DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 215 284 CG 016 017

AUTHOR Allan, Carole, Comp.; Brotman, Herman, Comp.TITLE Chartbook on Aging in America [and] Supplement. White

House Conference on Aging, 1981.INSTITUTION White House Conference on Aging, Washington, D.C.SPONS AGENCY Department of Health and Human Services, Washington,

D.C.PUB DATE 81NOTE 162p.; Paper presented at the White House Conference

on Aging (3rd, Washington, DC, November 30-December3, 1981). For related documents, see CG 015 980-987and CG 015 990-CG 016 022.

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC07 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Aging (Individuals); Charts; Citizen Participation;

*Demography; *Economics; *Employment Patterns; Family(Sociological Unit); Health; *Older Adults; ResourceMaterials; Tables (Data); Trend Analysis

IDENTIFIERS *White House Conference on Aging

ABSTRACTThis chartbook, developed for participants in the

1981 White House Conference on Aging, depicts past, present, andprojected developments in demographics, economics, and other areas toexplain the size and makeup of the older population and its economicand social roles in society. Each of the 70 charts, classified underseven headings, includes a discussion of the topic. The Overviewsection provides statistics on such topics as the numerical growth ofthe older population and racial and ethnic makeup; the employmentcharts illustrate the composition of the labor force and retirementtrends. The third section, Income, provides charts of income trends,poverty rates, and social security. The section on Health givescharts for mortality trends, mental health, and health care costs.Charts in the Family section focus on such topics as the changingfamily structure, living arrangements, and nursing home residents.The Physical Environment section contains charts for housing,transportation, and crime victimization. The final section,"Continued Social and Economic Involvement in the Community," look;at voting patterns, educational attainment, volunteers, and leisureactivities. A supplement to this chartbook is included that containsupdate3 and corrections. (NRB)

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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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the WIWhite House

Conferenceon

AgIng

N.

04.;vI0CDC.)

U.E. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER IERICI

This document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organization

originatingMinor changes have been made to improve

reproduction quality

Points of view or opinions stated in this docu-

ment do not necessarily represent official NIEposition or policy

Constance D ArmitageChairman

Betty BrakeExecutive Director

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

CAAACIA Z?.,0)/i

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."

ChartbookAging

inmerica

and SupplementThis book was compiled by Dr Carole Allan and Herman Brotman

AcknowledgementsStaff members who contributed to thecompletion of this book were DrMary S t carper, Cynthia A Kenny, DrIarold A Kieffer, Joyce Paulsen,Donnan B Runkel and Bill StetsonDoris P Summey and Nancy Nelsonprovided clerical assistance.

Contents

Introduction 1

I Overview 21. Numerical Growth 2

Number of Persons Aged 55 and over, by Age Group, 19(X) and 195() to2050 3

2. Changing Population Proportions 4Percent Distribution of the Total Population by Age Group, 1910 to

2050 5

3. Older People Growing Older 6Distribution of the Older Population by Age Group, 1950 and 1980 to

2040 7

4. Increased Life Expectancy 8Life Expectancy at Birth, 19(X) to 1978 9Life Expectancy at Age 65, 1900 to 1978 9

5. Chances of Survival 10Percent of Children Born in 19(X) and in 1978 Expec ted to Reach Age

65 and Age 85 by Sex and Race 11

6. More Older Women 12Sex Ratios (Women per 1(X) Men) Aged 55 and over by Age Group, 1960,

1980 and 20(X) 13

7. Marital Status 14

Percent Distribution of Persons Aged 55 and older by Age Group andMarital Status, 1979 15

8. Living Arrangements 16Living Arrangements ot the 65. Population by Sex and Age Croup,

1979 17

9. Geographic Distribution 18Percent ot I ac h State's total Population Aged 65 and older, 1979 19Number ot Persons Aged 65 and older, 1974 19

10. Patterns of Mobility 20Res«lential Mobility Patterns ot the Under 6`; and 65- and -older Population,

14751979 21

11. Racial and Ethnic Makeup 22Per(1( ot Population Aged 65 and over in h ( olor and Rau e Croup,

1%0 23

Per«,nt ot Population ot All Age,, in I ,1( h Rate ( olor (,roup Aged 65 andolder, 1981) 23

t)

12. Increasing Number of Older Veterans 24

Percent of Males Aged 65 and over Who are Veterans, by Age Croup,1980, and Projec bons for 1994) and 2tXX1 25

13. Aging in Other Countries 26Percent of Total Population Aged 65 and older by World Regions 1960,

1980 and 2(XX) 27

14. Dependency Ratios 28Number of Persons Aged 65 and older and

18-6,4, 1930 -1980, and Prole( tions to 2050

15. Federal Programs for the Aged 30Department of Health and Human Services Outlays for Major federal

Programs for the Aged 31

16. Overall Federal Spending 32

Percent Distribution by Function of Federal Budget Outlays 1961, 1971,1981 33

Under29

18 per 10) Persons Aged

II Employment 34

1. Composition of the Labor Force 34Age Distribution of the Labor Force, 1970-1980, with Prole( bons to

1990 35

2. Participation in the Labor Force 36Labor Force Participation Rates for Persons 55 and ()Her, by Age and Sex,

1970, 1980, with Projections to 191X) 37

3. Women in the Labor Force 38

Percent Distribution of the Total I abor Force by Sex, 1950 to 1980 39

4. Early Retirement Trends 40Percent of Total Claimants Awarded A( tuanly-reduced Payments

of Retirement Before Ag 65, by Sex, 1%8 and 1978 41

5. Lengthening Years of Retirement 42Years of Retirement (Average Lite Expec tan( y), by Sex, 1940 and 1978 43

6. Part-time Jobs 44Per ent of Umployed Labor Force in Part-time Employment, by Age and

Sex, 1979 45

7. Extent of Unemployment 46Rate and Duration of Unemployment, by Age and Sex, 1980 47

8. Major Occupations 48Distribution of I mployment by Major 0« upational Group, by Sex and

Age Group, 1980 49

13e ,ruse

ill Income 501. Economic Status 50

Per; ent Distribution of Money Inc one by Age,1979 51

i

2. Impact of Age, Family Status and Race 52N1echan Nione In( ne in 1978 by Age and tamil Status 53

3. Income Trends 54

Medlar- Mont` Income ot kumlies and Individuals li Age, 1960-1979 55Percent Inc rease in Inwme 1960-1979 55

4. Poverty Rate 56

RA erh, Rate ot total Population and Persons 65 and over, 1959-1979 57Poverty Rate ot the Population 65 and over FA. Race and Sex, 1979 57

5. Non-cash Benefits 58Non-c ash Benefits and third Party Payments in Households ot One or

More Persons and Headed TA a Person 1)5 and over, 1979 59Per( .nt ot Households Below Poverty Line Receiving Thew Benefits 59Percent ot Households Above Poverty Line Re«,iying these Benefits 59

6. Sources of Income 60

Per( ,nt ot Aggregate Mone Income ot Older l'e-,ons by Source 61Percent ot Older Persons Re«,iving Meney In«inte troni I t1( h Source 61

7. Social Security 62

Percent ot So( 'al Sec unty Beneficiaries Whose Prime Income Source is theSo( la I Se( unty Pa ment, by. Marital Status, 1978 63

8. Pension Plan Coverage 64Percent ot Persons 1 mployed in lobs ( meted by a Private Pension Plan

and Percent with Vested Benefit Rights, by Age Group, 1978 659. Median Income 66

Median Income ot Older Units by Marital Status, 1978 67

10. Social Security Beneficiaries and Workers 68Social Sec unty Bench( lanes per 1(X) Workers, 1950-1980, with Prow( tions to

2(1X) 69

11. Retired Couple Budget 70Percent ot Couples 65 and Older Whose In«-imes Tell Below BLS Retired

Couple Budget, 1979 71

Percent ot Unrelated Individuals 65 and older Whose Incomes I ell BelowCS and 75 Pert ent ot lit S Retired Couple Budget 1479 71

12. Average Social Security Payments 72Average Monthly Social Sec unty Retired Worker Benefits, 1950 to 1979, in

Nominal and ( onstant Dollars 73

IV Health 741. Self Assessment 74

Self Assessment ot Health Status, Persons 65 and over, bySex, Rafe and In«tme, 1979 75

2. Mortality Trends 76Deaths per 1(X) Persons by Age Group and Sex, 1950 to

1478 77

3. Causes of Death 78Leading Causes of Death by Age, 1978 79

4. Chronic Conditions 80Prevalence of Chronic Conditions by Age Group, 1979 81

Impact of Chronic Conditions on Daily Living for the Older Population byAge Group, 1977 81

5. Visits to Physicians and Dentists 82Physician Office and Home Visits by Persons 65 and older 1964 and 1979 83Dental Visits, 1964 and 1979 83

6. Hospitalization 84Hospital Stays by Age Groups, 1979 85Number of Hospital Stays per 100 Persomer Year, by Age Group, 1%5

and 1978 85

7. Duration of Hospitalizations 86Duration of Stays in Short-stay Hospitals, Average and Total Days, by Age

Group, 1978 87

8. Nursing Home Population 88Percent of 65-and-older Population in Nursing Homes, by Sex and Age

Group, 1%3, 1974, and 1977 89

9. Mental Health 90Mental Health Status and Utilisation by 65-and-older Population, 1975 91

10. Utilization Projections 92Use of Health Services by Persons Under 65 and 65 and older, 197'

and Projections to 2(XX) 93

11. Health Care Costs 94Total and Per Capita Health Care Expenditures for Persons Under 65 and

65 and over, by Category, 1978 95

12. Health Care Expenditures 1%5-1978 96Health Care Costs for Persons 65 and Over for Public and Private Sour«s,

1965 and 1978 97

V Family 98

1. Changing Family Structure 98Number of Persons Aged 80 and Older per 11X) Persons Age 60 through 64

1901)-20i0 99

2. Living Arrangements 100

I iving Arrangements, Persons Aged 65 and Older, [-A Sex, 1950-1979 101

3. Family Support Systems 102Women ,Aged 50 and Older, by Number of ( hildren I ver Born, by Age

Group, 1980` 103

4. Contact with Children 104Proximity O ( hacker' arid 1 n,citi(qic of ( ontdc ts, Persons Agc.c1 65 and

Older, 1975 105

5. Family and Friends 106Persons 65 and Older Receiving Selected Home Services Provided by

Family Members and Agencies, 1975 107

6. Nursing Home Residents 108Persons Aged 65 and Older in the Community and in the Nursing Home

Population, by Sex and Marital Status, 1977 1097. Changing Family Lifestyles 110

Divorced Persons per 1000 Married Persons Aged 45 through 64, by Sex,Selected Years, 1950-1978 111

Percent Distribution of Families, by Type, Selected Years 1955-1978 111

VI Physical Environment 1121. Older Households Increase 112

Number of Households by Age of Head ot Household, 1979 1132. Homeownership 114

Homeownership, Rental and Mortgage Status, by Age of Head otHousehold, 1979 115

3. Location of Residence 116Location of Residence, by Age Group and Color, 1970 and 1979 117

4. Age of Housing 118Age ot Houses O« upped by Older Persons by Selected Age Group,

1976 119

5. Condition of Housing 120Percent of Housing with Sete( ted F laws Oc cupped by Households with

Heads 65 and older, 1976 121

6. Transportation 122

Percent ot Population Who Do Not Own Cars, by Age, 1974 123Perc ent ot "Person- I rips by Mode and Age, 1977 123

7. Criminal Victimization 124( riminal Vic tun/anon ot Older Persons, 1979 125

VII Continued Social and Economic Involvement in the Community 1261. Voting Patterns 126

Percent of People Voting in Presidential I- its (ion, 1980, by A',..;e Group 127

2. Educational Attainment 128I clue ational Attainment ot Persons Aged 65 and (lder, 1965-1cSX) 129I dm ational Attainment k Are (;roup and Rac e, 1979 129

3. Educational Pursuits 130Run( !potion in Adult I dtic gition by Age Group, 1978 131I s c. ot Adult I du( ation l'artn %nation by Age Croup 131

4. Older Americans as Volunteers 132Volunteer Ac tiN,Aties ot Older Persons, 1974 133

5. Television and Newspaper Utilization 134DAN, Adult Television and Newspaper Usage, 1979 135Daily Adult Newspaper Readership 135

6. Consumer Expenditures 136Per( qn Distribution ot Number of Households, Inc ome and E Ypenditures,

by Age Group 137

7. Leisure-time Activities 138Percent ot Persons 65 and ()kler Reporting Specific Leisure-time Ac tivities,

1980 139

8. Involvement in Religious Organizations 140Percent of Adults Who Are Churc h or Synagogue Members, by Age

Croup, 1979 141

Introduction

The number of Americans aged 55and older has been expanding rapidlyin the past several decades, and olderpeople are experiencing substantiallygreater lite expectancy Between nowand the year 2000, the size of thegroup aged 55 and older is expectedto inc rease 19 4 percent, the 65-year-and-older by 27 7 percent An evenmore dramatic inc rease will take plat ,in the very old population In the sameyears, the grouP 75 years and older willexpand by 52 5 percent, the 80 years-and-above group by 56 4 pert nt

The interaction of greaternumbers of older people and theirgreater lite expec tan( y is already pro,due ing major economic forces andsocial changes that will require freshthinking and responsive ac bon byboth public and private sectorpoll( ymakers

I he 1981 White House Conferen«.on Aging will bring together peoplefrom every walk of lite and everyregion of the U S to «msider bothproblems and opportunities resultingfrom the remarkable and in manyways unique older population that isdeveloping I he delegates andobservers who participate in the con-wren«. will onsider and proposerec ommendations as a preta«e to theevolution of new national poltc lesthat meet the requirements of the1980s I his ( hart Book provides infor-mation for c onterence partic 'pants as

they approach their tasks as advisersto policymakers It charts demo-graphic, economic and otherdevelopments, past, present and pro-jected, so that participants can seeand better understand the size andmakeup of our older population andits economic and social roles in our',ociety

I-1. Overview

Numerical GrowthOne of the most striking demographictrends of the twentieth century hasbeen the aging of the nation's popula-tion In 1900, only 31 million personswere 65 years of age or older (fourpercent of the total) By 1980, thenumber had increased eightfold,reaching 25 million (11 percent of thetotal) Persons 55 and older nownumber some 46 million Americans

The older population has been in-creasing at a much more rapid ratethan the general population duringmost of this century The decade ofthe 1970s continued this trend ofrapid growth as the population 65 andolder increased by nearly 24 percent,compared with a rate of little morethan six percent for those under 65Between 1980 and 2000, the growthof the population 55 and older willslow somewhat but will neverthelesscontinue to outpace that of thepopulation as a whole By the year2000, some 54 million persons will be55 and older, and nearly 32 millionwill exceed age 65 (12 percent of thetotal) The ranks of the population 55and older will begin to swell rapidly inthe first two decades of the next cen-tury when the children of the post-World War II "baby boom" reach theolder ages (Persons born between1946 and 1%4 are generally con-sidered the "baby boom" generation )The major increase in the 65 andolder population will occur betweenthe years 2010 and 20.30 and thenlevel otf as the impact of the aging ofthe "baby boom" generation passes

2

I

The current population projections,however, assume continuation of cur-rent death rates During the decade ofthe 1970s a substantial decline indeath rates occurred in the age group50 and older Should these rates con-tinue to decline at their current pace,a somewhat larger elderly populationcan be expected in the next 20 yearsthan current estimates indicate

These trends have broad and ser-ious implications for both the struc-ture of U S society and the policies,programs and services required tomeet the needs of a ,teadily agingpopulation

1-1. Number of Persons Aged 55 and over, by Age Group, 19(X) and 1950 to2050

11111 Age 55-64

Age 65 +

Millions100-

90-

8G-

70-

60-..,

50-

40-

30-

20-

10-.

