Tài liệu We the American...




ELDERLY pptx

e the
American
Issued September 1993
U.S. Department of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Administration
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Elderly
WE-9
Acknowledgments
This report was prepared by Arnold Goldstein and Bonnie
Damon, under the supervision of Cynthia M. Taeuber, Chief,
Age and Sex Statistics Branch.
Susan J. Lapham, Population Division, provided general
direction. Janice Valdisera and Michael Levin, Population
Division, and Paula Coupe and Dwight Johnson, Public
Information Office, reviewed the report. Marie Pees, Population
Division, provided computer programming support. Debra Niner,
Population Divison, provided review assistance.
Alfredo Navarro, Decennial Statistical Studies Division,
provided statistical review.
The staff of Administrative and Publications Services Division,
Walter C. Odom, Chief, performed publication planning, design,
composition, editorial review, and printing planning and
procurement.  Cynthia G. Brooks provided publication
coordination and editing.  Kim Blackwell provided design
and graphics services.  Diane Oliff–Michael
coordinated printing services.
1
  e, the
  American
  Elderly

Introduction
Diversity and growth are two terms
that describe us, America's elderly
population.  The elderly" is a comĆ
monly used label for the population
65 years old and over.  Yet, we are a
heterogeneous population.  Our soĆ
cial and economic diversities are too
complex to understand based on
sweeping generalizations about us.
Our age, gender, race, and
ethnic groups have distinctive charĆ
acteristics, and we have different exĆ
periences in aging.  Some of us
have significant financial and health
problems while others of us spend
our winters skiing and our summers
mountain climbing.  Some stay in
the paid work force until death while
most others have much leisure time
which is filled with volunteer work,
care of children or the frail elderly,
puttering about, or in other activities
that are personally satisfying.  OthĆ
ers of us are bored or depressed.
In short, the elderly," like other
age groups, are mixed in needs,
abilities, and resources.
Growth is another significant
aspect of the elderly population,

especially the oldestĆold.  Since the
founding of this Nation, the United
States has been thought of as a
Nation of youth. Eventually, there will
be more grandparents than there
will be youth.
Because we are increasing in numĆ
ber and living longer into our retireĆ
ment, the United States has begun
to experience the changes in our
culture that come with an aging
society and affect all of us.
Note: Data in this report differ slightĆ
ly from the 1990 census counts.  The
data were modified because some
persons reported their age as of a
date after April 1, 1990, making
them 1 year older than at the time of
the census.  Adjustments to race
classification were also made.
Figure 1.
Population by Age and Sex: 1900
(Millions)
Male Female
75 years and over
70 to 74 years
65 to 69 years
60 to 64 years
55 to 59 years
50 to 54 years

45 to 49 years
40 to 44 years
35 to 39 years
30 to 34 years
25 to 29 years
20 to 24 years
15 to 19 years
10 to 14 years
5 to 9 years
Under 5 years
0.4
0.5
0.7
0.9
1.2
1.6
1.9
2.3
2.6
2.9
3.3
3.7
3.8
4.1
4.5
4.6
0.5
0.4
0.6
0.9

1.1
1.4
1.6
2.0
2.4
2.7
3.2
3.7
3.8
4.0
4.4
4.5
Figure 2.
Population by Age and Sex: 1990
(Millions)
Male Female
0.2
0.6
1.4
2.4
3.4
4.5
4.9
5.0
5.5
6.7
8.7
9.8
10.9
10.7

9.7
9.2
8.7
9.2
9.6
0.8
1.4
2.6
3.7
4.6
5.6
5.7
5.5
5.8
7.0
8.9
10.0
11.0
10.6
9.4
8.7
8.3
8.8
9.2
90 years and over
85 to 89 years
80 to 84 years
75 to 79 years
70 to 74 years
65 to 69 years

60 to 64 years
55 to 59 years
50 to 54 years
45 to 49 years
40 to 44 years
35 to 39 years
30 to 34 years
25 to 29 years
20 to 24 years
15 to 19 years
10 to 14 years
5 to 9 years
Under 5 years
Baby Boom
2
As we entered the 20th century, we
were a small segment of the population.
In 1900, there were 3.1 million elderly in the
United States.  About 1 in 25 Americans
were elderly.
There were about 122,000 oldestĆold Americans
(persons 85 years old and over) in 1900, only a
fraction of 1 percent of the population.
Average life expectancy for persons born in 1900
was 47 years.
Source for life expectancy:  National Center for Health
Statistics, Health, United States, 1990, Hyattsville, MD:
Public Health Service, 1991, Table 15.
As we near the 21st century, our
population is 10 times larger than 1900.

