A Profile of Older Americans: 2002
Highlights
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The older population (65+) numbered
35.0 million in 2000 (the most recent
year for which data are available), an increase
of 3.7 million or 12.0% since 1990.
-
The number of Americans aged
45-64 – the "babyboomers" who will reach 65 over
the next two decades – increased by 34% during this decade.
-
About one in every eight, or
12.4 percent, of the population is an older American.
-
Over 2.0 million persons celebrated
their 65th birthday in 2000 (5,574 per day).
-
Persons
reaching age 65 have an average life expectancy of an additional
17.89 years (19.2 years for females and 16.30 years for males).
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Older women outnumber older men
at 20.6 million older women to 14.4 million older men.
-
About 30 percent (9.7 million)
noninstitutionalized older persons live alone (7.4 million
women, 2.4 million men).
-
Half
of older women age 75+ live alone.
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Almost
400,000 grandparents aged 65 or more had the primary responsibility
for their grandchildren who lived with them.
-
By the year 2030, the older population
will more than double to about 70 million.
-
The 85+ population is projected
to increase from 4.2 million in 2000 to 8.9 million in 2030.
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Members of minority groups are
projected to represent 25 percent of the older population
in 2030, up from 16 percent in 2000.
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The median income of older persons
in 2001 was $19,688 for males and $11,313 for females.
Real median income (after adjusting for inflation) fell by
-2.6% for older people since 2000.
-
The Social Security Administration
reported that the major sources of income for older people
was:
-
Social Security (reported
by 90 percent of older persons),
-
Income from assets (reported
by 59 percent),
-
Public and private pensions
(reported by 41 percent), and
- Earnings (reported by 22
percent).
About 3.4 million older persons lived
below the poverty level in 2001. The poverty rate for persons
65+ continued at a historically low rate of 10.1 percent. Another
2.2 million older adults were classified as "near poor"
(income between poverty level and 125 percent of this level).
Last Modified: 1/5/2009 1:10:40 PM |
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