Stats on "Older Americans" in Their Month

May, 2008 was designated as "Older Americans Month", with the theme "Working Together for Strong, Healthy and Supportive Communities."

Older Americans Month was promoted by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, as explained in "Nora's Notes" (the periodic column published by the Secretary of Aging, Nora Dowd Eisenhower) for May 2008, in her message entitled "Celebrate Older Americans during the month of May":

May is Older Americans Month and one of my favorite times of the year because it brings attention to what so many of us already know – that seniors are a vital force in our communities and their needs are important. * * *

We have just completed two months of travel across the commonwealth gathering input from nearly 2,500 seniors about their concerns for the future. We are using this information in formulating a new state plan that will prioritize the growing and changing needs of seniors. The draft will be available on our Web site * * *.

Pennsylvania has the third largest population of older citizens after Florida and West Virginia and it’s very impressive that so many seniors keep active, volunteer and stay engaged in life.

Volunteers participate and benefit from meals-on-wheels, APPRISE, PEERS and other state programs.

It’s also heartening to see people helping their elderly neighborhoods with errands and friendly conversation. All of these efforts contribute to the strength of our communities. * * *

Older Americans Month 2008 materials were made available on the website of the U.S. Administration on Aging, which also provided cross-linked "fact sheets" regarding:

• the Older Americans Act
  
• the History of Older Americans Month
  
• Older Adults Depression and Suicide

In recognition of "Older Americans Month" in May, 2008, I reproduce statistics (including the cited sources) about "Older Americans", as posted by the U.S. Census Bureau in its press release entitled "Facts for Features: Older Americans Month: May, 2008":

• 37.3 million is the number of people 65 and older in the United States on July 1, 2006. This age group accounted for 12 percent of the total population. Between 2005 and 2006, this age group increased by 473,000 people. Source: Population estimates

• 86.7 million is the projected population of people 65 and older in 2050. People in this age group would comprise 21 percent of the total population at that time. Source: Population projections

• 147% is the projected percentage increase in the 65-and-older population between 2000 and 2050. By comparison, the population as a whole would have increased by only 49 percent during the same period. Source: Population projections

• 506 million is the projected 2008 midyear world population 65 and older. Projections indicate the number will increase to 999 million by 2030. Source: Population projections

• $27,798 is the median 2006 income of households with householders 65 and older, up 3.4 percent, in real terms, from the previous year. Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006

• 9.4% is the poverty rate for people 65 and older in 2006, down from 10.1 percent in 2005. There were 3.4 million seniors in poverty in 2006, a decline from 3.6 million in 2005. Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006

• $190,100 is the median net worth for families in 2004 whose head was between 65 and 74. For those whose head was 75 or older, the corresponding figure was $163,100. Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008 (Table 699)

• 9.1 million is the estimated number of people 65 and older who are military veterans. Source: 2006 American Community Survey

• 5.5 million is the number of people 65 and older who were in the labor force in 2006. Projections indicate that by 2016, the number will reach 10.1 million. Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008 (Table 570)

• 23% is the percentage of people 65 to 74 in the labor force in 2006, up from 20 percent in 2000. Some of the highest rates were found in South Dakota, Nebraska and Washington, D.C., all with about one-third of people in this age group in the labor force. Source: 2006 American Community Survey

• 76% is the proportion of people 65 and older in 2007 with at least a high school diploma. Source: Educational Attainment in the United States: 2007

• 19% is the percentage of the population 65 and older in 2007 who had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. Source: Educational Attainment in the United States: 2007

• 7.3 million is the number of people 66 and older taking adult education courses, comprising about 8 percent of these students. Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008 (Table 298)

• 53% is the percentage of people 65 and older who were married in 2006. Source: 2006 American Community Survey

• 32% is the percentage of people 65 and older in 2006 who were widowed. Source: 2006 American Community Survey

• 64% is the percentage of people 65 and older in 2006 who lived with relatives. Another 27 percent lived alone, while 5 percent lived in group quarters and 2 percent in a household with nonrelatives. In addition, 6 percent lived in their children’s home, and 1 percent lived with unmarried partners. Source: 2006 American Community Survey

• 1.6 million is the number of people 65 and older who lived in nursing facilities in 2006. These residents comprised 4 percent of all people in this age group. Source: 2006 American Community Survey

• 79% is the percentage of citizens 65 and older registered to vote in the 2004 presidential election. Seventy-one percent of citizens in this age group reported actually casting a ballot. Source: Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004

• 19% is the percentage of votes cast by people 65 and older in the 2004 presidential election. Source: Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004

• 81% is the proportion of householders 65 and older in 2006 who owned their homes. This compares with 43 percent for householders at the other end of the age spectrum — younger than 35. Source: Current Population Survey/Housing Vacancy Survey

• 11% is the percentage of the nation’s business owners who are 65 and older. Source: Characteristics of Business Owners: 2002

• 75% is the percentage of households with a householder 65 and older who owns a motor vehicle. About 3 percent of these households have three or more cars. Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008 (Table 964)

• 72 is the number of men 65 and older on July 1, 2006, for every 100 women in this age group. For those 85 and older, it drops to 47 men per 100 women. Source: Population estimates

• 5.3 million is the number of people 85 and older in the United States on July 1, 2006. Source: Population estimates

• 84,331 is the estimated number of centenarians in the United States on Nov. 1, 2007. Source: Population estimates

• 580,605 is the projected number of centenarians in the United States in 2040. Source: Population projections

• 3.9 million is the number of people 65 and older living in California on July 1, 2006, the highest total of any state. Florida, with 3 million, was the runner-up. Source: Population estimates

• 17% is the percentage of Florida’s population 65 and older in 2006, which led the nation. Next to Florida, states with the highest percentages of older people include West Virginia (15.3 percent) and Pennsylvania (15.2 percent). Source: Population estimates

Update: 06/09/08:

In observance of "Older Americans Month", the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, a federally-funded resource offering justice, substance abuse, and victim assistance information, had created an Older Americans Special Feature (updated on 06/09/08), described as follows: "This resource contains links to publications and other resources on topics such as elder abuse and prescription drug abuse, as well as the prevention of such activities."