U.S. Census Report: 65+ in the United States: 2010

The U.S. Census Bureau has recently published an update of the 65+ in the United States: 2010 report. This report uses information from the 2010 Census; nationally representative surveys such as the Current Population Survey, the American Community Survey, and National Health Interview Survey; the national vital statistics system; and recent population projections for the United States and other countries. This report covers population statistics, health and long-term care, economic characteristics, geographic distribution, and social trends in the 65+ population.
Here are some highlights from the report:

• excessive alcohol consumption and rates of smoking have decreased in the 65+ age group
• the percentage of people overweight or obese has increased in this age group
• Alzheimer’s disease was the fifth leading cause of death among the older population in 2010
• The average cost of a private room in a nursing home was $83,585 per year in 2010
• In 2006, Medicaid paid for 43 percent of long-term care. 

 Here are some bar charts from the study:

You can download the entire report here.

Older Americans Month Census Facts

President Obama proclaimed May, 2012 as "Older Americans Month". This year's theme of "Older Americans Month" is "Never Too Old to Play".  Every Year the U.S. Census Bureau provides a fact sheet to celebrate this month. 

Here are some highlights from this fact sheet:

• 40.3 million people in the U.S.were 65 or older in 2010
• $31,408 is the median income of householders 65 and older
• 9% is the poverty rate for people 65 and older
• 6.7 million people 65 or older were in the workforce in 2010 and this is projected to increase to 11.1 million by 2018
• 81% of householders age 65 or older owned their own homes in 2010.
• 74.1 was the median age of the 65 and older population in 2010.
• 9.1 million veterans of the armed services are age 65 or older

The full census report can be found here.

New Report on American Grandparents

The MetLife Mature Market  Institute recently published a study about grandparents: "The MetLife Report on American Grandparents: New Insights for a New Generation of Grandparents".  The data for this study was gathered from the 2010 Census Bureau reports, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Surveys, and the Center for Disease Control.  

Highlights of this study include:

•  Approximately one in ten households are headed by a grandparent, who has at least one grandchild living with them.
• A majority of grandparents, (54%), are baby boomers, ages 45 to 64.
• There were an estimated 65 million grandparents in the United States in 2010 and it is estimated that this number will climb to 80 million in 2020.
• Grandparent spending on child-specific items (like infant formula and children's clothing) has increased 71% since 1999.

The full report can be downloaded here.