PROFILE AMERICA FACTS FOR FEATURES: CB16-FF.08
APRIL 15, 2016
President Kennedy first celebrated older Americans by
designating May 1963 as Senior Citizens Month. After a meeting with the
National Council of Senior Citizens, Kennedy encouraged all Americans to pay
tribute to older people across the country. Every President since has issued a
formal proclamation during or before the month of May in support of older
Americans. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter’s
proclamation changed the name to Older Americans Month. This month continues to
be a time to celebrate those 65 and older through ceremonies, events and public
recognition.
46.2 million
The number of people who were 65 and older in the United
States on July 1, 2014. This group accounted for 14.5 percent of the total
population. The 65 and older population grew from 44.7 million in 2013. Source: 2014 Population Estimates <http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2014/PEPAGESEX> <http://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2015/cb15-113.html>
98.2 million
Projected population of people 65 and older in 2060. People
in this age group would comprise nearly one in four U.S. residents at that time. Of this
number, 19.7 million would be 85 or older. Source: 2014 National Population Projections, Table 3 <http://www.census.gov/population/projections/data/national/2014/summarytables.html>
2.4
million
Projected number of baby boomers in 2060. At that time, the
youngest baby boomers would be 96 years old. Source: Population Estimates and Projections <http://www.census.gov/prod/2014pubs/p25-1141.pdf>
2033
The year in which, for the first time, the population 65
and older would outnumber people younger than 18 in the U.S. Source: 2014 National Population Projections <http://www.census.gov/population/projections/data/national/2014.html>
Income and
Poverty
$36,895
The 2014 median income of households with householders 65
and older. Source: Income and Poverty in the United States: 2014,
Table 1 <http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-252.pdf>
10%
The
percent of people 65 and older who were in poverty in 2014. Source:
Income, Poverty,
and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2014, Table 3 <http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-252.pdf>
$170,516
The
median net worth for householders age 65 and older in 2011. Source:
Survey of Income and Program Participation, Net Worth and Asset Ownership of
Households: 2011 <http://www.census.gov/people/wealth>
14.4%
The supplemental poverty rate for those age 65 or older,
equating to 6.6 million people. Excluding Social Security would leave
approximately half of this population in poverty. Source: The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2014, Table 2 <https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-254.pdf>
Serving Our
Nation
9.4 million
Estimated number of people 65 and older who were veterans of
the U.S. armed forces in 2014. Source: 2014 American Community Survey, Table B21001 <http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_14_1YR_B21001>
Jobs
21.5%
Labor force participation rate for men 65
and older in 2014, significantly higher than the rate for women 65 and older at
13.7 percent. Source: 2014 American Community Survey, Table B23001 <http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_1YR/B23001>
5.2 million
Number of full-time, year-round
workers 65 and older with earnings in 2014. Source: Current Population Survey, Historical Income Tables: People, Table P-32 <http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/data/historical/people/>
Business Owners
3,470,646
Number of
responding business owners 65 and older, which is 15.6 percent of
the responding business owners in firms with and without paid employees in
2012. Source: 2012 Survey
of Business Owners, Table SCBO08 <http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/SBO/2012/00CSCBO08>
875,633
Number of responding
business owners 65 and older, which is 15.9 percent of the responding
business
owners in firms with paid employees in 2012. Source: 2012 Survey
of Business Owners, Table SCBO08 <http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/SBO/2012/00CSCBO08>
1,132,051
Number of responding
women business owners 65 and older, which is 13.2 percent of the responding
women business owners in firms with and without paid employees in 2012. Source: 2012 Survey of
Business Owners, Table SBO08 <http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/SBO/2012/00CSCBO08>
Education
81.9%
Proportion of people 65 and older in 2014 who had completed
high school or higher education. Source: 2014 American Community Survey, Table S1501 <http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_1YR/S1501>
24.8%
Percentage of the population 65 and older in 2014 who had
earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. Source: 2014 American Community Survey, Table S1501 <http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_1YR/S1501>
Marital Status and Living Arrangements
57.6%
Percentage of people 65 and older
who were married in 2015. Source: Families and Living Arrangements, Table A1 <http://www.census.gov/hhes/families/data/cps2015A.html>
24.4%
Percentage of people 65 and older
in 2015 who were widowed. Source: Families and Living
Arrangements, Table A1 <http://www.census.gov/hhes/families/data/cps2015A.html>
Computer and Internet Use
71%
The percentage of those 65 and
older who reported living in homes with computers in 2013. Additionally, 62.4
percent accessed the internet through a high-speed internet connection. Source: Computer and Internet Use, Table 2 <http://census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2014/acs/acs-28.pdf>
Voting
59.4%
Percentage of citizens 65 and older who reported casting a
ballot in the 2014 elections. Source:
Voting and Registration in the Election
of November 2014, Table 2 <http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/publications/p20/2014/tables.html>
Homeownership
79.3%
Percentage of householders 65 and older who owned their
homes as of fourth quarter 2015. Source: Current Population Survey/Housing Vacancy Survey,
Table 19 <http://www.census.gov/housing/hvs/data/histtabs.html>
Services
for the Older Population
4,815
Number of continuing care retirement communities in 2012.