II19(X) 1950 1960 1970 1980*1990* 2000* 2010* 2020* 2030* 2040* 2050*

' Prole( tions

0

Soon r lionoti ol thc ( t, n,o,

14-3

1-2. Overview

Changing Population ProportionsNot only is the U S population aged55 and older growing at a rapid ratein numbers, but it is also steadilygrowing as a proportion ot the totalU S population One out ot every hveAmericans urrently 55 or older,and one in nine, or 11 2 percent, is 65or older At the turn ot the centuryonly one out ot 25 persons, or tourpercent, was age 65 or older

(he proportion ot persons in the65-plus age group will increase to ap-proximately one out of eight (12 2 per-cent) by the year 20(X' After the year2010, a period ot more rapid growthwill occur, as the post-World War II"baby boom" generation ages, and by20'0 nearly 16 percent of all Ameri-cans will he 65 or older By the year2040, nearly one out ot five persons inthe country (18 4 percent) will be 65or older, but the percentage is thenexpec tel to decline in subsequentdecades (These projections are basedon estimates ot future tertility andmortality, and assume a rate ot legalimmigration at the ( urrent level, a netincrease of 400,(X() immigrants peryear ( he increase in the percentageot older persons in the total popula-tion would be rqiu«-TI to somedegree by continuing high flows otimmigrants, both legal and illegal, andot retugees, the majority of whomtend to he young in age )

In the past, the growing proportionot older persons in the total popula-tion retie( ted the tac t that, while allage groups grew, the number ot per-sons 65-plus grew at a more rapid

4

rate Sine the end ot the 'babybocnn," hom.ver, a new phenomenonhas been occurring; which has pro-toundly attec ted the' overall age com-position ot our populationa rapiddecline in the birth rate The birth ratesin«e the end ot the postwar "babyboom" has ac Wally been below thatnecessary for zero population growthIn the decade ot the 1970s alone, thepopulation under 18 decreased bysome eight million and may decreaseby another three million in the 1980sIn 1%t) the median age of the UnitedStates population was 30 2, by theyear 2(XX) over half the populationwill he older than 45

1-2. Per( ent Dktributton of the Total Population by Age Group, 1910 to 2050

141

1420

19 30

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980*

1(10*

201X)*

2010'

2020*

20 30'

2040*

2050'

Under 18 18-54 55-64 65+

I I I

Median Age40 50% 60 80 100

24.1 I

522 1 5 514 3180_I

I25.3

I I

I i .1

-1 26.51 1

I 11 1

29.01 1

I I II 30.2

1 I

SI 0 520 1 88 I 8.2

29.5

t,8 I 462 1 87 I 9328.1

1.4 t 467 91 I 99 IIL 30 2r ,7,, 513 96 [ 112

i

32.8

26 (, I 52 6 8 5 I 12.3

26 5 r 35.5

52 3 9 0 12.2

36.6 i

24 6 508 119 12T

37.0

2.11, I 470 J 128 1 156

38.0

24 1 471 10 5 18 3

37.8

24n 4741 108 1 17.8

37.8

467 114 1 176248

'Prole( tion%

Sor( (, liorao ((t the( urett,

5

1-3. Overview

Older People Growing OlderThe older population is itself agingThe 75-plus segment of the 65-pluspopulation is currently the fastestgrowing age group in the UnitedStates In 1900, fewer than one millionAmericans were aged 75 and older,and only 100,000 were 85 and olderBy 1980, the numbers had grown tonearly 9 5 million persons 75 andolder and 2 3 million persons 85 andolder Whereas the total population65 and older has increased abouteightfold since 1900, the population85 and older has grown to 22 times itssize at the turn of the century

Persons 75 and older will continueto increase at a rapid rate for the next30 years (until about 2010) and be-come an increasing proportion of theolder population Then the 65-74 agegroup will increase very rapidly as thepost-World War II "baby boom" gen-eration begins to reach age 65 Afterabout 2025, the 75-plus group willgrow most rapidly again as the "babyboom" generation itself reaches theupper ages

The tremendous increase in thepopulation 75 and older, and in par-ticular those 85-plus, has far-reaching

1'{

6

implications for future economic,social and health care planning It isin the upper age groups that the needfor support systems and for services isthe greatest In 1980, 9 2 percent ofthe total 65-plus population was 85 orolder By the year 2010, this percent-age will grow to 131 percent, or 46million persons

1-3. Distribution cat the Older Popu latm hti Age Croup, 1950 and 1980 to 2010

fr) + 7;-84 65-7-1

1

1980'

md,.,,,f )1 1

51)

40

M

'11

Ill,

0

1

1(00*

(6-74

1

2000* 2010* 2020* 2030*

Prli)111)1.1 t111/1`,

1080 1900 ' 2000' 2010' 2020' 2030*

7

1-4. Overview

Increased Life ExpectancyLite expectant y at birth reached a

record 73 3 years in 1978 Althoughsignificant gains were made by bothsexes during the decade of the 1970s,substantial and widening (14 terencesin life expectancy continue to existbetween the sexes female life expec t-ancy was 7 7 years longei than formales in 1978 (77 2 vs 69 5) Whitefemales had the highest life expectan-cy (77 8), followed by females of otherraces (73 6), white males (70 2) andother males (6501

The gap in lite expectancy betweenwhites and Americans of other raceshas been consistently miaowing in re-cent years In 1950, whites c ould ex-pect to live about eight years longerthan Americans of other races By1977 this difterential had decreased tohve years Since 1970, females whoserace is defined as other than whitehave had longer lite expectancies thanwhite males

Since 1950, lite expectancy at theupper ages has also increased at anaccelerated pace During the first haltof this century most of the increase inlife expectancy was due to decreasingmortality at the younger ages Inother words, growing numbers of per-sons reached the older ages hut, oncethere, did not live muc h longer thantheir ancestor, who rear hed suchages Since World War II, however,life expectancy at the older ages hasinc reared at a faster rate than atbirth Life expec tanc y at age 65 in-creased more between 1950 and 1978(14 years) than during the entire first

8

I t;

halt of the century I he greatest gainshave occurred since 1971) Significantdeclines in the number ot deaths tromheart disease and stroke have been amajor factor

In 1978, persons rear hing age 65could expec t to live on the averagean additional 16 3 years This is ap-proximately three years longer thanwhen Social Sec urity was first en-acted White females have the highestlife expectancy at age 65 with anaverage of 18 4 years remaining,followed by females of other races(180 years), males ot races other thanwhite (141), and white males (140)

If the declining mortality rate in theupper ages evidenced in recent yearscontinues, the number of people inthe older age group will increase evenmore in the decades ahead

14. I lIt t \p'( tdm it liirth 19(X) t() 1'178

11 hitt. Ntilt.fit 1

Other %tale \N lute I emdlt. )ther I eimilt

40

ioo

1 1 I r T 1 1 i 1

1900 19119 1919 1929- 1919- 1949 19;9- 1969- 1977 1978190 2 1911 1921 1911 1941 19;1 1961 1971

lat. 1 tilt'( tdru Agt, 65 1900 to 1978

19

0 'c191N1-

1')1)'1909-191

1919 1929 191(1921 1'1 11 1941

1 I I I 1

194 1959 1969- 1977 1978191 1961 1971

.1)1»,111) r 1.111-H, -

9

1-5. Overview

Chances of SurvivalA dramatic indication of increase inlife expectancy is provided by a com-parison of the number of babies bornin 1900 and 1978 expected to reachthe upper ages Only 40 percent of allbabies born in 1900 could expect toreach 65, compared with 76 percent(more than three-quarters) in 1978

The figures for those expected toreach age 85 are even more dramaticIn 1900, only ona out of 14 whitefemales could expect to live to age85, in 1978, the number was morethan one in three Females of races

10

other than white experienced thegreatest gains since 1900, rising fromfour percent to 28 percent reachingage 85, followed by males of racesother than white, white females andwhite males

1-5. Percent of Children Horn in PO) and in 1978 E X1)(1 ted to Rea( h Age 65 andAge 85 by Sex and Race

White Ntaie White Females

Other tylale t:iiiii:i::4 other Female

Percent Reaching Age 65Per( vnt

1(X) --

80

60

40

20

0

Part ent

40

30

20

10

0

7 1 1

39 2=11,

1900 1978

168

53

19(X) 1978

839

564

43 8

190 22077.7,27

:.:.:.:.

1900 1978 1900 1978 1900

Percent Reaching Age 85

20Mil1900 1978

138

71

36 6

SOUrf I' N,It1011.11( enter for Health ',latish( s

1900 1978

7 3 4

1978

=,..=27 9

3 6

Ea190() 1978

11

1-6. Overview

More Older WomenAs a result of the still unexplained dif-ference in male and female life ex-pectancy, women disproportionatelycutnumber men in the older popula-tion Between ages 55 and 64, thereare 112 women per 100 men (1980),between 65 and 74, the number risesto 131, between 75 and 84, to 166,and for those over 85 the numberrises to a remarkable 224 women forevery 100 men

With the increasing gap in life ex-pectancies for males and females, thesex ratio has been widening for anumber of years and will continue todo so in the future While in 19(X)males over 65 actually outnumberedfemales by 102 to 100, by the year2000 there will be 150 women aged 65and over for every 100 men, and the

it

ti

12

current 224 women per 100 men in theage group 85-plus will rise to 254

Similar patterns emerge for the dif-ferent racial groups White females 65and older outnumber white males by147 to 100, and black females out-number black males by 141 to 100Women of Hispanic origin, however,outnumber men by only 115 to 100

1-6. Sex Ratios (Women per 1(X) Men) Aged 55 and over by Age Croup, 1960,198() and 2(XX)

Age

55-64

65-74

75-84

85+

1%01980*

2000*

100 120

* Projections

Sour( p littwau tit the( vlisti,

140 160 180 200 220 240 260

r)4 A

13

1-7. Overview

Marital StatusGreater life expectancy for females,compounded by the practice of menmarrying younger women than them-selvesmore than a third of 65-plushusbands have under-65 wivesac-counts for a large number of widowsin the older population More thanhalf of all persons aged 65 and olderare married and live in two-person,husband-wife households However,this fact obscures great differences inthe marital status of older men andwomen, and these differences increaserapidly with advancing age Simplystated, most older men are married,while most older women are widows

At ages 55-64 over 70 percent ofwomen are married, at ages 65-74 thefigure drops to less than 50 percent,and beyond age 75 it drops to a littlemore than 20 percent Thus, a remark-able seven out of every 10 womenage 75 and older are widows By con-tre ', the percentage of men who aremarried declines relatively slowly withage At ages 55-64, 87 percent of allmen are married, at ages 65-74 thefigure is 81 percent, and at age75-plus, 69 percent of men are stillmarried

Substantial difference- exist inmarital status by race Although forblacks and whites alike women aremore likely to be widowed than mar-ried, a higher percentage of 65-pluswhite women are married than 65-plusblack women (39 percent vs 33 per-cent) Similarly, the percentage ofmen who are married is much greaterfor 65-plus whites than for 65-plus

14

blacks (79 percent vs 65 percent)Somewhat different trends have

prevailed in the marital status of menand women since 1950 The propor-tion of men aged 65 and older whoare married has increased, while thosewidowed has decreased The maritalstatus of women, on the other hand,has remained relatively constant inthe last 30 years The differing pat-terns for men and women can betraced directly to the widening dif-ferential in life expectancy of menE.nd women The disparity betweenElderly widows and widowers grewfrom a ratio of two to one in 1950 tomore than four to one in 1979

9')ti

1-7. Percent Distribution of Persons Aged 55 and older by Age Group andMarital Status, 1979

100

90

55-64

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

61r

65-74

MarriedWidowedDivorcedSingle

75+

1

Male Female Male Female Male Female

Source Bureau of the Census

2,315

1-8. Overview

Living ArrangementsThe vast majority of older people(over 95 percent of the 65-plus popu-lation) live most typically in a familysetting in the community Only fivepercent of the population over 65 livein institutions

Significant differences exist in livingarrangements by age and sex Mostmen live in a family setting with aspouse throughout their older lives (78percent of all males at ages 65-74, 67percent at age 75 and older) Fewerthan one-half of all women aged 65and older live in husband-wife house-holds At 75-plus, only one in five liveswith a spouse With advancing age,most women aged 75 and older headup their own households, living eitheralone or with a non-relative By con-trast, not even one man in four is asingle householder at age 75-plusRelatively small numbers of either sexlive with children or other relatives,although the percentage does increasewith age and is most pronounced forfemales (27 percent at age 75-plus,compared with 10 percent of men)

The living ark.ngements of olderpersons have shown marked shifts inrecent years, particularly for womenThe proportion of women living infamily settings has been declining, andthe proportion maintaining their ownhouseholds has increased substantial-

16

ly The decrease in women living infamilies has resulted mainly from adecrease in the numbers living withchildren or other relatives (See V-7)

1-8. Living Arrangements of the 65+ Population by Sex and Age Group, 1979

Total Population, Age 65.

