Senior citizens — those 65 and older — aren’t just sitting around in their rocking chairs. More and more, they are making up a vital part of the workforce. Here are some statistics about Americans age 65 and older from the U.S. Census Bureau.
- There were 37.3 million 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.
- In 2050, it is projected that there will be 86.7 million people 65 and older in the United States. People in this age group would comprise 21 percent of the total population at that time.
- The projected increase in the 65-and-older population between 2000 and 2050 is 147 percent. By comparison, the population as a whole would have increased by only 49 percent during the same period.
- It is projected that by 2008 midyear, the world population 65 and older will be 506 million. Projections indicate the number will increase to 999 million by 2030.
- The median 2006 income of households with householders 65 and older was $27,798, up 3.4 percent from the previous year.
- The poverty rate for people 65 and older in 2006 is 9.4 percent, 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.
- It’s estimated that 9.1 million people 65 and older are military veterans.
- In 2006, there were 5.5 million people 65 and older who were in the labor force. Projections indicate that by 2016, the number will reach 10.1 million.
- Some of the highest rates of senior citizens in the workforce 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. Among the 20 largest metro areas, Washington, D.C., had the highest percentage of people in the labor force in this age group (31.8%). Others with high percentages include Boston (28.1%), Dallas-Fort Worth (27.9%), Minneapolis-St. Paul (27.4%) and Houston (26.5%), none of which was statistically different from the other.
- There are 7.3 million people 66 and older taking adult education courses, comprising about 8 percent of these students.
- In October 2005, there were 69,000 people 65 and older enrolled in high school or college.
- In 2006 53 percent of people 65 and older who were married, and 32 percent were widowed.
- In 2006, there were 1.6 million people 65 and older who lived in nursing facilities. These residents comprised 4 percent of all people in this age group.
- Eleven percent of the nation’s business owners are 65 and older.
- On July 1, 2006, there were 72 men for every 100 women in this age group. For those 85 and older, it drops to 47 men per 100 women.
- On July 1, 2006, there were 3.9 million people 65 and older living in California, the highest total of any state. Florida, with 3 million, was the runner-up.
- In 2006, 17 percent of Florida’s population was 65 and older, which led the nation. Next to Florida, states with the highest percentages of older people include West Virginia (15.3 %) and Pennsylvania (15.2 %).