Older Americans Month: May 2008 – Some Interesting Facts about the 65 and Older Population

US Census Department reports. Florida tops list with highest percentage aged 65 or older.

April 24, 2008 – Palm Coast, FL – 17 percent of Florida’s residents are at least 65 years old. Florida leads all states in this category. So we should be interested to find out what the US Census Bureau has discovered about that age group. The US Census Department has published a list of statistics which depict that segment of the population.
 

History: A meeting with the National Council of Senior Citizens resulted in President John F. Kennedy designating May 1963 as Senior Citizens Month, encouraging the nation to pay tribute in some way to older people across the country. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter’s proclamation changed the name to Older Americans Month, a time to celebrate those 65 and older through ceremonies, events and public recognition.

 
37.3 million
The number of people 65 and older in the United States on July 1, 2006. This age group accounted for 12 percent of the total population. Between 2005 and 2006, this age group increased by 473,000 people.

 
86.7 million
Projected population of people 65 and older in 2050. People in this age group would comprise  21 percent of the total population at that time.

 
147%
Projected percentage increase in the 65-and-older population between 2000 and 2050. By comparison, the population as a whole would have increased by only 49 percent during the same period.
 
506 million
Projected 2008 midyear world population 65 and older. Projections indicate
the number will increase to 999 million by 2030.
 
                             Income and Wealth
 
$27,798
Median 2006 income of households with householders 65 and older, up 3.4 percent, in real terms, from the previous year.
 

9.4%
Poverty rate for people 65 and older in 2006, down from 10.1 percent in 2005. There were 3.4 million seniors in poverty in 2006, a decline from 3.6 million in 2005.
  
$190,100
Median net worth for families in 2004 whose head was between 65 and 74. For those whose head was 75 or older, the corresponding figure was $163,100.
 
                            Serving Our Nation
 
9.1 million
Estimated number of people 65 and older who are military veterans.

                                   Jobs

5.5 million
Number of people 65 and older who were in the labor force in 2006. Projections indicate that by 2016, the number will reach 10.1 million.
 
23%
Percentage of people 65 to 74 in the labor force in 2006, up from 20 percent in 2000.

Some of the highest rates were found in South Dakota, Nebraska and Washington, D.C., all with about one-third of people in this age group in the labor force. Among the 20 largest metro areas, Washington, D.C., had the highest percentage of people in the labor force in this age group (31.8 percent). Others with high percentages include Boston (28.1 percent), Dallas-Fort Worth (27.9 percent), Minneapolis-St. Paul (27.4 percent) and Houston (26.5 percent), none of which was statistically different from the other.
 
                                 Education
 
76%
Proportion of people 65 and older in 2007 with at least a high school diploma.
 
19%
Percentage of the population 65 and older in 2007 who had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher.
 
7.3 million
Number of people 66 and older taking adult education courses, comprising about 8 percent of these students.
 
69,000
Number of people 65 and older enrolled in high school or college in October 2005.
 
                  Marital Status and Living Arrangements
 
53%
Percentage of people 65 and older who were married in 2006.
 
32%
Percentage of people 65 and older in 2006 who were widowed.
 
64%
Percentage of people 65 and older in 2006 who lived with relatives. Another 27 percent lived alone, while 5 percent lived in group quarters and 2 percent in a household with nonrelatives. In addition, 6 percent lived in their children’s home, and 1 percent lived with unmarried partners.
 
1.6 million
Number of people 65 and older who lived in nursing facilities in 2006. These residents comprised 4 percent of all people in this age group.
 
                                  Voting
 
79%
Percentage of citizens 65 and older registered to vote in the 2004 presidential election. Seventy-one percent of citizens in this age group reported actually casting a ballot.
 
19%
In the 2004 presidential election, the percentage of votes cast by people 65 and older.
 
                               Homeownership
81%
Proportion of householders 65 and older in 2006 who owned their homes. This compares with  43 percent for householders at the other end of the age spectrum — younger than 35. 

 
                                Businesses
 

11%
Percentage of the nation’s business owners who are 65 and older.

                          Population Distribution

                                  Nation

72
The number of men 65 and older on July 1, 2006, for every 100 women in this age group. For those 85 and older, it drops to 47 men per 100 women.
 
5.3 million
The number of people 85 and older in the United States on July 1, 2006.
 
84,331
Estimated number of centenarians in the United States on Nov. 1, 2007.
 
580,605
Projected number of centenarians in the United States in 2040.
 
                                  States
 

3.9 million
Number of people 65 and older living in California on July 1, 2006, the highest total of any state.  Florida, with 3 million, was the runner-up.
 
17%
Percentage of Florida’s population 65 and older in 2006, which led the nation. Next to Florida, states with the highest percentages of older people include West Virginia (15.3 percent) and Pennsylvania (15.2 percent).
 
31.2%
Percentage of the population of Charlotte County, Fla., that was 65 and older on July 1, 2006, which led the nation. In fact, Florida contributed four of the top 10 counties.
 
                                   Cars
 

75%
Percentage of households with a householder 65 and older who owns a motor vehicle. About 3 percent of these households have three or more cars.
 

Source: US Census Bureau