0 ( °mon, nit resident

°Resident in institution

Men

7%

15%

Men

"...flia , IS,I. 111,4 111, ( , 11,1

Noninstitutional Population

et lying with spouse

0 Living with other relative

0 1 n,ing alone or with non-relatRe

Age 65-74

Age 75+

^In

Women

Women

17

1-9. Overview

Geographic DistributionOlder persons generally reside inmuch the same geographic distribu-tion pattern as the younger popula-tion In mid-1979, approximately one-half of the population 65 and olderlived in the eight largest states in thecountry New York and California hadthe largest number of people 65 andover, with more than two millioneach, and Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas,Illinois, and Ohio had more than onemillion each An additional one-fourthof the older population lives in just 12more states (New Jersey, Massa-chusetts, North Carolina, Indiana,Virginia, Georgia, Missouri, Wisconsin,Tennessee, MarylandNinnesota andLouisiana)

During the period 1970-1979 thenumber of persons 65 and older in-creased in each of the 50 states, andin all but one stateWyomingthegrowth of the 65-plus population out-paced that of younger ages With theexception of Alaska, the states ex-periencing the greatest percentagegains (over 40 percent) were primarilyconcentrated in the Sun Belt regionArizona, Florida, Hawaii, Nevada,New Mexico and Soutii CarolinaNevada alone experienced nearly a100 percent gain in its 65-plus popula-tion, but the total number of olderpeople residing in the state remainsrelatively low (61,000), ranking 47th inthe nation Florida, on the other hand,another state that experienced largegains during the 1970-1979 period(over 60 percent) currently rankseighth in the nation with more than

18 rj

04

1 6 million inhabitants who are65-plus

The number of older persons as apercentage of the total population re-siding within each state follows asomewhat different pattern than thenumerical distribution (with theexception of Florida which has both ahigh number and high percentage ofolder persons) The percentage of per-sons 65-plus within individual statesvaned from 2 6 percent (Alaska) to181 percent (Florida), compared with11 2 percent for the United States as awhole States with a particularly highpercentage of older persons (12 5 per-cent or more) are heavily concen-trated in the Midwest Farm Beltregion Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri,South Dakota and Kansas, as well asin Arkansas, Oklahoma, Rhode Islandand Pennsylvania.

In some states, a major factor con-tributing to a high percentage of olderpersons is movement of the young toother areas Florida is an exceptionwith a heavy influx of retirees. Thosestates with low percentages of olderpersons have generally had largenumbers of the young settle in them,or have a relatively high birth rate

1-9. Perc ent ot h State's Iota' Population Aged 65 and older, 1979

113 3% and over

12 3-1 2%

1 1 3-12 2%

all 2% National Average 9 2-10 1%

110 2-11 1% O Less than 9 2%

Number ot Persons Aged 65 and Older, 1979

2,000P00 and over

1,000,000-2,000,000

500,000 -I,000,000

'lour( e 11111V.111()1 Iile(

10t,,000 499,03X)

1100,000 299,000

a 75,0(X) 99,000

Less than75,000

19

1-10. Overview

Patterns of MobilitySince the major reason for a changeof residence is a change in one's worklocation, older persons are less likelyto change residence than members ofyounger age groups Between 1975and 1979, only one person in six aged65 and older (3 9 million individuals)and one in five in the age group 55-64moved from one home to ,AiotherFor the population as a whole, morethan four persons in 10 changedresidence during the 1975-1979 period

Of the 39 million persons in the65-plus population who did move dur-ing the period, the majority (57 per-cent) moved to another home in thesame county, 22 percent moved toanother county in the same state, andanother 21 percent moved out of

9..., ....:,

20

statethe last group accounting foralmost 830,000 older persons Mostout-of-state migration follows the pat-tern for the total population, withsome concentration toward the SunBelt section of the nation

1-10. Re,,ientol Xi( tiht 1),tttern,, of the Under 65 ,trlil b-) dnd-oldetPopulation, 1975 1979

Under 65

65+

III Ni()Lt.r,,

N(}11-111(A CI,,

",,tit, , Itto. 11:,0 ,11, , II,

Ell Sdrue ( ()Link

1:1 Another «,tint, ',dine 'AMC

El ( )11t Of ',t.lte

21

I-11. Overview

Racial and Ethnic MakeupWhites are disproportionately repre-sented in the older population In1980 about 90 percent or 23 millionpersons aged 65 and older were white,8 2 percent or 21 million were black,and about 2 0 percent or 514,000 wereof "other" races Person-. of "other"races include 175,0(v1 of AmericanIndian, Eskimo and Aleut descent and212,0(X) from Asia and tile PacificIslands Persons of Hispanic origin(who may be of any race) numbered539,0(1) ?nd represented 2 3 percentof all persons 65 and older

Because of their longer life expect-ancy and lower birth rates, whites65-plus comprise a greater proportionof the total white populace than istrue of other racial groups Whites 65and older represent 11 2 percent of allwhites, blacks 65 and older represent7 8 percent of the total black popula-tion, those of Hispanic origin repre-sent 4 5 percent of the total Hispanicpopulation, American Indians,Eskimos and Aleuts aged 65-plus com-prise 5 i percent of that group, andAsians and Pacific Islanders 65 andolder comprise 6 7 per ,.nt of thatgroup

22

The number of blacks and "other"persons aged 65 and older has beenincreasing at a greater rate than thatof whites in recent years Between1970 and 1980, older blacks experi-enced a 34 percent gain, comparedwith 23 percent for whites

1 -11. Per«Tit of Population Aged 65 and over in Lich Color and Race(group, 1980

IN n. m100

(R) ,

80

70

60

50 -

40 -

10 -

20 -

10 -

0 MIWhite Black Spanish Origin* Other* *

Pen ent of Population of All Ages in I a( h Race'Color Group Aged 65and older, 1980

IN1( flt12

1110

87

65

4

.1

o)o.hii, fila(k spanish origin Ampri( mi Indhin

I ,I, IMO A1111`41,1111111 ( lrigin !um, he III am im ,

I )1I0 iii, kid. \111..111 iri Ind.mi. I .kinup, Adm, /1,1a11, and I'm 'tit 1,1,111(1(1,,

,(mir fiur,lit of f ill ( ,,I,II,

Amin andI'm tti(1,,1,1111Ier

21

1-12. Overview

Increasing Number of Older VeteransThe number of older Americans whoare veterans will increase substantiallywithin the next two decades as aresult of the aging of the World WarII and Korean War veteran popula-tions In 1980, three million men 65and older were veterans, by the year2(XX) the number who survive to be65 years and older will Jump to nearlyeight million, an increase of morethan 160 percent The increase inveterans who are 75 and older will heeven more dramaticmere thanthreefold in the next 20 years

In 1980, JO percent of ail U Smales 65 and older, and 22 per«mt ofthose 75 and older, were veterans Inthe year 2(XX), the respective figureswill c limb to 62 and 68 pen ent 1 hetremendous increase in the veteranpopulation aged 65 and over has tar-rear hing implications for the provisionof health c are semi( es to an agingpopulation In fist al 1979, approx-imately 26 per( ent of the veteransbeing cared for in VA hospital bedswere 65 and older, and over 60 per-cent of veterans in long-term c aretat duties operated 1A, or under «m-trac t to, the VA were 61 or older VA

24

health care expenditures for all agecategories currently account for over10 percent of total federal govern-ment health c are expenditures In1978, $1 1 billion was spent for healthcare for veterans aged 65 and olderby the Veterans Administration

1-12. Males Aged 65 and over Who are Veterans, by Age Group,1980, and Prole( bons for 1990 and 2000

70-

60-

50-

40-

20-

10-a

65-74 75-84 85+

0-198(1

MtlItons

65-74 75-84

1990*

85+

2000'

1980

'Prole( tions

lour, t I hr ctt r.i , 4dmitti,lr,11101

1990* 2000'

25

1-13. Overview

Aging in Other CountriesThe population of older personsworldwide will increase substantiallyin the next two decades In 1980 thenumber of persons 65 and olderworldwide was 265 million, and bythe year 2000 the figure will climb to3% million

The highest proportions of olderpersons are found in the more de-veloped industrialized nations of theworld, averaging 11 percent of thetotal population (as in the UnitedStates) and ranging from eight percentin Japan to as high as 15 percent inSweden and West Germany

The proportion of older persons inthe less developed countries is rela-tively low (currently averaging fourpercent of the total population) andwill remain so in the next two dec-ades because of continuing high birthrates These nations will nevertheless

26

experience substantial numerical in-creases in their older populations be-tween 1980 and 2000. In the next 20years the number of persons aged 65and older in developing nations willalmost double and will comprise near-ly 60 percent of all older personsworldwide

1-13. Percent of Total Population Aged 65 and older by World Regions, 1%0,1980 and 2000

1960

1980

2000*

North America

Europe

U S S.R.

Oceana

Africa

Latin America

East Asia

South Asia

ji1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Prole( t ions

SO(1111. t :1111C(1 Nlf UM. Y,Ilisti( al slcdrbook

27

1-14. Overview

Dependency RatiosThe changing age distribution of theU S population raises serious ques-tions about retirement and healthcosts, employment policies, familyroles, intergenerational relationshipsand societal structures The issues offamily and societal responsibility willcome under increasing scrutinyWould an increasingly older (or so-called "dependent") population, con-sisting primarily of non-workers, posea burden on the younger working seg-ments of society? Or, are there otherage trade-offs, such as less expendi-tures for schools and more for retire-ment income systems?

Several measures of gross age de-pendency are possible One relates thenumber of persons 65 and older andthe number under 18, the assumed"dependent" populations, to the group18-64, the assumed "productive" orworking population. As shown in thefacing chart, the ratio of persons 65and older per 100 persons aged 18-64has steadily risen from 91 percent in1930 to 18 4 percent in 1980 The ratiowill remain relatively constant forroughly the next 30 years, and then willclimb to 26 per 100 by 2020 and morethan 30 per 100 by 2030, as the "babyboom" generation ages

Although the older age dependencyratio has been increasing during thecentury, the total societal dependencyratio (including those under 18 as wellas those 65 and older) shows a muchsmaller "burden" on the middle 18-64year-old group Following a period ofhigh dependency (a combined ratio of

28

JO

80 per 100 in the 1960s and 1970s),the ratio has declined rapidly and willcontinue to decline until 2020, as theyouth population continues to de-rrease Thereafter, the total ratio willIncrease as the population grows older,but will not reach the 1960-1970 peaks

1-14. Number ot Persons Aged 65 and older and Under 18 per 10() PersonsAged 18-64, P3 i0-1980, and Projec bons to 2050

Number ot persons 65+ per 100 18-64

Number of persons under 18 per 10018 -64

Sour( c Ittirvou ot th. ( pnsu,

29

1-15. Overview

Federal Programs for the AgedWhile many federal programs providebenefits to the elderly, five major pro-grams most prominently reflect thenation's concern for them. Old-Ageand Survivors Insurance, Medicare,Medicaid, Supplemental Security In-come, and the services provided bythe Administration on Aging Theseprograms were established primarilyfor the elderly or, in the case of Sup-plemental Security Income and Medi-caid, have special provisions toguarantee the eligibility of poorelderly The benefits they provide arefundamental income, medical care,nutrition The first four programs areso large that the outlays for the elder-ly in other federal programs mayseem insignificant by comparison

The accompanying table showsfederal outlays for the elderly in thesefive programs Included in the totalare 100 percent of the Old-Age andSurvivors Insurance, Medicare andAdministration on Aging programs, 85percent of outlays of the Supple-mental Security income program, and37 percent of the Medicaid programThe lattT percentages represent thedegree of participation by personsaged 65 or older

Between 1%5 and 1980, such out-lays increased eightfold, their share ofthe federal budget increased by morethan 77 percent, and their share ofthe gross national product doubledDuring that same period, the popula-tion aged 65 or over increased byonly 34 percent

10

There are, of course, other federalprograms which benefit the elderly ina substantial waydisability insur-ance, veterans benefits, civil servicand military retirement payments,food stamps, and home energy assis-tance, to name a few There are alsovarious ways to measure the degreeto which the elderly participate insuch programsdepending for exam-ple on whether the elderly are definedas those aged 55, 60, or 65 or older,whether benefits to their dependentsare included or not, or whether thecash equivalent value of services orin-kind benefits (like medical care) aredetermined based on a particulareconomic model However, any suchanalysis would raise as many issues asit resolves To the extent that a na-tional commitment to the elderly isembodied in the federal programstructure and budget, it is closelymeasured by the growth of the fiveprograms chosen here

1-15. Department of Health and Human Services Outlays for Major FederalPrograms for the Aged

Per«nt30

Percent of Total Federal OutlaysPerc ent of Gross National Product (GNP)

20

10

0

1965

yLcir Dollar Amounts1965

1970

1975

1980

1981

1982

Dollar,(hillion,l 0

1970 1975 1980 1981 1982

25

sr, Older Population1965

1970

1975

1980

50 75 100 125 150 175 200

Million, () 5 10

',()iin n 1.viirtinniit of I Iniilth ,and 111.1111,m `wr,ii n,

15 20 25

31

I-16. Overview

Overall Federal SpendingOver the last 20 years, federal spend-ing for income security has climbedfrom less than half the amount ofspending on national defense to near-ly half again as much as nationaldefense In 1961, spending for defensetook 47 7 percent of the federalbudget, while spending on incomesecurity took only 21 9 percentEstimated spending in 1981, on theother hand, shows only 24.7 percentof the budget going for defense, com-pared with 35 1 percent for incomesecurity

In actual dollars, defense spendingwas $46.6 billion in 1961, $76 billion in1971, and is expected to be about$163 7 billion in 1981 Income securityspending was $21 4 billion in 1961,$55 4 billion in 1971, and is expectedto be $232 6 billion in 1981

In constant dollars (adjusted for in-flation), defense spending droppedfrom $74 8 billion in 1961 to about$73 4 billion this year Spending on in-come sec unty tripled trom $ W 4billion in 1%1 to about $1044 billionthis year

Included in the category of incomesecurity are General retirement anddisability payments (Social Security),

32

federal employee retirement and dis-ability payments, unemployment insur-ance and public assistance, and otherincome supplements. Defense spend-ing includes all those outlays for De-partment of Defense military activities,atomic energy defense activities andother defense-related activities

1-16. Percent Distribution by Function of Federal Budget Outlays 1961, 1971,1981

1961

1971

1981

S,)kIr( «, liIrv,itt i>t the ( cn.u.

