Profile of the 65+ Population in the United States

Wan He, U.S. Census Bureau

The population of the United States has been aging throughout the 20th century, with the proportion of older people (aged 65 and over) in the total population increasing from 4.1 percent in 1900 to 12.4 percent in 2000. As the Baby Boomers start to join the older ranks, the first few decades of the 21st century will experience high growth rates of the older population. An aging population has implications not only at the personal level but also at the familial and societal level. Using multiple sources including censuses, surveys, and findings from previous research and reports, this poster presentation provides a comprehensive profile of the older population in the United States. We document trends in population growth, and examine other demographic characteristics, geographic distribution, and economic and social characteristics of the 65+ population. We focus particularly on the variations among race and ethnic groups by these characteristics.