DataPoint: 2018 Profile of Older Americans

The population of Americans age 65 and over increased from 37.8 million in 2007 to 50.9 million in 2017, a 34 percent increase. Based on the 2018 Profile of Older Americans conducted by the Administration for Community Living, elderly represented one in every seven, or 15.6 percent, of the entire population. Older women outnumbered older men, 28.3 million to 22.6 million. By 2040, the elderly population is expected to reach 80.8 million, doubling the number in 2000. The number of Americans over age 65 is projected to grow to 94.7 million by 2060. The U.S. population over age 85 is also expected to more than double from 6.5 million in 2017 to 14.4 million in 2040, representing a 123 percent increase.

In 2017, about 14.3 million, or 28 percent, of older adults lived alone. 12.9 million households were led by those over age 75; 76 percent were owners, and 24 percent were renters. New York State was one of 12 states with elderly poverty rates above 10 percent and was fifth nationwide in the percentage of elderly dealing with poverty (11.4 percent). Additionally, New York State’s elderly population increased by 25.7 percent from 2007 to 2017.

From January to June 2018, 20 percent of adults age 85 and over needed help with personal care, which was more than twice the percentage for adults age 75 to 84 (9 percent) and five times the percentage for adults age 65 to 74 (4 percent). In 2017, consumers age 65 and over averaged out-of-pocket health care expenditures of $6,620, an increase of 43 percent since 2007 ($4,631).

To view the 2018 Profile of Older Americans, click here.

Contact: Ken Allison, kallison@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8820