2.0%

ea National Defense

Income Security

Interest

()Health and Education

°Other

33

II -1. Employment

Composition of the Labor ForceThe size and composition of the U Slabor force has undergone profoundchanges in recent years One of themosi dramatic changes has been thediminishing labor force participationby older workers as the trend to earlyretie ment continues (see 11-2 and 11-4)

The decade of the 1970s witnesseda continuing expansion of the U Slabor force at a rate which far out-paced the growth of the overall U Spopulation The total civilian laborforce grew by 22 4 million personsfrom 1970 to 1980 (a 27 5 percent in-crease), while the total U S popula-tion grew by 17 9 million The 1970swere characterized by the entrance oflarge numbers of teenaged and otheryoung workers into the labor force asthe post-World War II "baby boom"children came of working age

The situation for older workers(55-plus) during the 1970s was essen-tially the opposite of the overallpopulation trend Whereas the popu-lation 55 and older increased by 7 5million people (or 19 4 percent) be-tween 1970 and 1980, the number ofolder people in the labor force re-mained basically unchanged (14 5 vs14 8 million) The declining proportionof older workers in the labor forcereflects a long-standing trend (See11-4)

According to projections compiledby the U S Department of Lehor, the1980s will continue to witness an ex-pansionalthough at a slower paceof the U S labor force (at anaverage rate of 1 25 to 1 5 percent a

34

year according to "middle range"growth projections) The largestgrowth will be among workers in theage group 25-44, directly reflecting thematuring of the postwar "baby boom"population The entrance of relativelyunskilled younger workers into thelabor force will decline, reflecting thedecrease in the size of the age group16-24 during the decade of the 1980s

The U S Department of Labor's"middle range" labor force projectionpredicts a continuing decline in therepresentation of older workers in thelabor force based on current trends(see 11-2) Between 1980 and 1990the population 55 and older willgrow by some 4 5 million At thesame time, the number of them in thelabor force is projected to decreaseby approximately 600,000 workersThis projection would change if publicand private policies relative to retire-ment and older worker employmentwere changed

Hi. Age Distribution of the Libor Force, 1970-1980, with Projections to 1990

Numbers (rn130

1201101009080

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Per( en(100

9k)

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1970

16-24

25-34

35-44

1975 1980

45-54

55-64

65+

1985* 1990*

.,

1970 1975

"Prole( red intermediate tigurs

',our«. Department (01 Mug

1980 1985* 1990*

35

11-2. Employment

Participation in the Labor ForceThe twentieth century has witnessed adramatic decline in the proportion ofolder men in the labor force In 1900,nearly two out of every three menaged 65 and older worked, but by1980 only one in five did so

While the trend has slackenedsome, projections indicate that thenumber of men in the labor forceaged 65 and older will continue todecline in the 1980s Thus, althoughthe total number of -n aged 65 andolder has increased bN, around 1 7million in the past decade, thenumber in the labor force decreasedby more than a million This trendcould be reversed if public andprivate sector policies were altered infavor of older worker employmentand delayed retirement

The proportion of men in the agegroup 55-65 who remain in the laborforce has been declining as wellWhile decline in labor force participa-tion of this age group was relativelysmall between 1950 and 1970 (from87 percent to 83 nercent), the down-ward trend accelerated in the decadeof the 1970s Labor force participationrates of men 55-64 dropped by 10percentage points in the past decade,and by 1980 only seven out of every10 men in the age group were in thelabor force The biggest drop hasbeen in the 6064 year-old group,reflecting a continuing trend to earlyretirement (see II-4) In 1980,only six of every 10 men aged 60-64were part of the U S labor force

The trend for older women's par-

16

4 ,4

ticipation in the work force has beenconsiderably different The rate forwomen aged 65 and older has re-mained fairly constant in this century,peaking at 10 8 percent in 1960 butslowly and steadily declining since By1980 only 81 percent of all women65 and older, or 1 1 million, were ac-tive in the work force While thedecades of the 1950s and 1960s caw arapid increase in the percentage ofwomen aged 55-64 who worked (from27 to 43 percent), the 1970s havewitnessed a leveling off of this trendIn 1980, 42 percent of women aged55-64 were in the labor force

The Bureau of Labor Statistics hasprepared three series of projections oflabor force participation rates in thedecade of the 1990s under differentgrowth rate assumptions All threeseries foresee a continuing decline, orat best a slackening off of the currentdownward trend in labor force par-ticipation rates among older workersthroughout the 1980s If current trendscontinue, it is estimated that only fourout of every 10 men 55 and older andtwo out of every 10 women will be inthe labor force

11-2. I ,thor For e Partk 'potion Rates for Persoty, 55 and Older, by Age and Sex,197)), 1480, \mai Plow( h)ns to 1490 Prole( how,'' 55-59 High

60-64 Medium65 + 1 ow

Malel'pr( t nt

1(X)

80

(A)

40

.....1°ww°wRINIII"'immemaw.ri rim avrr....... ... ....... .. .... . .... .

20 j UCLI:

I)

=11111111111lIMMOMMONIIIINS

IIMMIL 'MD,. IMINI. IIMM IIMMIL MI. WM. INN

970

Female

60

50

40

20

i El

1980 1985' 1990*

liwiraptimpiewuridatiamilawarara

IIIMARIAMiaraRMAIrtal VI iraltiltaraill4i

1970

Pr, 11, (um.

1( ir .. I ),,p,irtnIvnt .,t I ,1l .r

1980

A1 'J

1985* 1990'

i7

11-3. Employment

Women in the Labor forceThe U S labor force has changedsignificantly in the last 30 years as aresult of the changing age structure,the increasing life expectancy forwomen, the steady increase in theproportion of women entering, re-entering, and remaining in the laborforce, and the changing pattern ofemployment of older persons

In 1950, three out of every 10 U Sworkers were women In 1980, thenumber increased to four in 10Similar trends exist in the older workforce During this 30-year period,women increased from 25 to 40 per-cent of the 45-plus work force

The increasing proportion ofwomen in the labor force is likely tohave far-reaching effects on both thefuture economic security of older

38

women and on the traditional, estab-lished societal and family roles forwomen One such role likely to comeunder increasing strain is that of themiddle-aged woman as the chief pro-vider of health and social support toaging parents (See V-3)

11-3. Percent Distribution of the Total Labor Force by Sex, 1950 to 1980

All Males

Females under 45

Females 45-64

Females 65+1

195() 1960Iota] Libor tun r' In millions

Smr(e. Dpportmvnt l )t 1 dbor

1970

.1 7

1980

39

11-4. Employment

Early Retirement TrendsThe trend toward "early retirement" isreflected in the growing number ofpersons claiming Social Securitybenefits prior to ag..? 65 One-third ofall Social Security beneficiaries cur-rently retire at age 62 Since the in-ception of early retirement, thenumber and percentage of persons ofboth sexes retiring early and receivingactuarially reduced benefits havesteadily increased In 1968, 48 percentof all new Social Security paymentawards to men were to claimantsunder 65 By 1978, this had increasedto 61 percent For women, althoughthe total number receiving Social.iecurity benefits has increasedthreefold since 1960, the sharpest in-crease has been in those receivingreduced benefits In 1968, 65 percentof all new awards to women were toclaimants under 65 In 1978, the figurehad climbed to 72 percent

The early retirement rate for maleand female workers together was 66percent in 1978 The most recentfigures available from the SocialSecurity Administration indicate thatsince 1977, the number of peopleretiring early has declined slightly (to64 percent in 1980) It is too early totell whether or not this is a reversal ofthe early retirement trend

40 4 ,

J

At present, of the approximately 20million retired worker beneficiaries ofall ages receiving Social Securitypayments (excluding dependents, sur-vivors, etc ), almost 60 percent arereceiving "reduced benefits" becausethey started drawing benefits prior toage 65

114. Percent of Total Claimants Awarded Actuanly-reduced Payments Because

of Retirement Before Age 65, by Sex, 1968 and 1978

Percent 0 20

Sourr e Si ( ial S. way Administration

40 60

4'1

80 100

41

11-5. Employment

Lengthening Years of RetirementThe trend to early retirement, coupledwith increasing life expectant y, hasresulted in a steady lengthening ofyears the average person spends inretirement On the average, peoplereaching age 65 can expect to live approximately three years longer thanthose reaching age 65 when SocialSecurity was first established

In 1940, average lite expectancy fora man reaching age 65 was an addi-tional 12 years By 1978 the figurehad climbed to 14 years The gains itlife expectancy, and consequently theproportion of one's lift' spent in retire-ment, have been even greater forwomen In 1978 a woman reachingage 65 could expec t to live an addi-tional 18 years or approximately touryears longer than in 1940

I he increasing length of the retire-ment period, however, is much greaterthan the above figures would Indic ate,because the majority of Americansretire before age 65 Sixty-two is the

420 '

most common retirement age underSocial Security and retirement undermany private pension plans occurseven earlier In 1978, a man retiring atage 60 could expect to live an addi-tional 17 years, while a woman retir-ing at age 60 could expect to live arecord 22 additional years

11-5.Years of Retirement (Average Lite Expectancy), by Sex, 1940 and 1978

Year,.

22

20

18

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

ION

1940 1978 1978

Retiring at age 65

Retiring at age 60

Sour«. Nattondi ( enter for I it.dith Shitv,11( ,

A

1940 1978 1978

43

11-6. Employment

Part-time jobsThe proportion of older persons re-maining in the labor force has steadilydeclined Moreover, fewer of thosewho continue to hold jobs are workingfull-time The overwhelming majority(86 percent) of persons under age 65are employed on a full-time basis Bycontrast, approximately one-half of allworkers aged 65 and overmen andwomen alikeare employed onlypart-time (44 percent of men, 56 per-cent of women in this age group) In1979, less than one-third of all workers65 and older were employed on ayear-round, full-time basis

Of special importance is the declinein full-time employment of workersnearing eligibility for Social Securityretirement A decade ago, nearly one-half of all workers aged 60-61 workedyear-round, full-time Today, it is lessthan four in 10 workers

44

The growing trend toward part-timeemployment is due to a large numberof factors greater availability of part-time employment, personal prefer-ence, health changes, new lifestyles,degree of job satisfaction, incomefrom Social Security and the SocialSecurity earnings/retirement test

11-6. Percent of Employed Labor Force in Part-time Employment, by Age andSex, 1979

p Ma le

Female

Age

25-34 71H

35-44

45-54

55-64 1

65+

Per«Ilt 0 10

Sour(p Dpartmont of labor

20 30 40 50 60

45

11-7. Employment

Extent of UnemploymentThe older labor force, male andfemale workers alike, is generallycharacterized by a lower unemploy-ment rate than that experienced byyounger age groups In 1980, theunemployment rate for all workersaged 65 and older was 31 percent,for workers aged 55-64 it was 3 4 per-cent By contrast, the unemploymentrate for men in the age group 25-34was 6 7 percent and that for men20-24 was 12 5 percent

Although unemployment rates aregenerally lower, older workers wholose their lobs have greater difficultyin locating new jobs than youngerworkers In 1980, men aged 45-64averaged some 17 weeks out of work,compared with a national average of13 2 weeks for all men The durationof unemployment for male workers65-plus was 14 2 weeks Women aged65 and older experienced longerperiods of unemployment (140 weeksin 1980) than any other group offemale workers

There is considerable evidence thatthe lengthy periods of unemployment

46

experienced by older workers frequent-ly lead to early, involuntary retirementor to becoming a "discouragedworker" and ceasing to search for ajob During the 1973-75 recession thenumber of discouraged workers rose200 percent among men and womenin the 55-64 year-old category, com-pared with 73 percent for all workers

11-7. Rate and Duration of Unemployment, by Age and Sex, 1980

Age

16-19

=MOM Female IM1.111111 Male

Percent of Labor Fcece Unemployed

20-24 1111M.i..........

25- 14 MINMMINNIII.

15-44

55-64

65.

1111111M.

111111-11111111111Per vnt 1 2 1 4 5 6 7 8 9 H) 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Agt

16-19

20- ' !

25-14

Average Weeks of Unemployment

IIIMEMINIMINNINIMOINNI'm

35 -34 IMM11111111111011MIIMMIIIIIII

45-54

55 64

65 . MIN1111111111111111=1111111111111MINIrIIIIIIIII111111111-11 2 1 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 1 14 15 16 17 18 19

'1,11111. 1)1 ;him!. it ' 1 Al.?!

