Older Americans Month Census Facts

May is Older Americans Month. This year's theme of "Older Americans Month" is "Get Into The Act".  Every Year the U.S. Census Bureau provides a fact sheet to celebrate this month. 

Here are some highlights from this fact sheet:

• 44.7 million people in the U.S.were 65 or older in 2012
• $35,611 is the median income of householders 65 and older
• 9.5% is the poverty rate for people 65 and older
• 18.7% of Florida's population was 65 or older in 2012.
• 4.9 million full time year round workers were 65 and older in 2012.
• 9.3 million veterans of the armed services are age 65 or older 
• 62.4% of those 65 and above accessed the Internet  through a  high - speed Internet connection

The full census report can be found here.

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, 2014 as "Older Americans Month". This year's theme of "Older Americans Month" is "Safe Today. Healthy Tomorrow.".  Every Year the U.S. Census Bureau provides a fact sheet to celebrate this month. 

Here are some highlights from this fact sheet:

• 43.1 million people in the U.S.were 65 or older in 2012
• $33,848 is the median income of householders 65 and older
• 9% is the poverty rate for people 65 and older
• 18.2% of Florida's population was 65 or older in 2012.
• 4.3 million full time year round workers were 65 and older in 2012.
• 9.6 million veterans of the armed services are age 65 or older

The full census report can be found here.

Thank you, Veterans!

The U.S. Census Bureau has published the following Veterans Day facts:

• There were 21.2 million military vets in the U.S. in 2012
• 9.6 million were age 65 or older
• 1.6 million served in World War II
• 7.4 million served in the Vietnam War
  
• 2.3 million served in the Korean War
• 5.4 million in the Gulf War
• 5.3 million served in peacetime
• States with the most veterans: California, Texas, and Florida
• $36,264 was the annual median income for veterans
• 3.6 million received benefits for service-connected disabilities
• 8.7 million veterans were in the labor force in 2012

National Grandparents Day

National Grandparents Day is the first Sunday after Labor Day, which is September 8th this year. Marion H. McQuade first championed the idea for this celebration and her descendants created a nonprofit organization, the National Grandparents Day Council. The organization website states:

"Our goals are to honor grandparents and to strengthen
the bond between grandparents and grandchildren.
Additionally, we strive to draw compassionate attention
to the eldest of society's elderly--those in nursing homes."

How can you celebrate National Grandparents Day? The National Grandparents Day Council has a "Forget-Me-Not" Nursing Home Visitation program. The idea is to visit isolated, homebound elderly people or elderly people who live in a nursing home.  According to the Council,  "statistics state that as many as sixty percent of nursing home residents NEVER have a visitor." 

You can make a big difference in someone's life by visiting and talking with them. You can set up these visits by contacting local nursing home staff or contacting local eldercare programs. You can learn more about the "Forget Me-Not" program here.

President Jimmy Carter approved the first National Grandparent's Day in 1978. Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau provides statistics about grandparents and their role in society. Here are some highlights of the 2012 statistics (these statistics are from the 2011 American Community Survey):

• 7 million grandparents had grandchildren under the age of 18 living with them.
•  5.5 million children in the U.S. live with a grandparent.
•  2.7 million grandparents are responsible for the basic needs of at least one grandchild.

You can read the whole article here .

National Grandparent's Day 2012

National Grandparents Day is the first Sunday after Labor Day, which is September 9th this year. Marion H. McQuade first championed the idea for this celebration and her descendants created a nonprofit organization, the National Grandparents Day Council. The organization website states:

"Our goals are to honor grandparents and to strengthen
the bond between grandparents and grandchildren.
Additionally, we strive to draw compassionate attention
to the eldest of society's elderly--those in nursing homes."

President Jimmy Carter approved the first National Grandparent's Day in 1978. Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau provides statistics about grandparents and their role in society. Here are some highlights of the 2012 statistics (these statistics are from the 2010 American Community Survey):

• 7 million grandparents had grandchildren under the age of 18 living with them.
•  10% of children in the U.S. live with a grandparent.
•  2.7 million grandparents are responsible for the basic needs of at least one grandchild.

