Facts from the Census Bureau

Note: The estimates in this fact sheet should not be confused with Census 2000 results, which are scheduled for release over the next three years.

Population Distribution -- 34.9 million
The estimated number of Americans 65 and over on Nov. 1, 2000, comprising about 1 in every 8 Americans. The total number of Americans in this age group, which includes 14.5 million men and 20.4 million women, is 12 percent higher than on Census Day, 1990.
http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/intfile2-1.txt

43
The estimated number of men 85 and over on Nov. 1, 2000, for every 100 women this age. There were 85 men for every 100 women ages 65 to 69.
http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/intfile2-1.txt

68,000
Estimated number of centenarians on Nov. 1, 2000, nearly double the total on Census Day, 1990.
http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/intfile2-1.txt

1.1 million
Projected number of centenarians in 2050.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-05.html  

77
Projected life expectancy at birth in 2000.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-27.html  

Grandchildren -- 1.1 million
Number of grandparents 65 and over who actually lived with their grandchildren in 1997.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-115.html  

Income, Poverty and Wealth - $22,812
Median household income for householders 65 and over in 1999, which compares with a median of $40,816 for all householders.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-158.html  

$92,399
Median net worth in 1995 for householders 65 and over, which compares with $40,200 for all householders.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-33.html  

9.7%
The poverty rate in 1999 for people 65 and over, the lowest for this group ever measured by the Census Bureau. There were 3.2 million people in this age group who were poor in 1999, down from 3.4 million in 1998.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-158.html  

Jobs - 19%
Proportion of men 65 and over in the civilian labor force in 2000; 10 percent of women in this age group were working.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-96.html  

Education - 75,000
Number of people 65 and over enrolled in college in October 1999.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-52.html

Marriage -- 77%
Percentage of men 65-to-74 years old who were married and living with their spouse in 2000.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-96.html

53%
Proportion of men 85 and over who were married and living with their spouse in 2000.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-96.html  

53%
Percent of women ages 65 to 74 married and living with their spouse in 2000.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-96.html  

12%
Percent of women 85 and over married and living with their spouse in 2000.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-96.html  

Voting - 60%
Proportion of people 65 and over who voted in the 1998 congressional elections, higher than the voting participation rate of any other age group.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-114.html  

Mobility - 5%
Proportion of people 65 and over who moved to a new residence between March 1998 and March 1999, which contrasts with the 32 percent of people in their 20s who did so.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-107.html  

Homeownership - 81%
Proportion of householders 65 and over who owned the home they lived in as of 2000.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-96.html  

Coming to America - 3.1 million
Number of U.S. residents 65 and over in 2000 who were foreign-born.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-96.html