The health consequences of the 9/11 World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attacks are well documented, but few studies have assessed the disaster’s impact on employment among individuals exposed to the disaster. We examined the association between 9/11-related health conditions and early retirement among residents and workers who resided and/or worked near the WTC site on 9/11, and the association between such conditions and post-retirement income loss. The study included 6377 residents and/or area workers who completed the WTC Health Registry longitudinal health surveys in 2003–2004 and 2006–2007, and the 2017–2018 Health and Employment Survey. Logistic regression models were used to examine the associations. We found that 9/11-related health conditions were significantly associated with the likelihood of early retirement. Residents and/or area workers with more physical health conditions, especially when comorbid with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), were more likely to retire before age 60 than those with no conditions. For retirees, having PTSD or PTSD comorbid with any number of physical conditions increased the odds of reporting substantial post-retirement income loss. Disaster-related outcomes can negatively impact aging individuals in the form of early retirement and income loss. Long-term effects of major disasters must continue to be studied.

The objective of this study was to determine the association between acute and chronic pain and various economic and quality-of-life outcomes. The study sample was drawn from the World Trade Center Health Registry. Both acute and chronic pain were measured in 2020–2021. Logistic regression models were constructed to determine the odds of several economic and quality-of-life variables: early retirement, low household income, decline in household income, quality of life, and not working due to health. Those who had extreme pain in the last four weeks that interfered with normal work had 3.12 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.36, 4.39) times the odds of early retirement, 5.34 (95% CI: 3.47, 8.21) times the odds of having a household income below USD 50,000, 2.56 (95% CI: 1.51, 4.33) times the odds of having an income decrease, and 14.4 (95% CI: 11.3, 18.3) times the rate of poor health days compared to those with no pain. Similar results were found for chronic pain. The detrimental effects of pain may influence multiple facets of a patient’s life, and both financial and overall well-being may diminish even several years after a pain diagnosis.