3 . ; 47

11-8. Employment

Major OccupationsOverall employment growth in thedecade of the 1970s centered in theservice and trade sector, with nine outof 10 new jobs occurring in service in-dustries White-collar jobs accountedfor nearly two-thirds of employmentgrowth during the 1970s, reflecting acontinuing shift from blue-collar towhite-collar employment By 1980,white-collar occupations represented52 percent of total employment, com-pared with 48 percent in 1970 Asharp drop in operative jobs, leassembly line workers, contributed tothe decline in blue-collar workersFarm occupations declined from fourto three percent of total employmentby 1980 Employment growth in thenext decades is expected to follow thegeneral pattern of the 1970s

Older workers, like the populationas a whole, were primarily employed inwhite-collar occupations in 1980, with49 percent of workers 65 and older,and 52 percent of workers 55-64, inthese occupations Within this cate-gory, men were primarily managersand administrators (39 percent), whilethe majority of women were in clericaland kindred occupations

Older men are disproportionatelyrepresented among farm workers In1980, three percent of all males 16-54were employed in farm occupations,

:!",I) I Y

48

compared with six percent of males55-64 and 14 percent of men 65 andelder Other occupations with over-representation of older men includedsales and service workers Persons overage 60 are underrepresented in opera-tive crafts, as laborers, and in profes-sional and technical occupations

11.8. I )iNtribution of I mplo went 14 Ntaior ( )c ( up,itional Croup, bv Set andAge (soul), 1980

rt I. ,III

11X)

90

80

711

60

50

40

30

?I

0

I armSeta lc e

Blue ( ollarWhite Collar

16-54

'11 , t , r , , I 1.1.,irtm. HI t I tl,,,c

55-64 65+ 16-54 55-64 65+

Male Female

4()

III-1. Income

Economic StatusAmerica's older population is repre-sented on all rungs of the economicladder, but it is more heavily concen-trated at the lower levels than thepopulation under 65 In 1979, the me-dian income for families headed bypersons 65 and over was $11,316, whilethat for families headed by personsunder 65 was $21,201 One-fourth ofthe families headed by persons over 65had Incomes below $7,275

Individuals aged 65 and older livingalone (or with nonrelatives) were evenmore heavily concentrated in lower in-come categories In 1979, the medianincome of individuals 65 and older was$4,654, compared with $9,706 for in-dividuals aged 14-64 One-fourth of allindividuals 65 and older had incomesbelow $3,234

While older persons are dispropor-tionately concentrated at the lowerend of the income scale, substantial

50

numbers have significant economicmeans In 1979, nearly one-third of allfamilies headed by a person 65 orolder had incomes of $15,000 or more,with one in five having an income inexcess of $20,000 One in seven in-dividuals 65 and older had an incomeof $10,000 or more, with about half ofthese having incomes above $15,000

Ill -i. l'err ent IhstrIbutun) ot Money Income bv Age, 1979

1 few! 1 14)-1 mom= 114 -ad i,e,

families

1

11111111111111111111

-,1(11111i) 'wio 1111HH) -THIN)) 11,001x)

Unrelated individuals

(AIM)

I,

1

111111T-1111 I 1 I 1 I 1 TrIalirildillmr"r,,44) 11)(44) '1)(1141 :,III41

111-2. Income

Impact of Age, Family Status,and RaceBased on money income in 1978, themedian income for families headed bypersons 65 and older was nearly two-and-one-half times that of olderunrelated individuals ($10,111 vs$4,305) Both groups, however, had in-come only half that of their youngercounterparts Families with a femalehead (a relatively small percentage ofall older families) are the exception tothe general pattern, with household in-

come approximately $2,250 greaterthan families with a female headbelow 65

Significant differences exist betweenthe races The income of older blackfamilies is two-thirds that of families

52

headed by older whites ($6,877 vs$10,433 in 1978) The income of blackindividuals 65 or older is likewise onlytwo-thirds that of older whites ($2,964vs $5,616) Black female individuals inthe 65-plus category are the mostdisadvantaged of all with a median in-come of $2,828 in 1978

111-2. Median Money in( ome in 1978 by Age and Family Status

65,

$2,(X() 4,0(X) 6000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,0(X) 16,0(X) 18,000 20,0(X)

Unrelated individuals

$2,000 4,000 6,000 8,0() 10,01)0 12,001) 14,000 16,000 18,(X) 20,000

"' I"( f, 11111,,Ill (1 Ob. ( I Timis

6 ,53

III-3. Income

Income TrendsThe average economic position ofolder persons has increased in bothcurrent and constant dollars (basedupon 1%7 dollars, C P I for 1967 =100) in the last two decades Between1%0 and 1979 alone the median in-come of families headed by a person65 or older increased nearly fourtold(3 a times), a rate somewhat greaterthan that of younger families, whoseincome increased 3 6 times As a result,the median income of older familiesrose from 49 percent to 53 percent ofthat of younger families during thistime period The rate of increase for in-dividuals 65 and older was evengreatertheir median income rosefrom 41 percent to 48 percent ofyounger persons Nevertheless, in 1979the median income of older familiesand individuals alike remained roughlyone-half that of their younger c ounter-parts

In terms of the actual duR hasingpower of this income, older personslikewise experienced somewhatgreater gains than younger agegroups While the Consumer Price In-dex rose by 145 percent between 1%0and 1979, the income of older fami-lies rose by 291 percent, c omparedwith a 259 percent increase foryounger families, that of older in-dividuals rose by 142 percent, wm-pared with a 278 percent Inc 'vase foryounger individuals The greater In-c rease in the median Inc ome of theolder population vs the youngerpopulation is a result of numeroustac tors, inc hiding automata annual

Social Security cost-ot-living ad-justments since 1974, previous con-gressionally-mandated increases inSocial Security benefits, increases inthe number of persons receivingprivate pensions, and other generaleconomic changes

111-3. Median Money Income of Families and Individuals by Age, 1960-1979

Family Head Age 14-64Family Head Age 65+

22

20

18

16

14

12

10 --

8-6

4

2

0 IIIIIIII

Individual Age 18-64Individual Age 65+

IIII! II 11111lea 19(i) (962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978

Percent Increase in Income, 1960-1979

Family Head Age 14-64Family Head Age 65+

Ver( ent

i SO-

125

100

275

250

0T

NIIndividual Age 14-64Individual Age 65+

Families Individuals

I

259 0% 290 6% 277 5%

Soon 0 litIf.Iti it t hv ( cnsti... find IN,p0r1i)).t0 (0 1 ahrir

60"

341 9%

55

1114. Income

Poverty RateAlthough poverty rates among theelderly remain higher than for thetotal population, the data on povertyprovide another indication of therelative improvement in the economiccircumstances of persons aged 65 andolder in the last two decades In the20 years between 1959 and 1979, ac-cording to the official U S Govern-ment Poverty Thresholds, the numberof elderly living in poor householdsdropped by 1 9 millionfrom 55 to3 6 million households, or from 35percent to 15 percent of the popula-tion 65 and older (The government'sofficial poverty thresholds were an an-nual income of $4,364 for couplesarid $3,472 for individuals in 1979These measures of minimal livingstandards are adjusted annually for in-flation, but they do not "take into con-sideration such non-cash governmentbenefits as Medicare, Medicaid, foodstamps, housing subsidies and others)A reversal of recent trends did occur,however, between 1978 and 1979when the percentage of elderly poorrose by more than one percentagepoint The decline in the poverty rateamong the older population has beensomewhat greater than that of thepopulation as a whole In 1959, thepoverty rate for the total U S popula-tion was 22 4 percent compared with11 6 percent in 1979, while the ratefor the elderly fell from 35 2 percentto 151 percent during the sameperiod

The living standard and overalleconomic status of the elderly have

t;56

improved in the last 20 years Majorcontributing factors have been the in-crease in Social Security coverage andbenefits for the retired population,and expanded private pension pay-ments and annuities Overall improve-ments notwithstanding, large numbersof older persons remain in povertyand substantial numbers are at a levelonly slightly above the official povertythreshold A total of 2.3 million per-sons 65 and older were classified as"near poor," with incomes betweenthe poverty level and 125 percent ofthe poverty level ($5,455 for couplesand $4,340 for individuals in 1979) Incontrast to the poverty figures, thepercentage of older persons classifiedas "near poor" has remained relativelyconstant at approximately 10 percentof the population 65 and older In ag-gregate numbers, one-fourth of the65-plus population were either poor ornear poor in 1979 It should be noted,however, that these amounts are fre-quently supplemented by food stampsand other government subsidies

Certain groups are disproportion-ately represented among the elderlypoor Older women, particularly thosewho live alone, are far more likely tobe poor than older men Members ofminority groups are also over-represented in the ranks of the elderlypoor The highest poverty rate of all isexperienced by older black women-42 percent in 1979, compared with 16percent of white women 65 and older.

III-4. Powrk Kate ot l(,tal Population and Persons hi and mer, 1959 1979

41)-

10

20

10

0

..mamia Age 65.

101,11 population

i

1959I

19601

19701

1975I

1979

I)( A ert Kate 01 the Population 65 and over by Rare arid Sex, 1979

Male Female

MaN, he of in rac e

S(11r1 4 Nil, MI n1 OP 1 t IINii,

57

111-5. Income

Non-cash BenefitsGovernmental non-cash benefit pro-grams have an obvious impact on theoverall economic status of elderlyhouseholds Chief among the in-kindprograms that affect many olderhouseholds are Medicare, Medicaid,food stamps, and certain housingassistance and rent subsidy programsOther governmental programs bene-titing eligible segments of the olderpopulation include various energyassistance programs, which contain amix of cash and in-kind benefits forlow-income households, and serviceprograms provided through the OlderAmericans Act

The exact monetary impact ofthese non-cash benefits and their ef-tect on household poverty status isextremely difficult to determine sincethere is no universal agreement as totheir monetary valuation, or to thetrue extent of multiple benefits to thesame household However, it is c learthat non-cash benefits do make a

ontnbution to the economic well-being of many of the aged

A re( ent Census sample surveyfound that, in 1979, of the 16 1million households headed by a per-son aged 65 or older, a total of 15million (9 i percent) were «were(' byMedicare, 2 7 million (16 percent)were covered by Medic aid, one mil-Iron (six per( ent) were remving foodstamps and 09 million tt rye per ent)were living in subsidlied housing I x-«IA for Medic are, whit h is almostuniversally used by older personseligibility for most governmental

58

benefit programs is based on need, ora means test For example, the Censussurvey showed that while nearly one-fourth of older households with in-comes below the poverty line re-ceived food stamps in 1979, less thanthree percent of older householdsabove the poverty line received foodstamps The median income of olderhouseholds receiving food stamps was$3,945 or approximately half of the$7,883 median income for all olderhouseholds

Medicare is by far the most impor-tant in-kind benefit provided to theretired population Estimates for 1980indicate a total enrollment of approx-imately 24 5 million The estimatedaverage benefit per enrollee in 1978was $943 While Medicare undeniablyhas made a significant impact on re-ducing the total personal health careexpenses of older persons, it should benoted that in 1977 Medicare coveredonly 41 percent of the personal healthexpenditures of those aged 65 andolder This is comparable to the levelof benefits provided by private healthinsurance to persons under age 65

111-5. Non-cash Benefits and Third Party Payments in Households ot One orMore Persons and 'leaded by a Person 65 and over, 1979

Million, orHouseholds

16

141210

Number ot Households

86

42-4

0

PercentPoverty

ot Households BelowLine Receiving

I hew BenefitsPen vnt q

1(X)

\timber nt lif)tiNcliold, in N11111,11,

I hoto,and,of 1)011,tr, Median Income

Percent of HouseholdsPoverty Line ReceivingI hew Benefits

Pen curt1(X)

iAll I lousehol(Is yydh f)-). IleddsRe( .ly U14 I 00(1 ',tamps( oyered hy Medi( ,ire

'1111.1 I BUN ,It I t I !hi (,mu.

1 12'

Above

408070

60-4

5040(02 0 -

1 1 1

0

( 0. ered by Medi( didI icing in ',ubsidiled Housing

0, -.4

)1 59

111-6. Income

Sources of IncomeThe four major sources of income forthe 65 and older population areEmployment earnings t23 percent),Social Security benefits (38 percent),other retirement income and pensions(16 percent), and investments (19 per-cent) logether, these tour sourcesprovided 96 percent of the totalmoney in«)me of the population 65and older

A marked shift has occurred in thelast two decades in the relative con-tribution of each of these four sourcesto the total income of the older popu-lation At the time of the 1963 SocialSecurity Administration Survey of theAged, employment earnings contrib-uted approximately 32 percent of thetotal income of the 65-plus popula-tion By 1978, employment earningshad declined to 23 percent of total in-come During the same 15-yearperiod, Social Sec Linty grew from 30percent of total income to 38 percent,and is now the major source of in-come for the older population

The relative proportion of individualin( )me provided by ea( h of thesesources vanes by age, marital Status,and sex For most persons 65 andolder, personal income is a mix ofthese sources, with Social Security bytar the most important In 1978, 91 per-( ent of d II married couples and 89 per-ent of individuals aged 65 and older

received inc )me from this source Themrhparable figures in 1962 were 79per( .nt I or married c ouples and 63per( ent for individuals

Most Soc Se( Linty rec ipients

60

have at least one additional source ofincome 24 percent had earnings in1978, 31 percent had other pensionsand 57 percent had assets incomeBut for the majority of recipients,Social Security is the single most im-portant source, providing at least 50percent of total income (See III-7)

Private pensions, although growingin importance as an income source,currently cover only limited numbersof older persons Married couples aretwice as likely as single persons tohave pension income in addition toSocial Security For those who doreceive a second retirement benefit,the impact on total retirement incomeis considerable (See III-7 and III-9)Receipt of employment earnings is amajor factor in determining theoverall economic well-being of olderpersons

Persons 65 and older with employ-ment earrings and no Social Securityor other pension have a higher me-dian income than any other subgroup,but the percentage receiving any in-ome from employment has been

steadily declining as older workerLibor force participation rates drop In1978 the median income of couples65 and older receiving employmentearnings was $1 3,170, compared with$7,870 for couples with no earnings(( omparable figures for individualswere $6,7(X) and $3,690)

111-6. Percent of Aggregate Money Inc ome of Older Persons by Sour( e

0 Social Security,

0 Earnings

Income from assets

0 Other Government pensions

IIIPrivate pensions

0 Public assistance

Other*

'in( ludo,, peNonal c ontnbuttorn,

Percent of Older Persons Receiving Money Income from Each Source

So( lalSe( unty

Earnings

Governmentpensions

Privatepensions

In( imefrom assets

Veteran'sbenents

Publicassistanc e

( ontributions

( )tiit r

P.n yin I.)

s,In .. Itilmon "t thf ( cn,n,

Married Non married

20 40 6()

t) ,)

80 100

61

III-7. Income

Social SecurityAlthough most Social Securitybeneficiaries have more than onesource of income, Social Security isthe major source of income for asubstantial portion of the agingpopulation Originally intended as anincome base, Social Security in 1978provided at least one-half the total in-come received by nearly six out ofevery 10 couples and seven out ofevery 10 single beneficiaries 65 andolder Social Security provided 90 per-cent or more of the total income forone-third of the non-marriedbeneficiaries and one-sixth of the mar-ried couples Social Security was thesole income source for one out ofevery five single beneficiaries 65 orolder in 1978

61

In 1978, 16 million Social Securitybeneficiary units (married couples andsingles receiving Social Security) hadmedian Social Security payments of$1,390 Adding all other income, themedian income of these Social Secuei-ty beneficiaries was $5,650

111-7. Percent ot Soc gal Security Beneficiaries Whose Prime Income Source hthe Soc MI Sec unty Payment, by Marital Status, 1978

L_

Married

56% 0 50% or more ot income

514114, i \. of ft; \.1[1,i,

9U% or moro ot inc )me

e50% 01 111010 of income

90% or more of iri«ml,t.

