Florida goes gray

A new report from the U.S. Census Bureau, “65+ in the United States: 2005,” ranks Florida as the “oldest” state. Florida has the highest percentage of people age 65 and older at 17.6 percent, followed by Pennsylvania (15.6 percent) and West Virginia (15.3 percent). Nationally, Charlotte County, Fla. (34.7 percent), has the highest concentration of older residents while McIntosh County, N.D. (34.2 percent), ranks second.

Today’s older Americans are very different from their predecessors:  they live longer, are more educated and fewer are disabled or live in poverty. And baby boomers, the first of whom celebrate their 60th birthdays this year, redefine what it means to grow older in America.

“Social and economic implications of an aging population—and of the baby boom in particular—are likely to be profound for both individuals and society,” says Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon.

The 243-page report examines five key topics: growth of the older population (changes in age; racial/ethnic composition), longevity and health (life expectancy; causes of death), economic characteristics (income; household wealth), geographic distribution (by population and race) and social characteristics (marital status; living arrangements; voting patterns).

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), commissioned the report.

Other findings include:

• The U.S. population age 65 and over is expected to double within the next 25 years. By 2030, almost one out of five Americans (72 million people) will be age 65 or older. Those age 85 and older are now the fastest-growing segment of the population.
• Older Americans are healthier than seniors of previous generations, though many are disabled and suffer from chronic conditions.
• The financial circumstances of older Americans have improved dramatically, although there are wide variations in income and wealth.
• Higher levels of education — which are linked to better health, higher income and a higher standard of living in retirement — will continue to increase among people age 65 and older.
• As the United States grows more diverse so does the population age 65 and older. In 2003, older Americans were 83 percent non-Hispanic white, 8 percent black, 6 percent Hispanic and 3 percent Asian. By 2030, an estimated 72 percent of older Americans will be non-Hispanic white, 11 percent Hispanic, 10 percent black and 5 percent Asian.
• Divorce is on the rise, and some researchers suggest that the trend for couples to have fewer children and more stepchildren may reduce the availability of family support for older people in the future.

• For more information, visit the Census Web site