Senior Health - Geographic Distribution Of The Population In Their Golden Years

In the year 2000, there were 35 million Americans aged 65 and over. This age group comprised about 1 of every 8 Americans, about the same proportion as in 1990 and a substantial increase over 1900, when the 65+ group comprised 1 in 25 Americans (3.1 million).

The graph above and the table below show the geographic regions where the older population chose to live in 1980, 1990, and 2000. The warmer climate of the South is a big draw, with 35% of the total older population choosing to live there in 2000 (up from 33% in 1980). Between 1980 and 2000, the West saw the biggest gain in the percentage of the total older population living there (up 3%, from 17 to 20%). The biggest losers were the Midwest (down from 26 to 24%) and the Northeast (down from 23 to 21%).

Population 65 Years and Over and Percent Change, by Region: 1980-1990 and 1990-2000

				Percent Change
Region	1980	1990	2000	1980-90	1990-00
U.S.	25,549,544	31,078,895	34,991,753	21.6	12.0
Northeast	6,071,865	6,948,232	7,372,282	14.4	5.4
Midwest	6,692,026	7,725,193	8,259,075	15.4	6.6
South	8,487,699	10,668,679	12,438,267	25.7	16.0
West	4,297,954	5,736,791	6,922,129	33.5	19.9

The number of older people increased in every state from 1980 to 1990 and again from 1990 to 2000. This is a pattern that will continue as 75 million Baby Boomers start turning 65 in 2010. It is projected that by 2030, 1 in 5 Americans will be age 65 or older.

What states do we retire to, if we decide to move? Between 1980 and 1990, the greatest percentage increases in the older population were in Western states (Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii, Arizona, and New Mexico, in descending order) and Southern states (Florida, South Carolina, Delaware, North Carolina, Virginia). The pattern repeated between 1990 and 2000 but with some different states showing greater gains. The greatest Western percentage increases between 1990 and 2000 were in Nevada, Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico, and Hawaii. In the South, South Carolina, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia saw the greatest percentage increases between 1990 and 2000.

States With the Most Older People and State Rank:

The small chart shows the nine states with the greatest number of older people in 2000. Of a total 34.9 million people aged 65 and older, more than half (18.1 million) lived in the nine states shown. These are the same 9 states that had the largest number of older people in 1990. Not surprisingly, these are the 9 most populous states. Their 2000 ranking is shown on the chart.

According to the Census Bureau, in 1999, about 50% of older persons lived in the suburbs, 27% lived in central cities, and 23% lived in nonmetropolitan areas.

It appears that most older people prefer to remain in the place where they have ties rather than move to a more hospitable climate. This phenomenon is called "aging in place." The Census Bureau reports that only about 5% percent of older Americans move in any year, and older people comprised less than 4% of all movers in the United States in 2000. A large majority of those elderly who moved (78%) had moved to another home in the same state.

Next we look at the places older people call "home."

Sources: Graphic: U.S. Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/age.html; Primary sources: U.S. Bureau of the Census, unpublished data consistent with U.S. Population Estimates, by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1980 to 1991, Current Population Reports, P25-1095, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1993, and Census 2000 Summary File 1; 1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics (1990 CP-1). Small chart: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1.