These businesses employed 423,627 workers and generated $27.6 billion in
revenues. In 2007, there were 5,373 such establishments, employing 416,402
people and producing $24.7 billion in revenues. These establishments provide a
range of residential and personal care services with on-site nursing care
facilities for the elderly and other people who are unable to fully care for
themselves and the elderly and other people who do not desire to live
independently. Individuals live in a variety of residential settings with
meals, housekeeping, social, leisure and other services available to assist
residents in daily living. Source: 2012 Economic Census Geographic Area Series (NAICS
623311) <http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ECN/2012_US/62A2/0100000US/naics~623311>
25,964
Number of business establishments providing services for the elderly and people
with disabilities in 2012. These businesses employed 901,359 workers and
generated $34.1 billion in revenues. In 2007, there were 20,433 such
establishments, employing 621,545 people and producing $25.3 billion in
revenues. Senior citizens centers are among the establishments in this
industry. Source: 2012 Economic Census Geographic Area Series (NAICS 624120) <http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ECN/2012_US/62A2/0100000US/naics~624120>
On
the Map
19.1%
Percentage
of Florida’s population that was 65 and older in 2014, followed by Maine (18.3 percent).
Alaska had the lowest percentage (9.4 percent) followed by Utah (10.0 percent). Source:
2014 Population
Estimates <http://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2015/cb15-113.html
52.9%
Percentage of the population
in Sumter, Fla., that was 65 and older in 2014, which led all of the nation’s
counties. Chattahoochee County, Ga., had the lowest at 4.1 percent. Source: 2014 Population Estimates <http://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2015/cb15-113.html>
118,891
The estimated July 1, 2015, population of The Villages, Fla.,
metro area. The Villages, a metro area located to the west of the Orlando metro
area, was the nation’s fastest-growing metro area between July 1, 2014, and
July 1, 2015, with its population increasing by 4.3 percent. The metro area is
home to one of the largest age-restricted retirement communities
in the world. Source: 2015 metro area population estimates <http://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2016/cb16-43.html> <http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2015/GCTPEPANNR.US24PR>
Centenarians
53,364
The number of people age 100 and older counted by the 2010
Census. Source:
Centenarians: 2010 <http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/reports/c2010sr-03.pdf>
20.7
For every 100 centenarian women, the number of centenarian
men in 2010. Source: Centenarians: 2010 <http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/reports/c2010sr-03.pdf>
43.5%
In 2010, percentage of centenarian men who lived with
others in a household, the most common living arrangement for this group. For
their female counterparts, the most common living arrangement was residing in a
nursing home (35.2 percent). Source: Centenarians: 2010 <http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/reports/c2010sr-03.pdf>
3.29
Number of centenarians per 10,000 people in North Dakota in
2010. North Dakota was the only state with more than three centenarians per
10,000 people. Source: Centenarians: 2010 <http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/reports/c2010sr-03.pdf>
Following is a
list of observances typically covered by the Census Bureau’s Facts for
Features series:
African-American History Month
(February) Labor Day (1st Monday
in September)
Super Bowl (first Sunday in February) Grandparents Day (1st
Sunday after Labor Day)
Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) Hispanic
Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)
Women’s History Month (March) Unmarried and
Single Americans Week (3rd week of September)
Irish-American Heritage Month
(March)/ Halloween (Oct.
31)
St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) American
Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month
Earth Day (April 22) (November)
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
(May) Veterans Day (Nov. 11)
Older Americans Month (May) Thanksgiving
Day (4th Thursday in November)
Mother’s Day (2nd Sunday in May) The Holiday Season (December)
Hurricane Season Begins (June 1)
Father’s Day (third Sunday in June)
The Fourth of July (July 4)
Anniversary of Americans with
Disabilities Act (July 26)
Back to School (August)
Editor’s note: The preceding data were collected from a variety of sources and may be
subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Facts for Features
are customarily released about two months before an observance in order to
accommodate magazine production timelines.
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