Introduction

America is growing old. During the early days of our nationhood and for over a century thereafter, the population consisted mostly of children and young and middle-aged adults. The percentage of people over 65 was small. In the 21st century, however, that percentage has increased dramatically. Since 1900, when average life expectancy was 47 years, the percentage of older Americans has more than tripled.

There are now more than 35 million Americans (about 12% of the U.S. population) over 65. As the baby boomers (the generation of Americans born between the late 1940s and the early 1960s) age, this number will nearly double by 2030.

See the figure The Aging Population.

People over 85 (the oldest old) are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. About 1.5% of Americans are 85 or over. The number of Americans 100 years or older is expected to swell from 1 out of 5,578 in the year 2000 to 1 out of 472 in the year 2050.

Women have a longer life expectancy than men, so as the U.S. population ages, there is a greater proportion of women. Among people 65 or over in the year 2000, there were 70 men for every 100 women. Among people 85 or over, there were 41 men for every 100 women.

Like the total U.S. population, the older U.S. population is more racially and ethnically diverse than in the past. This diversity is due in part to immigration and in part to increased life expectancy among minority groups. In 1999, minority groups represented about 16% of the population of people over 65; in 2030 that percentage is expected to rise to about 25%.

See the figure Where Older People Live.

Within the United States, the distribution of older adults is not uniform. Florida has the highest percentage of people 65 or over (17.6%), followed by Pennsylvania (15.6%) and West Virginia (15.3%).