4

3

111-8. Income

Pension Plan CoverageThe number of retirees receivingprivate pension payments increasedsubstantially in the last two oecades,but still represents a relatively smallpercentage of persons aged 65 andolder (see III-9) As previouslynoted, married couples are far morelikely to be recipients of private pen-sions than unmarried individuals Thepercentage of married persons 65 andolder receiving income from privatepension plans rose from 16 percent in1%2 to 31 percent in 1978, for unmar-ried persons, the percentage rose fromfive percent in 1%2 to 14 percent in1978

Data from a national survey ofprivate pension coverage conductedby the Bureau of the Census in 1979indicate that the percentage of re-tirees receiving income from privatepensions will probably increase in theyears to come In 1978, 43 percent ofall private employees aged 16 and_older worked in lobs that were cov-ered by a private pension or otherretirement plan Private pensioncoverage of women continues to lagfar behind that of men, despite the in-creasing number of women enteringthe work force Thirty-one percent ofwomen and 50 percent of men in theprivate labor force worked in jobscovered by private pension plans in1978 Part of the difference incoverage between men and womenresults from the fa( t that a higher

61

proportion of women work part-timeand are employed in small establish-ments and low-coverage industries(e g , trade and service)

Older workers have a substantiallyhigher incidence of private pensioncoverage than do those in younger agegroups Workers aged 45-54 have thehighest coverage rate of the entireworking population (67 percent of menand 44 percent of women), followedby workers aged 55-64 (65 percent ofmen and 40 percent of women)

Of the 43 percent of the workers inlobs covered by private pension plansin 1978, almost one-half acquiredvested rights to some benefitsWomen were less likely to be vestedthan men, but the gap was smallerthan that for pension coverage (10percentage points) Vested rights arehighest among covered workers aged55-64 (70 percent of men who werecovered by a plan and 63 percent ofwomen) Nearly one-half of all em-ployed men aged 55-64 had vestedrights to private pension benefits as of1978 and could expect to receive re-tirement income from this source

`.`

III-8. Percent of Persons 1 mpioyed In lobs Covered by a Private Pension Planand Percent %Aith Vested Benefit Rights, by Age Group, 1978

l'er«.nt70

60

50

40

10

20

10

0

Male total Female total

Male vested Female vested

.-,

tinder 25 25-44 45-54 55-64 65+

tiotin v ',()( lal 511 iint AvimitItstr.ttu.n

65

111-9. Income

Median IncomeMost Soc ial Security beneficiarieshave more than one source of retire-ment income the impac t of addi-tional sources of income isdemonstrated by c ompanson of themedian income of retirees who haveSoc ial Security as their only source ofinc ome with those who also receiveemployment earnings or private pen-sions In 1978, the median inc ome ofmarried couples who received SocialSec unty benefits alone was $5,820,compared with $10,040 for those withSocial Security plus a private pensionor annuity and $10,560 for those withSocial Security benefits and earningsfrom employment About 20 percentof all married couples with SocialSec unty benefits but no other incomehad total incomes below the povertylevel, compared with tive percent ofcouples who also had earnings in-come and only one percent ofcouples who had private pensionsI he c omparahle figures for single per-sons are even more striking Forty-six

percent of single persons aged 65 andolder with Social Security benefits astheir sole retirement inc ome had in-comes which fell below the povertylevel the poverty rates for those whoreceived Social Security and earningsor private pensions were 13 percentand four percent, respec tively

111-9. Median lomme of Older Marital Status 1978

)0( i,rl Sr t Ord`

`,o( tat ')e, wit ))mate pensions

)()( ial Se( not\ earnillgs

Married Couples

MINN)

i)

'I nir, I otisoliol« it mow persons w th head of the houset old 65 and oxer

Non Married

67

111-10. Income

Social Security Beneficiaries andWorkerslhe growth in Social Security bene-ficiaries, a trend to early retirement,and rapid growth of the older popula-tion have all combined to produce asteadily declining ratio of currentworkers to retirees The consequencesof these trends are now being felt inthe increasing financial strains on theSocial Security system By the end of1979 there were about 186 millionpersons receiving retired worker SocialSecurity benefits compared with 12 6million a decade ago, an increase ofnearly 50 percent During that periodthe total labor force increased by only27 percent

When the 161 million other SocialSecurity beneficiaries (dependents, sur-vivors of deceased workers, and recip-ients of disability benefits) are addedto the retired worker beneficiaries, thetotal number of Social Security bene-ficiaries becomes 34 7 million (1980)This translates into 50 Social Securitybeneficiaries for every 100 coveredworkers, or a ratio of 3 3 workers toone beneficiary In 1950, there wereonly six beneficiaries for every 100covered workers, or a ratio of 16 5 toone Although the ratio of workers tobeneficiaries is expected to remainrelatively constant in the next decade(dec lining to only three to one by theyear 2000), a sharp decrease is ex-pected thereafter f he So( IA SecurityAdministration estimates that by theyear 2025, when the total post-WorldWar II "baby boom" population has

68

reached age 65, there will be only twoworkers for every beneficiary

changes in public and private sec-tor policies on continued employmentof older people could change thebasis for statistical characterizationsand generalizations about the relation-ship of older people to the workingpopulation

111-10. So( Nil Set urn\ lienctit lanes per 1(X) NA'orkers, 1950-1(01, IA It h

Prole( t ions to 2(XX)

2000

1990*

1980

1970

1960

1950

0 10

*Protections

'tilial f ',II 1,11 \I, (If Its \ di1111)1,'I thf tll

20 30 40 50

169

III-11. Income

Retired Couple BudgetAlthough there is no universal agree-ment on a definition ot income ade-quacy, one commonly-used measureis the theoretical "retired couplesbudget" developed by the Bureau ofLabor Statistics in the 1960s, which is

updated annually Three separatebudgetslower, intermediate, andhigherhave been designed to repre-sent assumed needs of a retiredcouple at three different standards ofliveig The intermediate budget, themost commonly used, is supposed toprovide a modest but adequate stan-dard of living for a retired couple,consisting of a husband aged 65 orolder and his wife, living in an urbanarea, in reasonably good health, andowning a reasonable inventory ot fur-niture and equipment

In 1979, the intermediate retiredcouples budget was an annual incomeof $8,562 ($165 per week) Sixty-fourpercent, or 19 million of the 61million husband-wite families with ahousehold head of 65 or older, hadincomes at least this high in 1979

Although the Bureau of Labor Sta-tistics has not developed a «)m-parable budget for older individualsliving alone or with nonrelatives, 55percent of the couples budget has tre-quently been used as a theoretic alstandard of adequacy for single per-sons aged 65 and older In 1979, 55percent of the intermediate couplesbudget was 14,709 ($91 weekly) andone -half of all older indix duals hadinc omen of al least this muc h Some

70

authorities, however, consider 75 per-cent of the couples budget to be amore realistic measure of income ade-quacy for single persons This figurewould have been $6,422 in 1979, andonly one-third of all individuals 65 orolder had incomes that high

I11-11. I tt)' ,)1 ()twit-, 1), ,tr)(1 )1(Ic1 (H)it

Rt ( ()tildt

;91

111

Lower Budget5602,1

Intermediate Budget$8562

Higher Budget312,669

( , '

;I,

1)14) tli ()1 t nrt'1,11 Indi\,141(1,d, (); dud (Met h(),,t hi( (filly, Fill,411(1 r «1), 10 "N Nt'tit(qi ( fitici).40 1979

R, (1( 111,L;t't 4)116,tir«,(1( t)tiph' litHigct

lower Intermediate HigherBudget Budget Budget

$4-419 $69611

r 1,11

I iMer Intermediate HigherBudget Budget Budget`WO' $6422 $9-302

47 8

t)8 2

841)

III-12. Income

Average Social Security PaymentsA mayor factor in the improvingeconomic situation of the olderpopulation within the last 15 yearshas been the rise in benefit paymentsunder Social Security and the growthof worker coverage under the systemBetween 1%7 and 1979 the medianincome of all Social Securitybeneficiaries more than doubled Dur-ing this period the rise in median in-come for retirees outpaced increasesin the Consumer Price Index (CPI), aswell as the income gains of youngerage groups (see III-3) Nevertheless,the income of all older people is stillonly one -halt that of their youngercounterparts (see 111-2)

The largest economic gains experi-enced by Social Security beneficiariesoccurred during the period 1967-1972,when four across-the-board increases inbenefits were legislated by the Con-gress During this period averagemonthly Social Security benefits forretired workers rose by 90 percent,resulting in more than a 50 percent in-crease in purchasing power, whit h tar()calm( ed the 25 percent rise in con-sumer prices Since 1975, annual in-creases in Soc la! Sec way have beenindexed to the CPI and subsequentgains in pure haling power have beennegligible Between 1972 and 1979average monthly payments underSoc ial Sec unty inc reared by around 81percent, but the pun h, sing power of

72

c,,0

these dollars remained basically con-stant At the end of 1980, following a15 percent increase in monthly SocialSecurity retired worker benefits, theaverage monthly payment for a retiredsingle worker was $ 341, while that ofmarried couples was $51 3 per month

III-12. ', , , A ..',, wit ,,, 1 .: - ,,!-.. I:. ',f, ,: ,\,,oi , i'h II, H, 1'4 )i) t,, i" ''°P., ''.,1, In i :"H ,,ri ' .'' 1), di `f

Iii ( (irrent I)ollars

lo I) umber, 19-9 Dollarss A

293 294

191 193

IV-1. Health

Self AssessmentThe majority of Americans of all agesgenerally view themselves as being ingood health A 1979 survey by theNational Center for Health Statistics,for example, resulted in the followingfindings When asked the question"Compared to other persons your age,would you say your health is excel-lent, good, fair or poor?", 89 percentof persons under 65 rated their healthas either good or excellent and 68percent of persons 65 and older ratedtheir health as good or excellent

Although the majority of all olderpersons of both sexes and all racesgenerally assess their own health asgood or excellent, important differ-en«.s nevertheless exist by race andincome Whereas 69 percent of whitepersons 65 and older rate their healthas good or excellent, a smaller per-( entage (54 pert ent) of black', do soAmong older people of Hispanic ori-gin, 65 percent rate their healthfavorably

74 c 1

0 4,,,,

Persons in higher-income categoriesare more likely to rate their health asgood or excellenttor example, 77percent of persons aged 65 or olderwith incomes of $15,000 or more did,compared with 61 percent of personswith incomes $7,000 or less

r r

IV-1. Se It Assessment ()t [led Ith )t,ittis, Pers()ns 1)".) (In(l ()ter, h' ))),,, Rue'drul In( )me 1(179

11N)

nt)

8))

71)

51) .

411

II)

TWA

I tide) 1,-, h,. \Idle I erthile

1 1 ..,1 0, 1,, 1

\A hoe Ulm k ( )th( r

In owe

l !rider $15 INN)',INN)

71

IV-2. Health

Mortality TrendsMore people are living longer thanever hetore in our history (see I-3)Death rates for older persons, as

for the population as a whole, havedeclined dramatically since 1950 thedecade of the 1970s witnessed an ac-celerated decline in overall deathrates I he reduc tions occurred amongvirtually all age groups in the popula-tion, both sexes, and all races Thedecline for females has been greaterthan for males, as have the rates forblacks and other races c ompared withwhites

The decline in death rates has beenparticularly evident at the upper agest3etween 1950 and 1978, annual deathrates for women 85 and older de-clined by nearly one-third (from 191per 1,(XX) to 135 per 1,000) and that ofmales declined by about 20 percent(from 21() per 1,000 to 171 per 10)0)Dec reases in mortality have beenprimarily due to dec lining death ratesfor heart disease and stroke, rates forcant 1 deaths, on the other hand,have been rising

Although the de( lining death rateshave not substantially raised the limits

7() S.1

of longevity, the increase in thenumber of persons reac hang the upperages has been considerable Shoulddeclining death rates at age 50 andolder continue at the 1970 rate, it is

likely that the number of personsaged 75 and older by the year 20(X)will exceed current protections

IV-2. l( x) pi 1,11, tip \Ly, ,111(1 -) \ Ph() to 19Cli

I i T

Male

1(1)11 Pr)

Female

1970

1

III 1')11 978

7

IV-3. Health

Causes of DeathHeart disease, stroke and c ancer account for over three-fourths of alldeaths in the 65 and older populationHeart disease alone accounts for near-ly 45 percent of the deaths in this agegroup Although tl-ie ranking of thetop three causes of death differssomewhat in the various age segmentsof the older population, heart diseaseremains the number one cause ofdeath from age 45 on, and the incidence increases with advancing ageCancer is the second most prevalentcause of death in the 45-plus popula-tion, but declines as a percentage oftotal deaths with advancing age It issurpassed by stroke as a cause ofdeath for those 85 and older

1 he causes of death are substan-tially different for the youngerpopulation In the under-45 group, ac-cidents rank number one as a causeof death, while for those 65 and older,accidents are only the seventh leadingcause of death Nevertheless, more

78

than 24,(XX) older Americans died inaccidents in 1978 Suicide is likewise amajor cause of death in younger agegroupsthe third leading cause ofdeath at ages 15-24 and the fourth atages 25-44 By contrast, suicide ac-counts for less than four percent ofall deaths for persons 65 and older

IV-3. I coding ( tutieti Ot Death by Age, 1978

Cause ofDeath 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-84 85+

1

2

3

4

5

All Other

ancer10.2

Accidents6.5

Cirrhosisof theLiver5.2

All Other227

Cancerit

Accidents1.1

Cancer26 4

( ancer180

Cirrhosisof theLiver3.1

Diabetes2.1

Dig*. Arterio-sclerosis

4.3

All Other20 4

All Other20 6

All Other193

All Other]164

`,1,i,r h vfL. 1101'.01,0i( .

