The Profile of Older Americans is an annual summary of the available statistics related to the older population in the United States. It illustrates the shifting demographics of Americans aged 65 and older. It includes key topic areas such as future population growth, marital status, living arrangements, income, employment, and health. This year’s report includes a special section on family caregivers. The U.S. Census Bureau, the National Center for Health Statistics, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics are principal data sources. The Administration on Aging, part of the Administration for Community Living within the US Department of Health and Human Services, prepares the report.
In addition to the full report, ACL’s Profile of Older Americans webpage also contains individual charts/graphs as image files. Also on the webpage are Excel tables from this and past years, along with previous years’ profiles.
Highlights from the Profile (The Profile incorporates the latest data available. Not all data are updated annually.)
- People 65+ are expected to represent 22% of the population by 2040.
- Of older adults living in the community, 60% lived with their spouse/partner in 2021. About 27%
lived alone. - In 2021, 10.6 million Americans age 65+ were in the labor force (working or actively seeking
work). - Between 1970 and 2021, the percentage of older persons who had completed high school rose
from 28% to 89%. - From 2020 to 2021, only 3% of older adults moved residence, as opposed to 10% of the population
below age 65.
Check out the full report by visiting their website at this link.
Oklahoma Alliance on Aging 