CB05-FF.07-2
April 25, 2005
Printable PDF
Version (91K) |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Older Americans Month
Celebrated in May
Older Americans Month originated with a presidential proclamation in
May 1963. It has been proclaimed by presidents every year since then.
Last year, President Bush stated, “Older Americans help others to
understand the past, and they teach timeless lessons of courage, endurance
and love. Through their legacy of patriotism, service, and responsibility,
America's seniors also unite families and communities and serve as role
models for younger generations.” |
 36.3
million
The number of people
65 and over in the United States on July 1, 2004. This age group accounts
for 12 percent of the total population. Between 2003 and 2004, 351,000 people
moved into this age group.
4.9 million
The number of people
85 and over in the United States on July 1, 2004.
86.7 million
Projected
population of people 65 and over in the year 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-over population between 2000 and 2050. By comparison,
the population as a whole would have increased by only 49 percent over
the same period. |
Education
77%
Proportion of people ages 65 to 69 who graduated
from high school. Seventy-three percent of people ages 70 to 74 and
68 percent of those 75 and over are also high school graduates.
20%
Percentage of the population ages 65 to 69 who have a bachelor's
degree or higher education. Among people ages 70 to 74, 19 percent
have achieved this level of education; for those 75 and over, 15 percent
are college graduates.
73,000
Number of people
65 and over enrolled in college [PDF] in October 2002. |
Jobs
4.6 million
Number of people
age 65 and over who are still employed [PDF] — this amounts to
13 percent of all people in this age group. |
Voting
65%
Percentage of registered
voters ages 65 to 74 who voted in the 2002 Congressional election. Seventy-two
percent of people ages 65 to 74 voted in the 2000
presidential election. This age group had the highest rate of voter
participation in both the 2000 and 2002 elections. |
| |
Income
and Wealth
$108,885
Median net worth
[PDF] in 2000 of households with householders 65 and over. In contrast,
householders under the age of 35 had a median household net worth of $7,240.
$23,787
Median
2003 income of households with householders 65 and over, statistically
unchanged, in real terms, from the previous year.
10.2%
Poverty
rate for people 65 and over in 2003. |
Marital Status
and Living
Arrangements
44%
Percent of women age 65 and over who are widowed, greater than the 41 percent
who are married
and living with their spouses. Women age 65 and older are three times
more likely to be widowed than their male counterparts. Among men in the
same age group, 71 percent are married and living with their spouses and
only 14 percent are widowed. |
Sports Activities
12.4 million
Number of people
65 and over who engage in exercise walking [PDF], by far the most popular
sports activity for this age group, at least six times a year. The next
most popular forms of exercise for this age group are exercising with equipment,
net fishing and swimming. |
|
Homeownership
81%
Proportion of householders age 65 and over who own
their homes [PDF]. This compares with 68 percent for all householders.
|
Serving Our Nation
9.7 million
Estimated number of people age 65 and over who are military
veterans [PDF]. |
Coming
to America
3.7 million
Number of U.S. residents 65 and over in 2004 who were foreign-born. |
| |
|
|
|
|
Population Distribution
World
880,000
The unprecedented number of people added each month to the
world's population of people 65 and over. More than one-third of the
world's oldest people (80 and above) lived in three countries: China (14.8
million), the United States (10.7 million) and India (7.5 million).
Nation
71
Overall, the number of men
age 65 and over on July 1, 2003, for every 100 women in this age group.
For those in the 65 to 74 age group, the ratio is 83 men for every 100 women.
For those 85 and over, it drops to 44 men per 100 women.
64,658
Estimated number
of centenarians in the United States on August 1, 2004.
 States
and Counties
17%
Percentage of Florida's
population that was 65 and over on July 1, 2004. Florida led all states
in this category. West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Dakota and Iowa followed
closely, at 15 percent each.
4.2%
Percentage increase in the number of people
age 65 and over in Nevada between July 1, 2003, and July 1, 2004.
Alaska closely followed at 3.8 percent.
3.8 million
Number of people
65 and over living in California on July 1, 2004, the highest total
of any state. Florida, with 2.9 million, was the runner-up.
29%
The highest
percentage increase among counties in the 65 and over population between
2000 and 2003. This distinction belongs to Douglas, Colo. Following Douglas
were Collin, Texas; Prince William, Va.; Fort Bend, Texas; and Henry,
Ga. (The findings pertain to counties with minimum populations of 100,000.)
The five largest numerical gainers over the period were Los Angeles, Calif.;
Clark (Las Vegas), Nev.; Orange (Anaheim), Calif.; Maricopa (Phoenix),
Ariz.; and Miami-Dade, Fla. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Following is a list
of observances typically covered by the Census Bureau Facts
for Features series: |
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Jan. 17) & African-American History
Month (February)
- Valentine's Day (Feb. 14)
- Women's History Month (March)
- St. Patrick's Day (March 17)
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May)
- Older Americans Month (May)
- Mother's Day (May 8)
- Father's Day (June 19)
- The Fourth of July (July 4)
- Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act (July 26)
|
- Back to School (August)
- Labor Day (Sept. 5)
- Grandparents Day (Sept. 11)
- Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)
- Halloween (Oct. 31)
- American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month (November)
- Veterans Day (Nov. 11)
- Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24)
- The Holiday Season (December)
|
| Individual source links for
each statement herein may be accessed on the Internet at
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/004210.html>.
The photos
herein may be downloaded and are available free for your use in all
print and broadcast products.
Please credit the U.S. Census Bureau. For product information, call (301)
763-3011 or e-mail <pio.broadcast.services@census.gov>.
Editor’s note: Some of the preceding data were
collected in surveys and, therefore, are subject to sampling error. Questions
or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau’s Public Information
Office at (301) 763-3030; fax (301) 457-3670; or e-mail <pio@census.gov>.
|
available free from Adobe.