79

IV-4. Health

Chronic ConditionsThe likelihood of developing an ail-ment of a chronic nature increasesdramatically with age Most older per-sons have at least one chronic condi-tion (over 80 percent according to a1979 National Center For HealthStatistics survey), and multiple wndi-tions are a common occurrence In1979 the most frequently reportedchronic conditions in persons 65 andolder wore arthritis (44 percent),hypertension (39 percent), hearing im-pairment (28 percent), heart conditions(27 percent), visual impairments (12pert ent) and diabetes (eight percent)Impact on Daily LivingAs the nature and seventy of anygiven chronic condition variesmarkedly from individual to in-dividual, the impact on activities otdally living shows «msiderable varia-tion as well In general, however, mostolder persons are c apable ot carryingon their normal daily routines, despitechronic conditions Although morethan 80 percent ot persons 65 andolder reported having a c hroni«=ondition, fewer than one in six said theycould no longer carry on normal ac-tivities because of these conditions,while one in tive reported somelimitation in the amount and kind ofusual a( oxity, ac mrding to the 1979survey

A better barometer ot the need forlong-term care assistant e c an he ob-tained by measuring limitations inmobility and individual c aim( ity tocarry out ac tivines ot daily living suc has dressing, bathing, using the toilet

and eating In a 1979 NCHS survey otnoninstitutionalized persons aged 65and older, 21 percent were confinedto bed, 2 6 percent needed help to getaround in the neighborhood and 84percent needed help traveling outsidethe neighborhood In regard to dailyfunctions, 3 8 percent needed helpwith bathirig, 2 6 percent needed helpwith dressing, 1 4 percent with usingthe toilet and 08 percent with eatingAlthough the need for help in theseactivities increases with advancingage, the vast majority of individualseven those 85 and oldercontinueto be able to perform these activitiesof daily living independently

IV-4. prt (.t iIIIP1111 1diditii,[1, h, N.41 (

11

'III

ill

-11

1,1,-1

Rate per 1,000 persons by age

1111111111111111111rII 11)I 1 rII "01I WO -)(1 11)41 -;110

( hrinn, al I Ruh.; tin the ( )1(ler Puptilation

Mobility Self-Care100

I I I 111 8 V) 71 ')t44 Iii.

1;111n1 111 11) hothingN, ip 1 111)11-,t Nt(q1, 11104)\ Ili 114 nl 1,1:111i,111111441 (,011)i4\st, 11 111 11.2,11i11111()(111 X11 tl 41,14, ..01) trdi rt

Ni 111'-,11111111

81

IV-5. Health

Visits to Physicians and DentistsUtilization of physician services in-creases with age Persons under age65 average 3 2 office or home physi-c tan visits per year The numberclimbs to 4 8 visits for individualsaged 65-74 and 51 visits for those 75and older Younger and older personsalike average approximately one visitper year to a hospital outpatient c Imicor emergency room Utilization otOutpatient ( links is considerablyhigher among aged persons ot minori-ty races than among whites Eightypercent ot all persons 65 and olderhave seen a physic an at least on( 'during the previous year, and lessthan 14 per«_.nt have not seen a phy-sician in two or more years Since theenac tment ot Medic are, the averagenumber nt phy,it km c ontacts and theper( entage ot persons 65 and olderseeing a physic an in the past yearhave inc reased signitic antly for allpersons 65 and older and partic ularlvamong persons 'A, ith lower incomeDental VisitsThe pattern ot dental visits contrastssharply with that ot physic mn visitsPersons 65 and older have tower den-tal visits per war than those under 65(1 4 vs 1 7) 1 he (Iranian( Now, how-exer is the pen entdge of personsaged 6-, and older who have not seeno dentist in at least tixe years (orenure) I orty lour per( nt ot personsaged 65 and older i ompared v.ith 21)per( t'lli of all persons under 65 ban, enot seen d dentist in 6%), or moreyears Net, health ',UR t' s r('. f %II that411Mlit 60 pen fnt f )1 .11) peN(nr, aged

ti fl.2

65-74 have untreated dental problems(Comparable data for persons 75 andolder are not available)

While access to dental can has im-proved slightly since 1964 (the yearprior to the enactment of Medicare),the percentage of older people whohave not seen a dentist in five yearshas not changed substantially (53 per-cent in 1964 vs 44 percent in 1979)Medicare does not pay for dentalc are, and less than tour percent ofper ( (wad dental costs are paid outot public kinds

IV-5. Physic kM Ottl«' and Home by Persons 65 and Older, 1964 and 1979

Average number of visits, 197965

4

i

2

1

I)

2

1 75

1 '7,0

1 25

I I)

II

All Ages 65+ 6574 75,

Dental Visits, 1964 arid 1979

t rider 65

1979

,er,14e number ot Isit

1 o. : I If .10 1,

1614

.12

8

6

4

2

1964 1979

()Percent with no visits intwo years

I'er( ent vith no visits in five years or never

fj 8i

IV-6. Health

HospitalizationThe utilization of hospitals inc reasessignificantly with advanc ing age Thehospitalization rate for persons 65 andolder is two-and-a-half times greaterthan that of younger persons Whilepersons 65-plus made up 11 percentof the U S population in 1978, theyaccounted for 25 per ent of totalhospital stays Persons 85-plus havethe highest utilization rates of any agegroup (507 stays per 1,000 population,compared with itX, stays per 1,(X10 inthe 65-74 age group) In addition to ahigher in idence of hospital admis-sions, older persons stay in the hos-pital longer than younger persons (seeIV-7) and ac count for a dispro-portionate percentage of total surgic alprocedures (20 percent in 1978)

Hospitalization rates among olderperson, have shown a dramatic in-c rease sin«e the enactment of Medi-c are Between 1965 and 1978 hospitalstays for persons 65 arid older in-

reased by 46 percent, compared witha nine percent inc rease for thepopulation overall Surgical rates havebeen inc leasing at a partic ularly ac-elerated ria«e for the 65-plus group

in the decade of the 1970s (a 4 4 per-cent Inc rease per yc ar, compared with2 2 per(,nt for those under 65)

While older persons will continueto ac ount for an increasing share oftotal hospital usage in the decadesahead as the U S population ages (weI 1), it is important to note that

84

most persons 65 and older are nothospitalized in any given year Datafrom the 1979 Health InterviewSurvey reveal that fewer than two ofevery 10 persons 65 and older werehospitalized in the previous year,compared with one in 10 in theunder-65 population

iV-6. 1 tospitd1 Stds b Age (Joups, 1979

Incidence of any hospitalization in 1979

All Agesto ah 1 ()I m)rI

1)()Intal ,,toN, .-,

Age 65

No hointaiiidtion No host-Wall/anon

Number of Itospital Stay, per 100 Persons per Year, by Age Croup, 196;

dnd 1978Hospital stays per 100 persons per year

100

'Al

RI)

7u(It)

;I)

4)`

to

20

lo

I)

1%5

Unde f,-)

",,,IF, \ Com III , 10, , , II, .'i, '. t',

1978.

Li 6-) 74 75,

85

IV-7. Health

Duration of HospitalizationsOlder persons not only have a greaternumber of acute hospital stays thando younger persons, but the length ofhospitalization also in reases with ad-van( mg age In 1978, the averagelength ot time spent in U S short-stayhospitals ranged trom 44 clays forhildren under 15 to 11 5 days for per

sons 75 and older Average durationot hospitalization dec reased for allage groups between 1965 arid 1978for persons aged 65 and older, itdec reased trom 1 i to 11 clays Rutolder persons still spent about twiceas many days in the hospital per visitin 1978 as did persons under 65

Stated anoth(I way, persons 65 andolder represented 11 pert nt of the1] popui Won in 1978 but ac-t ()tinted for mere than i5 percent ot

Rh

the 262 million days ot ( are providedni U S hospitals The older popula-tion's overall rate and proportion,:lshare of short-stay hospital usage isexpected to continue to inc reasethroughout the tort seeable tuture (seeIV-101

I V-7. 1)tirJti(n) nt 5t,r, nt 111(irt std, I 1),t\Age 19-8

Average Hospital Days

II-

I

\;41- I rtll r 1.11

Total Hospital Days

I

IV-8. Health

Nursing Home Population11-io nursing home populatior of theUnited States increased remarkablyduring the last two dec ades In 1961there were 505,(XX) individuals residingin nursing homes in this c ountry 13y1977, according to the latest dataavailable, the number had grown to1 1 million, a 150 percent inc rease

1 he vast majority of persons-86percent or 1 1 million individuals--residing in nursing homes are aged 65or older, a( cording to a 1977 NationalNursing Home Survey (NationalCenter for Health Statistics) Althoughthi, figure represents less than fivept ent of the total U S populationiged 65 or older, the likelihood et

spc nding part of ontt's lite in a nursinghome inc reases with age In the groupaged 65-74, only one out of every 100persons is in a nursing home on anygiven day This figure climbs to sevenout of 1(X) persons in the 75-84 agegroup and to more than one out 01:'very five persons in the 85-pluspopulition Women are mu( h morelikely to he residents of nursing homesthan men More than 70 per( mt ofthe nursing home population areAohien f he overrepresentation ofwomen in the nursing borne populalion is due not only to the tat t thatthere are more females in the upperage bra( kets, but also to the tat t thatwomen are less likely to havefamily support to assist in intviding mmmunity-bast'd c are Mostmen in the upper ages (mim tolive with a spouse while the over-

88

whelming majority of women arewidows who live alone (See 1-6 and1-8, and V-2)

Differences in rates of institution-alization exist by race as well Whitesrepresent °X) percent of the totalpopulation 65 and older, but 93 per-cent of the nursing home populationBlacks and members of other racesa«o alt for 10 percent of the overallpopulation 65 and older, but sly per-cent of the nursing home populationOnly one percent of nursing homeresidents 65 and older are Hispanics,although Hispanics make up 2 3 per-cent of the general population

numbei of factors have contrib-uted to the tremendous increase inthe nursing home population betweenIk463 and 1977 These factors includegrowth of the population in the upperages, rapid "deinstitutionalization'' ofpatients from the nation's mental hos-pitals beginning in the late 1950s, thenature of the health are reimburse-ment system which encourages institu-tional care, and the lack of viableommunity-based alternatives In 1978

more than $5 8 zillion in governmentRinds was spent on nursing homec are for the 65-plus population Bycontrast, government funding forhome' health care under Medicare andMedic mid amounted to $711 million in1978

IV-8. Percent of 65-and older Population in Nursing Homes, k Se\ and AgeCroup, 1963, 1974, and 1977

I65-74 1 7.1.8-1Pct.( oilU)

85

Male Female

28 -----

)6

24 ,_______

8

6

4

I)196 i 1974 1977 196 i 1974 1977

sulin , drn m.11( prIttl trq t I. ,ilth '.0.tti,ti, ,

CI./

-I. ,

89

IV-9. Health

Mental HealthIt is difficult to assess the overallmental health of any age groupbecause such an undertaking is im-mediately subject to varying percep-tions and differing measurementsHowever, various community mentalhealth surveys indicate that, like thepopulation as a whole, between 15and 25 percent of all persons aged 65and older may have significant symp-toms of mental illness An estimated10 percent of these suffer fromclinically diagnosed depression, whichis one of the most common forms ofemotional illness

While the notion that all people in-evitably become "senile" lingers on,statistics show that only five percentof persons aged 65 and older sufferfrom severe senile dementia, and thatonly 16 percent of all those confinedto nursing homes have a primary diag-nosis of mental disorder or senility

Older people use mental health ser-vices at about half the rate of the

90

general population Five percent ofpatients admitted to all types ofpsychiatric facilities (both Inpatientand outpatient) are 65 and olderAmong the elderly, admission ratesare generally higher for women, forthe younger elderly aged 65 to 74,and for those with no spouse

IV-9, Mental Health Status and UUlization by 65-and-older Population, 1975

III Percent of U S population age65+

ElPercent of U S population age65+ with mental healthproblemsMaximum estimate

111. Percent of U S population age65+ with mental healthproLdemsMinimum estimate

Per(prit .

25

20

15

10

5

Percent of U S suicides

',..f mu( ,,!tif o),Il Irt.tittirr r0 ',11.nt,11 11,,,11,11

.111 Persons age 65+ as percent oftotal admission to mentalhealth services

IIIAdmission to state & countyhospital

71 Admission to communitymental health clinics

1.1 Outpatient psychiatric care

TV I91

IV-10. Health

Utilization ProjectionsThe continuing growth of the olderpopulationand particularly the in-crease in the upper age groupsIs ex-pected to produce a correspondinggrowth in the utilization of healthcare services by the aged While theutilization of health care services willincrease for the under-65 populationas well, persons 65 and older will con-tinue to account for a steadily in-creasing share of total services

The National Center for HealthStatistics has developed estimates forhealth care utilization rates in thenext two decades By the year 2000persons 65 and older will represent 12percent of the U S population butwill use 38 percent (up from 36 per-cent in 1978) of the 331 million daysof short-stay hospital care projectedfor the population as a whole Theywill also make up 17 percent of allvisits to physicians' offices (comparedwith 16 percent in 1978)

The number of nursing home resi-dents in the year 2000 will be almost2 million, assuming continuation ofcurrent rates, with 89 percent or 1 8million ind'oduais being age 65 andolder Nu sing home utilization is

92

predicted to be the fastest growingsegment of the health care system inthe next two decades Between 1978and 2000, the nursing home popula-tion is expected to increase by about49 percent, while hospital days forpersons of all ages are expected to in-crease by 26 percent and physiciansvisits by 22 percent

IV-10. Use of Health Servl( es by Persons Under 65 and 65 and older, 1978and Projections to 2(XX)

0,0,. 01 (In million,(50

251)

200

150

1(X)

50

0

Number 01 .Potsrinlhon.

720

560

480

400

320

240

Number 01 resident.in thousand,2000

1900

18(X),

1700--

1600

,, 15(X)

14(X) .

110°

1200,

11(1)

1000

900.

800.

700

6(X)

500

400

300200

1(X).

