Older Persons' Health
(Data are for the U.S.)
Population
- Number of residents age 65 and over: 39.6 million (2009)
Source: Health, United States, 2011, table 1 [PDF - 9.8 MB]
Life expectancy
- Men at 65 years: 17.6 years
- Women at 65 years: 20.3 years
Source: Deaths: Final Data for 2009, table 7 [PDF - 2.1 MB]
Health status
- Percent of noninstitutionalized persons age 65 and over in fair or poor health: 24.4% (2010)
Source: Health, United States, 2011, table 56 [PDF - 9.8 MB]
- Percent of noninstitutionalized persons age 65 and over who need help with personal care from other persons: 7.3%
Health risk factors
- Percent of noninstitutionalized persons age 65 and over who currently smoke cigarettes: 7.9%
- Percent of noninstitutionalized persons who are obese (2005-2008)
- Men age 65-74: 41.5%
- Men age 75 and over: 26.6%
- Women age 65-74: 40.3%
- Women age 75 and over: 28.7%
Source: Health, United States, 2011, table 74 [PDF - 9.8 MB]
- Percent of noninstitutionalized persons age 65 and over with diabetes (physician-diagnosed and undiagnosed): 25.7% (2003-2006)
Source: Health, United States, 2011, table 50 [PDF - 9.8 MB]
- Percent of noninstitutionalized persons with hypertension (2007-2010)
- Men age 65-74 years: 64.1%
- Men age 75 and over: 71.7%
- Women age 65-74: 69.3%
- Women age 75 and over: 81.3%
Source: Health, United States, 2011, table 70 [PDF - 9.8 MB]
Health care utilization
Ambulatory care
- Number of ambulatory care visits (to physician offices, hospital outpatient and emergency departments) by persons age 65 and over: 289.7 million
Source: Ambulatory Medical Care Utilization Estimates for 2007: table 1 [PDF - 797 KB]
Hospital inpatient care
- Number of discharges from nonfederal short-stay hospitals by persons age 65 and over: 13.9 million
- Average length of stay in nonfederal short-stay hospitals by persons age 65 and over: 5.7 days
Nursing home care
- Number of nursing home residents age 65 and over: 1.3 million
- Nursing home residents per 10,000 persons age 65 and over: 363
Source: The National Nursing Home Survey: 2004 Overview, table 5 [PDF - 2.7 MB]
Home health care
- Current patients age 65 and over: 1.0 million (2007)
Hospice care
- Hospice care discharges age 65 and over: 868,100 (2007)
Dental care
- Percent of noninstitutionalized persons age 65 and over with a dental visit in the past year: 57.7% (2010)
Source: Health, United States, 2011, table 98 [PDF - 9.8 MB]
Preventive care
- Percent of noninstitutionalized persons age 65 and over who ever had a pneumococcal vaccination: 62.3%
- Percent of noninstitutionalized persons age 65 and over who had an influenza vaccination in the past 12 months: 67.0%
- Percent of noninstitutionalized women age 65 and over who had a mammogram in the past 2 years: 64.4% (2010)
Source: Health, United States, 2011, table 90 [PDF - 9.8 MB]
Mortality
- Number of deaths of persons age 65 and over: 1,761,937
- Deaths per 100,000 population:
- 65-74: 1,928.8
- 75-84: 4,774.4
- 85 and over: 13,021.2
Source: Deaths: Final Data for 2009, tables 10, 11 [PDF - 2.1 MB]
- Leading causes of death of persons age 65 and over:
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Chronic lower respiratory disease
Source: Deaths: Leading Causes for 2008, table 1 [PDF - 2.8 MB]
More data
- AgingStats.gov
- Deaths: Final Data for 2009 [PDF - 2.1 MB]
- Early Release of Selected Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey
- Health Characteristics of Medicare Traditional Fee-for-Service and Medicare Advantage Enrollees: 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Linked to 2007 Medicare Data [PDF - 177 KB]
- Health Data Interactive
- Health, United States, trend tables with data on older population age 65 years and over
- National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2009 Summary Tables [PDF - 382 KB]
- National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2009 Emergency Department Summary Tables [PDF - 481 KB]
- National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2009 Outpatient Department Summary Tables [PDF - 330 KB]
- Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2010 [PDF - 1.3 MB]
- Summary Health Statistics for the U.S. Population: National Health Interview Survey, 2010 [PDF - 983 KB]
- Vision, Hearing, Balance, and Sensory Impairment in Americans Aged 70 Years and Over: United States, 1999-2006
- National Hospital Discharge Survey: 2009 Data highlights – selected tables
Contact Us:
- National Center for Health Statistics
3311 Toledo Rd
Hyattsville, MD 20782 - 1 (800) 232-4636
- cdcinfo@cdc.gov