Fact Sheet: Aging in the United States
The report “Aging in the United States” by the United States Population Reference Bureau examines recent trends and disparities among adults aged 65 and older in the United States. Baby boomers are reshaping America’s older population; the baby boom generation is expected to be between the ages of 55 and 73 in 2019.
Demographic Shifts
By 2060, the number of Americans aged 65 and up is expected to nearly double, from 52 million in 2018 to 95 million, as older people work longer and become more ethnically and racially diverse. Many parts of the country are aging in place as young people migrate elsewhere.
Positive Developments
The average life expectancy in the United States has increased from 68 years in 1950 to 78.6 years in 2017. The poverty rate among Americans 65 and older has decreased dramatically. In 1990, there was a seven-year gap in life expectancy between men and women; by 2017, the gap had narrowed to five years.
Challenges
Obesity rates among adults aged 60 and up have been rising, and the percentage of divorced women aged 65 and up has risen from 3% in 1980 to 14% in 2018. Demand for elder care will also be fueled by an increase in the number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease.
How many old people are in the U.S. 2020?
Between 2009 and 2019, the number of Americans aged 45 to 64 (who will turn 65 in the next two decades) increased by 4%, from 80.3 million to 83.3 million, while those aged 60 and up increased by 34%, from 55.7 million to 74.6 million.
How much of the U.S. population is 65 and older?
In 2016 (the most recent year for which data are available), the population aged 65 and up in the United States totaled 49.2 million, accounting for 15.2% of the population, or roughly one in every seven Americans.
What percentage of the U.S. population is over 85?
The share of the older population aged 75 to 84 was around 14.3 million, or 29 percent (Table 1), more than double the number and proportion (6.3 million, or 13 percent) of those aged 85 and up.
What age is elderly in the US?
The u201celderlyu201d have traditionally been defined as people aged 65 and up.
What is the largest age group in America?
In 2021, the estimated population of the United States was 329.48 million, with adults aged 25 to 29 accounting for the largest age group, with 11.88 million males and around 11.36 million females.
What percent of US population dies before age 65?
Since 1900, life expectancy has increased by more than 50%, from a little less than fifty years to around seventy-five years in the United States.
What are the odds of living to 70?
Thanks to advances in medicine and changes in lifestyle, Americans today are living longer than previous generations. As shown in the dark green bars, a man who reached 65 had an 81 percent chance of reaching 70, a 41 percent chance of reaching 80, and a 10% chance of reaching 90.
How are the elderly treated in the United States?
Poverty, insecure housing, social isolation, and mental health issues all contribute to higher rates of chronic illness, poorer health, increased use of the health-care system, and higher costs. u201cHigh levels of cost sharing, high deductibles, and copays distinguish U.S. seniors,u201d she said.
What age is considered old for a woman?
The old age threshold for women is around 73, and for men it is around 70.
What is the fastest growing age group in the United States?
The group of people aged 85 and up is now the fastest-growing demographic in the United States.
What percentage of the US population lives to be 90?
People 90 and older now make up 4.7 percent of the older population (age 65 and older), compared to only 2.8 percent in 1980, and this percentage is expected to rise to 10% by 2050.
How rare is it to live to 100?
As a result, only 0.0173% of Americans today live to be 100, and while some families have a disproportionate number of people who live to be 100, living to be 100 remains a rare occurrence in the general population, as reported in the article Long Life Runs in Families.
How many 90 year olds are still alive?
In 2020, the world’s total population of people aged 90 was estimated to be 21,328,78 thousand people.