In 1990, there were 31.1 million elderly AmeriĆ
cans, 10 times as many as in 1900.  About
1 in 8 Americans were elderly in 1990.
In 1990, the oldestĆold numbered 3.0 million
persons, 1.2 percent of the population.
The postĆWorld War II Baby Boom" (the
75 million people born from 1946 to 1964) were
26 to 44 years old in 1990.  They will contribute
to large increases in the elderly population after
the year 2010.
In 1990, life expectancy at birth was a little over
75 years old Ċ more than a quarter of a century
longer than in 1900.
Source for life expectancy:  National Center for Health
Statistics, Advance Report of Final Mortality Statistics,
1990," Monthly Vital Statistics Report, Vol.41, no. 7,
Supplement, Hyattsville, MD: Public Health Service,
1993, Table 4. 
90 years and over
85 to 89 years
80 to 84 years
75 to 79 years
70 to 74 years
65 to 69 years
60 to 64 years
55 to 59 years
50 to 54 years
45 to 49 years
40 to 44 years
35 to 39 years

30 to 34 years
25 to 29 years
20 to 24 years
15 to 19 years
10 to 14 years
5 to 9 years
Under 5 years
90 years and over
85 to 89 years
80 to 84 years
75 to 79 years
70 to 74 years
65 to 69 years
60 to 64 years
55 to 59 years
50 to 54 years
45 to 49 years
40 to 44 years
35 to 39 years
30 to 34 years
25 to 29 years
20 to 24 years
15 to 19 years
10 to 14 years
5 to 9 years
Under 5 years
Baby Boom
Figure 3.
Population by Age and Sex: 2020
(Millions.  Middle series projections)

Figure 4.
Population by Age and Sex: 2050
(Millions.  Middle series projections)
Male Female
2.9
3.5
5.4
6.9
7.9
9.2
10.1
10.6
10.5
10.6
11.2
11.7
11.9
11.9
12.3
12.8
12.7
12.5
12.5
6.1
5.1
6.4
7.3
8.3
9.8
10.7

11.3
11.1
11.2
11.7
12.1
12.2
12.0
12.1
12.2
12.1
11.9
11.9
Male Female
0.8
1.2
2.5
4.4
6.6
8.4
10.0
10.4
9.6
9.1
9.4
10.2
10.6
10.8
10.7
10.9
10.8

10.9
11.0
2.2
2.2
3.4
5.2
7.4
9.2
10.7
10.9
10.0
9.5
9.8
10.4
10.8
10.8
10.4
10.3
10.3
10.3
10.4
Baby Boom
3
We are projected to grow much
faster than the total population from
1990 to 2020.
From 1990 to 2020, the elderly population is
projected to increase to 54 million persons.  The
growth rate of the elderly would be more than
double that of the total population during this

period.  Beginning in 2011, the first members of
the Baby Boom will reach age 65.
In 2020, about 1 in 6 Americans would be elderly.
More children would know their great grandparĆ
ents, as the fourĆgeneration family would become
more common.
About 6.5 million persons would be 85 years
old and over in 2020 Ċ more than double the
1990 number.  The number of Americans
100 years old and over could increase 8 times
from 1990.
By the middle of the next century, our
number could reach 79 million.
In 2050, the final phase of the gerontological
explosion would occur.  The elderly population as
a whole would number about 79 million people,
more than double its present size.  About
1 in 5 Americans would be elderly.
The population 65 to 74 years old would
reach its projected peak of 38 million in 2030 and
drop to about 35 million in 2050, still about twice
as large as in 1990.
The population 75 to 84 years old would reach
a peak of 29 million in 2040, then decrease to
26 million in 2050.  This age group would be
about 2 1/2 times as large as in 1990.
Figure 5.
Population 85 Years Old and Over:
1900 to 2050
(Millions.  Middle series projections)

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050
0.1
0.2 0.2
0.3
0.4
0.6
0.9
1.4
2.2
3.0
4.3
5.7
6.5
8.4
13.2
17.7
Figure 6.
Persons 65 Years Old and Over by Race
and Hispanic Origin: 1990 and 2050
(Percent. Middle series projections)
White Black American
Indian,
Eskimo,
and Aleut
Asian and
Pacific
Islander
Hispanic
origin
(of any

race)
Total
population
12.5
20.6
13.4
22.7
8.2
15.2
5.6
12.1
6.0
15.8
5.1
14.9
1990
2050
4
The elderly population is aging.
While the elderly population as a whole grew
22 percent from 1980 to 1990, the number of
oldestĆold grew 35 percent.  In 1990, the oldestĆ
old population had grown to 3.0 million persons,
about 1.2 percent of the total population.
In 2050, the survivors of the BabyĆBoom
generation will be the GreatĆGrandparent Boom,
85 years old and over.  They would number about
18 million persons, nearly 3 times the size of the
oldestĆold population in 2020, and nearly 6 times
as large as this age group was in 1990.  The