You can read the whole article 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 Census Report about the 90+ Population

The U. S. Census Bureau has released a study called "90+ in the United States: 2006-2008", which was based on information from the American Community Survey. This report stated that the proportion of the population aged 90 and over has been increasing and that the oldest segments of the older population are growing the fastest. This increase in the ninety plus population is due to increased life expectancy. In 1931, life expectancy at age 65 was 12.2 years, but by 2006, it had increased to 18.5 years. Some of the highlights of the study include:

• California is the state with the highest population of 90+, with Florida coming in second.
• Most 90+ are high school graduates or beyond.
• Social Security represents almost half of total personal income for the 90+.
• The poverty rate for this age group is 14.5%.
• 37.3% live alone

You can access the full report here.

Census Facts for "Older American's Month" 2010

President Obama proclaimed May, 2010 as "Older Americans Month". This year's theme of "Older Americans Month" is "Age Strong! Live Long!".  Every Year the U.S. Census Bureau provides a fact sheet to celebrate this month. 
Here are some highlights from this fact sheet:

• 38.9 million people in the U.S.were 65 or older in 2008
• $29,744 is the median income of householders 65 and older
• 9.7% is the poverty rate for people 65 and older
• 6.2 million people 65 or older were in the workforce in 2008 and this is projected to increase to 10.1 million by 2016
• The state with the highest percentage of the population 65 or older is Florida with 17% age 65+
  
• 70% of people age 65 or older reported voting in the 2008 presidential election
• 56% of people 65 and older were married in 2009
• 9.1 million veterans of the armed services are age 65 or older

The full census report can be found here.

Baby Boomer Census Bureau Report

The U.S. Census Bureau has published its first report on Baby Boomers in 13 years. This report used data from the 2006 American Community Survey and it describes characteristics of Baby Boomers in 2006. Here are some highlights from this report:

• Baby Boomers were ages 42 to 60 in 2006.
• 26.1% of the U.S. population was a Baby Boomer in 2006.
• 65.6% of Baby Boomers were currently married.    
• 17% of Baby Boomers were divorced.
• 11.7% were never married.
• 74.1% were employed.
• The South had the highest number of Baby Boomers.
• California was the state with the most Baby Boomers and Florida was number four.
• Pasco County was the number five county in the entire U.S. in Baby Boomer growth rate from 2000 to 2006!

You can find more information by accessing the full report here.

Thank you Veterans!

The U.S. Census Bureau has published the following Veterans Day facts:

• There were 23.2 million military vets in the U.S. in 2008
• 9.2 million were age 65 or older
• 2.6 million served in World War II
• 7.8 million served in the Vietnam War
  
• 2.8 million served in the Korean War
• 5.2 million in the Gulf War
• 6.0 million served in peacetime
• States with the most veterans: California, Florida, and Texas
• $36,779 was the average income for veterans
• 2.9 million received benefits for service-connected disabilities

 

Older Americans Month - Census Information

The U.S. Census bureau has published their fact sheet for Older Americans Month 2009. Here are some highlights:

• 37.9 million Americans were 65 or older in 2007, which is 13% of the total population.
• $28,305 is the median income in 2007 for households headed by individuals 65 and older.
• 65% of Americans 65 and older live with relatives.
• 74% of people 65 and older have at least a high school diploma.
  
• 17% of Florida's population were 65 or older in 2007.
• Nine counties in Florida have at least 25% of their population age 65 or older.

Older Americans Month 2008

May is "Older American's Month". It was originally called "Senior Citizens Month" by President Kennedy in 1963, but the name was changed to "Older Americans Month" by President Carter in 1980. The Administration on Aging described this month as "... a time to acknowledge the contributions of past and current older persons to our country, in particular those who defended our country." The Administration on Aging has published the theme for this year's celebration: "Working Together for Strong, Healthy, and Supportive Communities". The Administration on Aging provided the logo above and a nice poster for download:


The U.S. Census Bureau released a fact sheet for Older Americans Month. Selected facts include:

• 37.3 million people were 65 and older in the U.S. in 2006
• There is a projected 147% increase in the 65-and-older population between 2000 and 2050
• The poverty rate for people 65 and older in 2006 - 9.4%
• By 2016, the number of people 65 and older in the labor force will reach 10.1 million
• 7.3 million are taking adult education classes
• 1.6 million live in nursing homes
• Charlotte County, Fl has the highest percentage of 65+ at 31.2%