Quick Takes on Aging Americans
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PROFILE OF THE OLDER POPULATION*
The older population–persons 65 years or older–numbered 34.5 million in 1999. They represented 12.7 percent of the U.S. population, about one in every eight Americans. The number of older Americans has increased by 3.3 million or 10.6 percent since 1990, compared to an increase of 9.1 percent for the under-65 population.
In 1999, there were 20.2 million older women and 14.3 million older men, or a sex ratio of 141 women for every 100 men. The sex ratio increased with age, ranging from 118 for the 65—69 group to a high of 237 for persons 85 and over.
Since 1900, the percentage of Americans 65+ has more than tripled (4.1 percent in 1900 to 12.7 percent in 1999), and the number has increased 11 times (from 3.1 million to 34.5 million).
The older population itself is getting older. In 1999 the 65—74 age group (18.2 million) was 8 times larger than in 1900, but the 75—84 group (12.1 million) was 16 times larger and the 85+ group (4.2 million) was 34 times larger.
In 1998, persons reaching age 65 had an average life expectancy of an additional 17.8 years (19.2 years for females and 16.0 years for males).
A child born in 1998 could expect to live 76.7 years, about 29 years longer than a child born in 1900. The major part of this increase occurred because of reduced death rates for children and young adults. Life expectancy at age 65 increased by only 2.4 years between 1900 and 1960, but has increased by 3.5 years since 1960.
Almost 2 million persons celebrated their 65th birthday in 1999 (5,422 per day). In the same year, about 1.8 million persons 65 or older died, resulting in a net increase of approximately 200,000 (558 per day).
FUTURE GROWTH
The older population will continue to grow significantly in the future (see Figure 1). This growth slowed somewhat during the 1990s because of the relatively small number of babies born during the Great Depression of the 1930s. But the older population will burgeon between the years 2010 and 2030 when the baby boom generation reaches age 65.
By 2030, there will be about 70 million older persons, more than twice their number in 1999. People 65+ will represent almost 13 percent of the population in the year 2000 but are expected to grow to be 20 percent of the population by 2030.
Minority populations are projected to represent 25.4 percent of the elderly population in 2030, up from 16.1 percent in 1999. Between 1999 and 2030, the white* population 65+ is projected to increase by 81 percent compared with 219 percent for older minorities, including Hispanics (328 percent), African-Americans* (131 percent), American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts* (147 percent), and Asians and Pacific Islanders* (285 percent).
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GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
In 1999, 52 percent of persons 65+ lived in 9 states. California had over 3.6 million; Florida, 2.7 million; New York, 2.4 million; Texas, 2 million; and Pennsylvania, 1.9 million. Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and New Jersey each had well over 1 million.
The 10 jurisdictions with the highest poverty rates for elderly over the period 1997—99 were: Mississippi (19.1 percent); Louisiana (17.1 percent); the District of Columbia (16.5 percent); Arkansas (15.8 percent); West Virginia (15.1 percent); New Mexico (14.8 percent); Texas (14.4 percent); Alabama (13.3 percent); New York (13.2 percent); and North Carolina (12.7 percent).
Persons 65+ were slightly less likely to live in metropolitan areas in 1999 than younger persons (77 percent of the elderly, 81 percent of persons under 65). About 50 percent of older persons lived in the suburbs, 27 percent lived in central cities, and 23 percent lived in nonmetropolitan areas.
MARITAL STATUS
In 1999, older men were much more likely to be married than older women–77 percent of men, 43 percent of women (see Figure 2, page 9). Almost half of all older women in 1999 were widows (45 percent). There were over four times as many widows (8.4 million) as widowers (1.9 million).
Divorced and separated older persons represented only 8 percent of all older persons in 1999. However, their numbers (2.2 million) have increased significantly since 1990, when approximately 1.5 million of the older population were divorced or separated (see Figure 2).
INCOME
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The median income of older persons in 1999 was $19,079 for males and $10,943 for females. Real median income (after adjusting for inflation) grew more for men (+2.8 percent) than for women (+1.9 percent) since 1998.
Households containing families headed by persons 65+ reported a median income in 1999 of $33,148 ($33,795 for whites, $25,992 for African-Americans, and $23,634 for Hispanics). About one of every nine (11.5 percent) family households with an elderly head had incomes less than $15,000 and 46.9 percent had incomes of $35,000 or more.
For all older persons reporting income in 1999 (32 million), 34 percent reported less than $10,000. Only 23 percent reported $25,000 or more. The median income reported was $14,425.
The major sources of income as reported by the Social Security Administration for older persons in 1998 were Social Security (reported by 90 percent of older persons), income from assets (reported by 62 percent), public and private pensions (reported by 44 percent), and earnings (reported by 21 percent).
In 1998, Social Security benefits accounted for 38 percent of the aggregate income of the older population. The bulk of the remainder consisted of earnings (21 percent), assets (20 percent), and pensions (18 percent).
EDUCATION
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The educational level of the older population is increasing. Between 1970 and 1999, the percentage who had completed high school rose from 28 percent to 68 percent. About 15 percent in 1999 had a bachelor’s degree or more.
The percentage who had completed high school varied considerably by race and ethnic origin among older persons in 1999: 73 percent of Whites, 68 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders, 45 percent of African-Americans, and 32 percent of Hispanics.
LIVING ARRANGEMENTS
The majority (67 percent) of older noninstitutionalized persons lived in a family setting in 1998. Approximately 10.8 million or 80 percent of older men, and 10.7 million or 58 percent of older women lived in families. The proportion living in a family setting decreased with age. Only 45 percent of those 85+ years old lived in a family setting. About 13 percent of older persons (7 percent of men, 17 percent of women) were not living with a spouse but were living with children, siblings, or other relatives. An additional 3 percent of men and 2 percent of women, or 718,000 older persons, lived with nonrelatives.
About 31 percent (9.9 million) of all noninstitutionalized older persons in 1998 lived alone (7.6 million women, 2.3 million men). They represented 41 percent of older women and 17 percent of older men. Living alone correlates with advanced age. Among women aged 85 and over, for example, 3 of every 5 lived outside a family setting.
While a small number (1.47 million) and percentage (4.3 percent) of the 65+ population lived in nursing homes in 1997, the percentage increases dramatically with age, ranging from 1.1 percent for persons 65—74 years to 4.5 percent for persons 75—84 years and 19.0 percent for persons 85+.
EMPLOYMENT
In 1999, 4 million (12 percent) Americans age 65 and over were in the labor force (working or actively seeking work), including 2.3 million men (16.9 percent) and 1.7 million women (8.9 percent). They constituted 2.9 percent of the U.S. labor force. About 3.1 percent were unemployed.
POVERTY
About 3.2 million elderly persons were below the poverty* level in 1999. The poverty rate for persons 65+ dropped to a historic low of 9.7 percent. Another 2.0 million or 6.1 percent of the elderly were classified as "near-poor" (income between the poverty level and 125 percent of this level).
One of every 12 (8.3 percent) elderly whites was poor in 1999, compared to 22.7 percent of elderly African-Americans and 20.4 percent of elderly Hispanics. Higher than average poverty rates for older persons correlated with living in central cities (11.7 percent), in rural areas (11.7 percent), and in the South (11.7 percent).
Older women had a higher poverty rate (11.8 percent) than older men (6.9 percent) in 1999. Older persons living alone or with nonrelatives were much more likely to be poor (20.2 percent) than were older persons living with families (5.2 percent). Older Hispanic women who lived alone experienced the highest poverty rates (58.8 percent).