oldestĆold would be about 5 percent of the total
population in 2050.
These projected population numbers assume
that recent trends in fertility, mortality, and imĆ
migration will continue.  If mortality decreases, for
example, due to better health habits and medical
advances, the number of elderly could be even
higher than reflected in these projections.
We will be a larger proportion of race
groups and Hispanics in 2050.
Compared with other race groups or Hispanics,
the White population had the highest proportion
of elderly in 1990.  This is because Whites have
higher survival rates to 65 years old and lower
recent fertility rates.  Also, the White proportion of
immigrants has declined over the past 30 years.
In 2050, an even larger proportion of the White
population may be elderly.
From 1990 to 2050, the percentage of elderly
in the Black population could nearly double from
8 percent to 15 percent.
Among American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts,
the proportion of elderly could more than double
from nearly 6 percent to just over 12 percent.
The elderly constituted 6 percent of the Asian
and Pacific Islander population in 1990 and
could reach 16 percent of this group in 2050.
Only 5 percent of persons of Hispanic origin
were elderly in 1990.  This could triple to
15 percent by 2050. 

Figure 7.
Persons 65 Years Old and Over by Age,
Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1990
(Millions)
Figure 8.
Persons 65 Years Old and Over by Age,
Race, and Hispanic Origin: 2050
(Millions.  Middle
series projections)
31.1
28.0
2.5
24.1
21.7
2.0
0.9
6.9
6.3
0.5
0.1
0.2
65 years old and over
65 to 79 years old
80 years old and over
78.9
62.4
9.4
12.0
49.5
38.5

6.3
8.0
29.4
23.9
3.1
4.1
All races
White
Black
American
Indian, Eskimo,
and Aleut
Asian and
Pacific Islander
Hispanic origin
(of any race)
0.1
0.02
1.1
0.4
0.4
0.1
65 years old and over
65 to 79 years old
80 years old and over
All races
White
Black
American
Indian, Eskimo,

and Aleut
Asian and
Pacific Islander
Hispanic origin
(of any race)
0.6
0.4
0.2
6.5
4.3
2.2
5
As our population grows in number, we
will also grow more diverse.
In 1990, of the 31 million elderly people of all
races, 28 million were White; 2.5 million were
Black; about 114,000 were American Indian,
Eskimo, or Aleut; and about 454,000 were
Asian and Pacific Islander.  There were 1.1 million
elderly persons of Hispanic origin in 1990.
There were more than 600,000 persons of races
other than White 80 years old and over in 1990.
In 2050, there would be 79 million elderly AmeriĆ
cans.  While the number of elderly Whites would
more than double to 62 million in 2050, the numĆ
ber of elderly Blacks would nearly quadruple to
over 9 million.
 The number of American Indian, Eskimo, and
Aleut elderly would be 562,000.  The number
of Asian and Pacific Islander elderly would

approach 7 million.
The number of elderly Hispanics in 2050, 12 milĆ
lion, would be 11 times as many as in 1990.
The number of persons 80 years old and over
would increase at a faster rate.  The number of
Hispanics 80 years old and over would increase
from about 200,000 in 1990 to more than 4 million
in 2050.
Figure 9.
Population 65 Years Old and Over
by State: 1990
50,000 or more
10,000 to 49,000
Under 10,000
MEVT
NH
MA
RI
CT
NJ
DE
MD
VA
NY
PA
MI
IL
FL
TX
CA

WA
NC
SC
GA
AL
MS
TN
KY
WV
OH
IN
LA
MO
AR
WI
MN
IA
OK
KS
NE
SD
ND
MT
WY
CO
NM
AZ
UT
NV
ID

OR
AK
HI
Figure 10.
Persons 65 Years Old and Over
in Nursing Homes: 1990
500,000 or more
200,000 to 499,000
Under 200,000
MEVT
NH
MA
RI
CT
NJ
DE
MD
VA
NY
PA
MI
IL
FL
TX
CA
WA
NC
SC
GA
AL

