703 | $256,000 | 4 |
| 21 | TRUMP MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN COMMITTEEC00618371 | $242,864 | 288 |
| 22 | ROMNEY VICTORY, INC.C00518282 | $230,844 | 79 |
| 23 | OBAMA VICTORY FUND 2012C00494740 | $223,432 | 120 |
| 24 | GEORGE BUSH FOR PRESIDENTC00106922 | $216,500 | 927 |
| 25 | HILLARY ACTION FUNDC00619411 | $200,400 | 7 |