Statistics on Aging in America
#In 2006, 37 million people age 65 and over lived in the United States, accounting for just over 12 percent of the total population. Over the 20th century, the older population grew from 3 million to 37 million. The oldest-old population (those age 85 and over) grew from just over 100,000 in 1900 to 5.3 million in 2006.
# The Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) will start turning 65 in 2011, and the number of older people will increase dramatically during the 2010–2030 period. The older population in 2030 is projected to be twice as large as in 2000, growing from 35 million to 71.5 million and representing nearly 20 percent of the total U.S. population.
# The growth rate of the older population is projected to slow after 2030, when the last Baby Boomers enter the ranks of the older population. From 2030 onward, the proportion age 65 and over will be relatively stable, at around 20 percent, even though the absolute number of people age 65 and over is projected to continue to grow. The oldest-old population is projected to grow rapidly after 2030, when the Baby Boomers move into this age group.
# The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the population age 85 and over could grow from 5.3 million in 2006 to nearly 21 million by 2050. Some researchers predict that death rates at older ages will decline more rapidly than is reflected in the U.S. Census Bureau’s projections, which could lead to faster growth of this population.1–3
* The proportion of the population age 65 and over varies by State. This proportion is partly affected by State fertility and mortality levels and partly by the number of older and younger people who migrate to and from the State. In 2006, Florida had the highest proportion of people age 65 and over, 17 percent. Pennsylvania and West Virginia also had high proportions, over 15 percent.
* The proportion of the population age 65 and over varies even more by county. In 2006, 35 percent of McIntosh County, North Dakota, was age 65 and over, the highest proportion in the country. In several Florida counties, the proportion was over 30 percent. At the other end of the spectrum was Chattahoochee County, Georgia, with only 3 percent of its population age 65 and over.
* As in most countries of the world, older women outnumber older men in the United States, and the proportion that is female increases with age. In 2006, women accounted for 58 percent of the population age 65 and over and for 68 percent of the population age 85 and over.
* The United States is fairly young for a developed country, with just over 12 percent of its population age 65 and over. The older population made up more than 15 percent of the population in most European countries and nearly 20 percent in both Italy and Japan in 2006.