MS
TN
KY
WV
OH
IN
LA
MO
AR
WI
MN
IA
OK
KS
NE
SD
ND
MT
WY
CO
NM
AZ
UT
NV
ID
OR
AK
HI
DC
DC

6
Nine States had more than 1 million
elderly in 1990.
America's most populous States are
also those with the largest elderly
populations.  California, Florida,
New York, Pennsylvania, Texas,
Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, and New
Jersey each had more than 1 million elderly.
The number of elderly increased in every
State from 1980 to 1990.  The greatest inĆ
crease in the elderly population was in
Western and Southeastern coastal States.
Although California had the largest numĆ
ber of elderly, Florida had the Nation's
highest proportion of elderly, 18 perĆ
cent.  Pennsylvania, Iowa, Rhode Island,
West Virginia, Arkansas, South Dakota,
North Dakota, Nebraska, and Missouri all
had 14 to 15 percent of their population
who were elderly.
Some Midwestern States with a high percentĆ
age of farmland, such as North Dakota, South
Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa, have a higher
proportion of elderly than for the total United
States (13 percent in 1990), primarily because
of outĆmigration of the young.

About 1.6 million of us live in
nursing homes.

About 1.6 million elderly persons lived
in nursing homes in 1990.  Nine States
had more than 50,000 elderly nursing
home residents: California, Florida,
Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan,
New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
and Texas.
About 1.3 million of the 1.6 million
elderly were female.  Only 1 in 7
elderly living in nursing homes was
married in 1990.  The great majority, 3
in 5, were widowed.
The likelihood of living in a nursing home inĆ
creases with age.  Only 1.4 percent of the popuĆ
lation 65 to 74 years old lived in nursing homes
in 1990 compared with 6 percent of those 75 to
84 years old and 25 percent of those 85 years
old and over.  
Figure 11.
Number of Elderly Men Per 100
Women by Age: 1990
Figure 12.
Marital Status of the Elderly: 1990
(Thousands)
100 years
and over
95 to 99
years
90 to 94
years

85 to 89
years
80 to 84
years
75 to 79
years
Never
married
Now married,
except separated
Separated
70 to 74
years
65 to 69
years
Divorced
Widowed
Never
married
Now married,
except separated
Separated
Divorced
Widowed
392
182
45
6,288
2,674
437

114
40
7
702
732
347
446
137
22
490
379
157
5,254
1,769
195
130
42
8
3,588
3,832
1,806
703
266
57
Male
Female
65 to 74 years old
75 to 84 years old
85 years and over
27

27
33
42
53
64
74
81
7
The death of our husbands often marks
the starting point of economic reversals
for us.
In 1990, elderly women outnumbered elderly men
3 to 2.  There were 18.6 million elderly women
and 12.5 million elderly men.
The difference between the number of men
and women grows with advancing age.  At 65 to
69 years old, there were 81 men per 100 women
in 1990.  This ratio was sharply lower for the
oldestĆold: 42 men per 100 women for persons
85 to 89 years old, and 27 men per 100 women
for persons 95 years old and over.
This decreasing sex ratio is due to the longer
life expectancy of women.  In the future,
mortality differences between men and
women may narrow.
The health, social, and economic problems
of the oldestĆold are primarily the problems of
women.  Women live alone in higher proportions
than men, they tend to move to nursing homes
earlier, their income is lower on average, and

they tend to experience a disproportionately
high level of poverty.
At 85 years old and over, about half
of our elderly men are married, while
fourĆfifths of our elderly women
are widowed.
Most elderly men are married, while most elderly
women are not.  Elderly men were nearly twice as
likely as elderly women to be married in 1990.
Elderly women were more than 3 times as likely
as men to be widowed.
One implication of these data is that most elderly
men have a spouse for assistance if health fails,
while the majority of elderly women do not.
Marital status differs considerably by both
age and sex.  At 65 to 74 years old, about fourĆ
fifths of men and half of women are married.  At
85 years old and over, about half of the men are
married while fourĆfifths of women are widowed.
Figure 13.
Living Arrangements of the
Elderly: 1990
(Thousands)
Living alone
Living with
spouse
With other
relatives
In group
quarters

With nonĆ
relatives only
1,008
686
208
6,057
2,495
364
502
303
117
227
96
25
147
187
144
3,123
2,910
890
5,048
1,616
145
1,572
1,141
503
234
139
55
189

