For Immediate Release Thursday, March 9, 2006, 10:35 a.m. EST
Media Contacts:National Institute on Aging: Susan Farrer or Linda Joy (301) 496-1752 e-mail: ljoy@mail.nih.gov
Census Bureau: Mike Bergman(301) 763-3030(301) 457-1037 (TDD)e-mail: pio@census.gov
The face of aging in the United States is changing dramatically -- and rapidly, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report, commissioned by the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Today’s older Americans are very different from their predecessors, living longer, having lower rates of disability, achieving higher levels of education and less often living in poverty. And the baby boomers, the first of whom celebrated their 60th birthdays in 2006, promise to redefine further what it means to grow older in America.
The report, 65+ in the United States: 2005, was prepared for NIA, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to provide a picture of the health and socioeconomic status of the aging population at a critical time in the maturing of the United States. It highlights striking shifts in aging on a population scale and also describes changes at the local and even family level, examining, for example, important changes in family structure as a result of divorce.
“The collection, analysis, and reporting of reliable data are critical to informing policy as the nation moves ahead to address the challenges and opportunities of an aging population,” says NIA Director Richard J. Hodes, M.D. “This report tells us that we have made a lot of progress in improving the health and well-being of older Americans, but there is much left to do.”
Among the trends:
“The social and economic implications of an aging population—and of the baby boom in particular—are likely to be profound for both individuals and society,” says Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon. “The 65+ in the United States report helps us to understand these dramatic changes so we can examine how they may impact families and society.”
The 65+ report is a project of the NIA’s Behavioral and Social Research Program, which supports the collection and analyses of data in several national and international studies on health, retirement, and aging. The program’s director, Richard M. Suzman, Ph.D., suggests that, with five years to go before the baby boom turns 65, “Many people have an image of aging that may be 20 years out of date. The very current portrait presented here shows how much has changed and where trends may be headed in the future.”
65+ lead author, Victoria A. Velkoff, Ph.D., chief of the Aging Studies Branch at the U.S. Census Bureau, noted the variations among today’s older adults and those of the future. “People 65 and over are a very diverse group. How they experience aging depends on a variety of interacting factors—from gender and race/ethnicity to health, education, socioeconomic and family circumstances. 65+ in the United States: 2005 depicts this heterogeneity, which will further expand as this population doubles in size over the next 25 years.”
The report was prepared by Dr. Velkoff and co-authors Wan He, Ph.D., Manisha Sengupta, Ph.D., and Kimberly A. DeBarros of the Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau.
The 243-page compendium examines in detail five key areas: growth of the older population (changes in age and racial/ethnic composition), longevity and health (life expectancy and causes of death), economic characteristics (income and household wealth), geographic distribution (by population and race) and social and other characteristics (marital status, living arrangements and voting patterns). The report covers a wide range of topics and timelines, pulling together data from Census 2000 and previous censuses, nationally representative surveys and recent population projections. In addition to the data compiled by other federal agencies, including the National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the report also includes statistics from the Current Population Survey; American Housing Survey; National Health Interview Survey; National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; Survey of Income and Program Participation; and the Health and Retirement Study.
The public can view and also download the report at http://www.census.gov.
The Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy. For more information, visit the Census Bureau website at www.census.gov.
The NIA is the lead federal agency conducting and supporting basic, biomedical and behavioral and social research on aging and the special needs and problems of older people. For more information, visit the NIA website at www.nia.nih.gov or call toll free 1-800-222-2225.
###
AppendixSELECTED HIGHLIGHTS FROM 65+ IN THE UNITED STATES: 2005
The older U.S. population is growing rapidly as baby boomers age, and more people are living longer:
In general, older people in the United States are healthier than in the past, with lower rates of disability. Still, a significant proportion suffers from health problems and chronic disease, and causes of death have not changed dramatically:
The older population is growing more in some geographic regions than in others, and is concentrated in metropolitan areas:
Charlotte, Fla. (34.7%)McIntosh, N.D. (34.2%)Highlands, Fla. (33.0%)Citrus, Fla. (32.2%)Kalawao, Hawaii (32.0%)Sarasota, Fla. (31.5%)Hernando, Fla. (30.9%)Llano, Texas (30.7%)McPherson, S.D. (29.6%)Divide, N.D. (29.5%)
There is a strong correlation between education and health. Older adults are increasingly more educated, and this continuing trend could have a positive effect on the health of older people in the future:
Older adults in the United States are far less likely to live in poverty today than in decades past, although poverty rates vary by group:
People aged 65 and older are less likely to be in the labor force today than in decades past, but many continue to work:
The social characteristics of older people vary greatly, often by age within the post-65 group:
| Disclaimer | Accessibility | Policies | Contact Us | FOIA | Site Map