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Older Americans Month: May 2009
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.
37.9 million
The number of people 65 and
older in the United States on July 1, 2007. This age group accounted for 13
percent of the total population. Between 2006 and 2007, this age group
increased by 635,000 people.
Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/011910.html>
88.5 million
Projected population of people
65 and older in 2050. People in this age group would comprise 20 percent of the
total population at that time.
Source: Population projections <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012496.html>
518 million
Projected 2009 midyear world
population 65 and older. Projections indicate the number will increase to 1.6
billion by 2050.
Source: Population projections <http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb>
Income
and Wealth
$28,305
Median 2007 income of households
with householders 65 and older, statistically unchanged, in real terms, from
the previous year.
Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in
the United States: 2007
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/012528.html>
9.7%
Poverty rate for people 65 and
older in 2007, statistically unchanged from 2006. There were 3.6 million
seniors in poverty in 2007, up from 3.4 million in 2006. Source: Income,
Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/012528.html>
$190,100
Median net worth for families in
2004 whose head was between 65 and 74.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the
United States: 2009 <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>
(Table 699)
Serving
Our Nation
9 million
Estimated number of people 65
and older who were military veterans in 2007.
Source: 2007 American Community
Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov/>
Jobs
5.8 million
Number of people 65 and older
who were in the labor force in 2007. Projections indicate that by 2016, the
number will reach 10.1 million.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United
States: 2009 <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>
(Table 568)
15%
Percentage of people 65 and
older in the labor force in 2007.
Source: 2007 American Community Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov/>
Education
74%
Proportion of people 65 and
older in 2007 with at least a high school diploma.
Source: 2007 American
Community Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov/>
19%
Percentage of the population 65
and older in 2007 who had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Source: 2007
American Community Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov/>
7.3 million
Number of people 66 and older
taking adult education courses in 2004-05, comprising about 8 percent of these
students.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2009 <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>
(Table 294)
Marital
Status and Living Arrangements
54%
Percentage of people 65 and
older who were married in 2007.
Source: 2007 American Community Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov/>
31%
Percentage of people 65 and
older in 2007 who were widowed.
Source: 2007 American Community Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov/>
65%
Percentage of people 65 and
older in 2007 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.
Source: 2007 American
Community Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov/>
1.5 million
Number of people 65 and older
who lived in nursing facilities in 2007. These residents comprised 4 percent of
all people in this age group.
Source: 2007 American Community Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov/>
Voting
78%
Percentage of citizens 65 and
older registered to vote in the 2006 congressional election. Sixty-three
percent of citizens in this age group reported actually casting a ballot.
Source:
Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2006
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/voting/012234.html>
Homeownership
80%
Percentage of householders 65
and older in 2007 who owned their homes. This compares with 42 percent for
householders at the other end of the age spectrum — younger than 35.
Source: Current
Population Survey/Housing Vacancy Survey <http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/hvs/hvs.html>
Population
Distribution
Nation
73
The number of men 65 and older
on July 1, 2007, for every 100 women in this age group. For those 85 and older,
it drops to 48 men per 100 women.
Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/011910.html>
5.5 million
The number of people 85 and
older in the United States on July 1, 2007.
Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/011910.html>
96,548
Estimated number of centenarians
in the United States on Nov. 1, 2008.
Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/popest/national/asrh/2007-nat-res.html>
601,000
Projected number of centenarians
in the United States in 2050.
Source: Population projections <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012496.html>
States
and Counties
4 million
Number of people 65 and older
living in California on July 1, 2007, the highest total of any state. Florida,
with 3.1 million, was the runner-up.
Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/011910.html>
17%
Percentage of Florida’s
population 65 and older in 2007, which led the nation. States with the
next-highest percentages of older people included West Virginia (15.5 percent)
and Pennsylvania (15.2 percent).
Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/011910.html>
32%
Percentage of the population of
La Paz County, Ariz., that was 65 and older on July 1, 2007, which led the
nation. There were 24 counties with at least one-quarter of their population 65
and older. Nine of those counties were in Florida, with four in Texas and three
in Michigan.
Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012463.html>
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau’s Facts for Features
series.
Editor’s note:The preceding data were
collected from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling variability
and other sources of error. Facts for Features are customarily released about
two months before an observance in order to accommodate magazine production
timelines. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau’s
Public Information Office: telephone: 301-763-3030; fax: 301-763-3762; or
e-mail: <pio@census.gov>.
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