484
630
Male
Female
Living alone
Living with
spouse
With other
relatives
In group
quarters
With nonĆ
relatives only
65 to 74 years old
75 to 84 years old
85 years and over
Figure 14.
Parent Support Ratio: 1950 to 2050
(Persons 85 years old and over per 100 persons
50 to 64 years old.  Middle series projections)
1950 1990 2010 2030 2050
3
9
10
15
27
8
Many of us live alone.
In 1990, 8.8 million elderly persons were living
alone.  About 8 in 10 were elderly women living

alone.  Among the oldestĆold, 56 percent of
women lived alone compared with about
29 percent of men.
Nearly 3 in 4 elderly men in households lived
with their wives in 1990 compared with less than
4 in 10 elderly women.  Among the oldestĆold in
households, 51 percent of men and only
9 percent of women lived with a spouse.
As more of us live longer, longĆ
term chronic illness, disability, and
dependency become more likely.
With longer life expectancy and more persons 85
years old and over, it is likely that more and more
people, especially in their fifties and sixties, will
have surviving older relatives.  In 1950, there
were 3 persons 85 years old and over for every
100 persons age 50 to 64.  In 2050, this ratio
would increase to 27.
As people live longer, longĆterm chronic illness,
disability, and dependency become more likely.
About half of the oldestĆold living in their homes
are frail and need assistance with everyday actiĆ
vities.  Their relatives, in their fifties and sixties,
face the difficulties of providing care.
The elderly of the future may be quite different
from the elderly of today, however.  Emerging
data suggest that limitations to activities among
the elderly due to disabilities may have deĆ
creased during the 1980's, even among the
oldestĆold.  Increased education and the

use of mechanical aids may be helping many
to overcome their health limitations.
Figure 15.
Educational Attainment of
Persons 65 Years Old and
Over by Age: 1990
(Percent)
Less than
9th grade
9th to 12 grade,
no diploma
High school
 diploma
Bachelor's
degree or higher
Some college/
associatedegree
18.0
22.5
34.3
20.2
21.5
20.9
32.5
30.7
22.8
16.8
14.8
12.5
12.5

10.6
9.5
65 to 69 years old
70 to 74 years old
75 years and over
14.9 or more
10.8 to 14.8
Under 10.8
Figure 16.
Poverty Rate of Persons 65
Years Old and Over: 1990
(Percent)
MEVT
NH
MA
RI
CT
NJ
DE
MD
VA
NY
MI
IL
FL
TX
CA
WA
NC
SC

GA
AL
MS
TN
KY
WV
OH
IN
LA
MO
AR
WI
MN
IA
OK
KS
NE
SD
ND
MT
WY
CO
NM
AZ
UT
NV
ID
OR
AK
HI

DC
PA
9
Our educational attainment levels are
increasing significantly.
Among persons 75 years old and over,
23 percent had a high school diploma only in
1990 compared with 31 percent of those 70 to
74 years old and 33 percent of persons 65 to
69 years old.  The younger elderly (65 to 74 years
old) were more likely to have completed some
college than those 75 years old and over.
The proportion of the elderly population with
at least a high school education is likely to inĆ
crease significantly.  More than 80 percent of the
population 25 to 64 years old had at least a high
school education in 1990.  Better educated
people tend to be better off economically and
stay healthier longer.
Our economic picture has
improved overall, but large
differences remain among
our groups.
Overall, the economic picture for the
elderly has improved since 1970.  Large
differences remain, however, among
subgroups of the elderly.  There are
differences between men and women
and among different types of households,
for example.

Nationally, 3.8 million elderly were
poor in 1989.  In nine States, all in
the South, more than 1 in 5 elderly
persons were poor.
Elderly women had a higher poverty rate in
1989 than elderly men, 16 percent and
8 percent, respectively.
Elderly female householders not living with a
husband (most of whom lived alone) had a
poverty rate of 14 percent in 1989.  By contrast,
the poverty rate for elderly married couples was
nearly 6 percent.
Information in this report is based on the 1990 Census
of Population and Housing.  Estimated population and
housing unit totals based on tabulations from only the
sample tabulations may differ from the official 100ĆperĆ
cent counts.  Such differences result, in part, from colĆ
lecting data from a sample of households rather than
all households.  Differences also can occur because of
the interview situation and the processing rules differĆ
ing between the 100Ćpercent and sample tabulations.
These types of differences are referred to as nonsamĆ
pling errors.  Population projections are from the U.S.
Bureau of the Census, Jennifer Cheeseman Day, PopĆ
ulation Projections of the United States, by Age, Sex,
Race, and Hispanic Origin:  1992 to 2050," Current
Population Reports, Series P25Ć1092, U.S. GovernĆ
ment Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1992.  Some
information in this report was based on data from the
National Center for Health Statistics.

Other reports in this series:
We, the American Blacks
We, the American Hispanics
We, the American Asians
We, the American Pacific Islanders
We, the First Americans
We, the Americans:  Our Homes
We, the American Foreign Born
We, the American Women
We, the American Children
We, the Americans:  Our Education
We, the Americans
For additional information, please contact:
Age and Sex Statistics Branch
Population Division
Bureau of the Census
Washington, DC  20233