160 -=.==

Year 1978 L.00

Short-stayhospital days

Under 65 years

65 years and over

0

Sour( o National ( enter tort )ealth ..tansm

Year 1978

Physicianvisits

2000

I u

Year 1978 2000

Nursing homeresidents

93

IV-11. Health

Health Care CostsThe elderly account for a dispropor-tionate share of total U S health carecosts In 1978 persons 65 and olderrepresented 11 percent of the U Spopulation but accounted for 29 per-cent of total personal health care ex-penditures In 1978, a total of $49billion was spent on personal healthcare for persons 65 and older, com-pared with $119 billion for theunder-65 population

On a per capita basis, the expen-diture for persons 65 and over was$2,026, seven times the $286 percapita spent for persons under age 19and two-and-a-half times the $761 percapita spent for persons 1964 Thelargest category of health care spend-ing for the aged was for hospital care($21 billion) Hospital expenditures percapita for persons 65 and over were$869, twice the per capita amountspent for persons 19-64 Nursing homecare is the next largest and fastestgrowing health care spending categoryfor the aged, accounting for nearly$13 billion in annua; expenditures($518 per capita), followed by physi-clan services at $9 billion and $366per capita

Significant difterences exist be-tween age groups and by health carecategory in the proportion of healthcare costs paid by public and privatesources Direct or out-of-pocketpayments and private insurancefinanced most health (-are costs foryounger age groups (71 peftent). whilepublic funds paid for nearly two-thirdsof all health c are for those 65 and

94

older (see IV-12 for trends inhealth care funding) Despite theheavy expenditure of public funds forhealth care of the aged, however, out-of-pocket payments continue to be amajor expense for the 65-plus popula-tion In 1977, persons aged 65 andolder paid 29 percent of their healthcare costs out-of-pocket Amountspaid by private sources vary con-siderably by service category Whileprivate funds account for 13 percentof per capita hospital expenditures,they represent 54 percent of nursinghome expenditures and 97 percent ofdental costs for persons 65 and older

Wit Total and Per Capita Health Care I xpenditures for Person% Under 65and 65 and over, by Category, 1978

Billionsor Millar,

110

110

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

10

20

10

Public Prmate

Owhir

11 111 to I in II.,

Dollars$2000

19(X)

1800

17(X)

1600

15(x)

14(X)

1 i(X)

12(1)

11(X)

1001)

9(X)

8(()

7(X)

6(X)

5(X)

4(X)

100

2(X)

1(X)

O

Per ( apaat) Age

1'41 (apiLe( .it'g'ir ti; and inr

t

(15

IV-12. Health

Health Care Expenditures 1965-1978In the 15 years following enactment ofMedicare and Medicaid, a significantshift in the proportion of public vsprivate sector health care funding forthe elderly took place In 1966, only 30percent of all health care costs for per-sons 65 and older were paid withgovernment funds By 1978 the publicsector share of health care funding hadrisen to nearly two-thirds of the totalcost. The rise in hospital costs has beenparticularly dramatic Governmentfunds currently pay nearly 90 percentof all hospital costs for those 65 andolder, compared with less than one-half of these costs in 1%5

Public funding of health care for allage groups has been shifting fromstate and local governments to thefederal government since 1965 In1965 nearly half of the $2 6 billion inpublic funds spent on health care forpersons 65 and older was from stateor local sources By 1978, only 14 per-cent of the $31 billion in public fundsspent on health care for the agedcame from state or local sources

Although public funding as apercentage of health care spendingfor the 65 -phis population has beenstabilizing in recent years, totalgovernment costsand particularlycosts for hospital care, physician ser-vices and nursing home careare ex-pected to continue to increase

961 u 1

substantially in the decades aheadThe Health Care Financing Adminis-tration predicts that, if present trendscontinue, total nursing home costsalone will rise by nearly 400 percentbetween 1978 and 1990 (from $16billion to $76 billion)

IV-12. Health Care Costs for Persons 65 and Over for Public and PrivateSources, 1965 and 1978

1965

1978

Medical Public Assistance

State + Local Hospital

Other

0 Public

Private

'miff( t, Hyatt h ( amt man( t. Immistratmn

Private

Medicaid

Other

Medicare

97

V-1. Family

Changing Family StructureAmerica's trend toward an olderpopulation has dramatically changedthe nature of family structures Three-and four-generation families havebecome increasingly common, with anestimated one-third of all persons 65and older having at least one great-grandchild A Social Security Ad-ministration longitudinal study from1%9 to 1979 of family structure in thepre-retirer,ent years revealed that one-fourth of persons aged 58-59 had oneor more surviving parents

The number of persons aged 65and over, and in particular those85-plus, relative to the number of per-sons in the middle years, has in-creased dramatically since the turn ofthe century In 1900, only 41 percentof children born could expect toreach age 65, while approximately sixpercent could expect to reach 85 By1978, nearly 76 percent could expectto reach age 65 and 26 percent, age85(see 1-5) Chart 1-4 depicts thegrow th of the number of persons 80and older relative to the 60-64 agegroup In 19(y) there were only 21 per-sons aged 80 and over for every 1(X)persons aged 60-64 By 1980, thenumber had grown to 53 per 1(X) andby the year 200() will reach 78 per100 Shortly after the turn of the cen-tury, this figure will dec line somewhat,reflecting achievement of age 65 bythe post-World War II "baby boom"generation, then starting around 2025,the 85-plus population will increaseagain as the postwar generation 'twitreaches the older age brat kets

98 1U;;

The increasing number of older peo-ple, relative to those in the middleyears, affects the nature and stabilityof family support systems for agingrelatives Traditionally, middle-agedchildren, particularly women, providethe bulk of basic support services thatmay be required by an aging parent(see V-5) Although most older personsare able to function independently,the need for home care and othersupport services increases with ad-vancing age Yet the potential pool ofmiddle-aged people available to helpolder family members will be declin-ing, reflecting the long term U S trendto smaller families (see V-3) and thedrop in birth rates atter the postwar"baby boom

WI. Number of Persons Age 80 and Older per 100 Persons Age 60 through64, 1900-2030

1900 21

1910 22

1920 21

1930 22

1940 24

1950 28

1960 36

1970 43

1980* 53

1990* 62

2000* 78

2010* IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII602020* 51

2030* 80

I 1 T 1 "I I 1 1

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

'Pule( tims

Sour( r Bureau of thr ( rtl,t),

107 99

---

V-2. Family

Living ArrangementsMost older persons live in family set-tings Over 50 percent of older house-holds consist of two-person, husbandand wife, family units Within thisgeneral framework, however, signifi-cant differences exist in the living ar-rangements of older men and womenThe overwhelming majority of menaged 65 and older live with a spouse(75 percent), while little more thanone-third (37 percent) of older womendo so Over half of all older womenare widows (see (-6)

Although bonds with children gen-erally remain strong and contacts arefrequent (see V-4), few older per-sons actually live with their children(six percent of men aged 65 and olderand 11 percent of women), Availableresearch reveals that for the great ma-jority of older persons, independentliving has increasingly become thelifestyle of preference

The trend to independent living,particularly among older women, is

dramatically demonstrated in thefacing chart The last three decadeshave witnessed a sharp decrease inthe percentage of older women wholive in family settings (primarily re-fleeting a decline in the numbersliving with children), and a concomi-tant increase in the percentage livingalone (or with a non-relative) In 1950,19 percent of all women aged 65 andolder were heads of such "primary"(non-family) households; this figureclimbed to 42 percent by 1979Although the proportion of older mencategorized as "primary" householders

100

has also increased since 1950, it hasbeen at a much slower rate (from 11percent to 16 percent) The percent-age of older men living in family set-tings has remained basically constontduring the time period, as the declinein the proportion of older men livingwith children has been offset by anincrease in the percentage living witha spouse

V-2. Living Arrangements, Persons Aged 65 and Older. h sex, 1950-1979

!num Male living in a tamilv setting1i4m In ,ing ri i family setting

ttie, head ot non-tarnilv householdasom female, head ot non-tamily household

Percent

100

90

80

70

60

5(1

40

30

20

10

0

1950

= -

1960 1965 1970 1975 1979

111.1 MalePer( tint 1960 1979 Pin tint

75 75

60 60

45 45

30 30

15 15

0I Ring I R ingwith withspouse c hildren

or otherrelatne

ri litiredo ot the t. emit),

Living Livingwith with4rotRe hildnin

or otherrelative

Female1960 1979

Ring R inh wing Cuingwith ith with with

hildren spouse c hildrenr other or other

101

V-3. Family

Family Support SystemsChild--.n are the main source of in-formal support services to elderly per-sons In the last 50 years, however,there has beer a decline in the U Sbirth rat., potentially affecting thetraditional family care role While thisdeclining birth rate has contributed tothe dramatic growth in the proportionof the population aged 65 and older,it reduces the potential for childrento provide support services to anaging parent

In 1931, nearly one-half of allwomen aged 60-64 had borne four ormore children By 1980 the proportionhad dropped to one in four Althoughthe current population aged 80 andolder is a group with relatively largenumbers of children (reflecting thehigher birth rates of the past), the nextdecade will show a sharp increase inthe percentage of older women withsmall families, as Depression-yearmothers (those born between 1906 and1915) reach the upper ages Approx-imately two out of every 10 womenaged 65 and older in the decade of the1980s has never borne a child Al-though exact data are not available,the total number who are childlessmay be much higher, reflecting the in-creasing percentage of mothers whonow outlive their children

While the decade of the 1990s willsee the mothers of postwar "babyboom" children reach the older ages,where a greater number of childrenwill, comprise a potentially extensivesupport network, this group representsonly d brief reversal of the trend

102 11a

toward smaller families In the post-World War II period, approximatelyone-third of all women had four ormore children, only one in 10 hadnone The "baby boom" group itself,however, is registering record lowbirth rates The trend to smallerfamilies, together with the growth ofolder segments of the 65-plus popula-tion, may reduce the family's capacityin the decades ahead to provide sup-port for elderly members

V-3. Women Aged 50 and Older, by Number of Children Ever Born, by AgeGroup, 1980*

No children

1 child

2-3 children

4 or more children

Age 1980 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70.74 75-79 8(184 85-89 90-94

Year nt Birth (1926 -40) (1921 25) (1916-20) (1411 1C) (1406-10) (1901-05) (189619(X)) (1891-95) (1886-90)

`Projected trnm number nt ,%nmen age 5054 in appmpnate past time periods

Stnir, 4 Nattt.nol tot I lcdIth so,if II(

Ii; 10

V-4. Family

Contact with ChildrenAs preceding charts demonstrate,most older persons do have childrenor other family members livingWhether these individuals form apotential support-giving group in timeof need depends on a number of fac-tors, including physical proximity andnature of the personal relationships

The stereotype that children haveabandoned their parents is notsubstantiated by research findings (seeV-5) Not only do most olderpersons have at least one child wholives nearby, but contacts withchildren are frequent A nationwidestudy revealed that four out of fivepersons in the survey population 65and older had one or more survivingchildren Of this group, three-quarterslived within 30 minutes' travel time ofat least one child, including 18 per-cent who lived in the .,ame house-hold Approximately three-quarters ofthe survey group had seen at leastone child within the previous weekOnly 11 percent had not seen a childin the previous month

Data from a recent study con-ducted by the U S General Account-ing Office corroborate the fact thatmost older persons have a child towhom they could turn in the event ofill health. Those without children in-dicated the availability of othersources of assistance Eighty-sevenpercent of the survey group statedthat they would have a primarysource of help in case of illness, andmost said they had someone whowould take care of them as long as

104

needed The most frequently citedsource of help was the older person'schildren (42 percent), a husband orwife (27 percent), a brother or sister(10 percent), other relative (nine per-cent), and friends (eight percent)

V-4. Proximity to Children and Frequency of Contacts, Persons Aged 65 andOlder, 1975

0Percentof Pop 65+withsurvivingr hildren

In 10 11-30 31 orsame min min morehouse- or minhold le,

Source. Administration on Aging

Today 2-7 8-30 Moreor days days thanYesterday ago ago 10 days

ago

105

V-5. Family

Family and FriendsAs demonstrated in V-4, mostolder persons not only live in closeproximity to their children, but con-sider them to be a primary source ofhelp in time of need Central to theissue of long-term care, therefore, isthe extent to which the family actual-ly provides such care, and factorswhich inhibit or enhance the familycapacity to do so

Results of a U S General Account-ing Office (GAO) study reveal thatover SO percent of home help servicesreceived by older persons (at varyingimpairment levels) are provided byfamily and friends While agencies arethe primary providers of medical ser-vices, three-fourths of the servicesclassified as compensatory helphelpin performing the tasks of dailylivingare piwided by family andfriends These services include per-sonal care, homemaker services, mealpreparation, monitoring, banking andthe like Of older people surveyed byGAO, for example, 58 percent re-quired personal care services, andnearly 97 percent of these individualsreceived such care from family andfriends

Fainiiies and friends ar,, also theprimary providers of transportatio.iservices to older persons Sixty-eightpercent of individuals in the GAOsample were dependent on others fortransportation, either wholly or inpart Of this group, 88 percent re-(eived transportation assistance fromfamilies, seven percent from agenciesand four percent from both The

106

results of other studies and surveyscorroborate the GAO findings andestablish the family as a vital elementin any system of long-term care Thetamily role in prevention of institu-tionalization has been well docu-mented

Family ability to provide care to anaging relative is influenced by anumber of factors. the level, intensityand du-ation of care required (as theaging Population is itself aging, carerequirements can be expected to in-crease), the family unit's declining size(see V-3), diminished time availabili-ty, due to such factors as middle-agedwomen entering tne work torce (see11-3), and the fact that the potentialcaretakers are themselves aging andmay have their own care requirements(see \ -1)

V-5. Persons 65 and Older Receiving Selec ted Home Services Provided byFamily Members and Agen( ies, 1975

Pert flit100

90-

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Receiving help fromfamily and friends

Receiving help fromagency

Receiving help fromboth

Requiring no help

Pr,on,11( tr

VI( mit()ring Ifint)rmaker Adminhtrative Medi I rdnsporliition& I real Preparat u MI

`,,,lin ( (,, ncrt1 1, I otintmg( MI( .

t '7-IL ci 107

V-6. Family

Nursing Home ResidentsThe central role of the family in pro-viding support services to the "at-risk"elderly is demonstrated by comparingcharacteristics of the nursing homepopulation aged 65 and older withthose in the same age group living inthe community Over one-half of allpersons 65 and older are married andliving with a spouse, only 12 percentof the nursing home population is stillmarried Women are much more like-ly to be nursing home residents thanmen, reflecting the fact that morewomen survive to the high-risk years(age 85-plus) and that the great ma-jority live out their lives as widows Incontrast, most men are still living witha spouse at the upper ages and com-paratively few live alone

While four out of every five olderpersons have at least one survivingadult child, almost one-half of the in-stitutionalized elderly are childless

108

A significant difference, likewise,exists in the institutional status of the"never married Older persons whohave never married represent five per-cent of community residents 65 andolder, but 14 percent of the nursinghome population

V-6. Per,ons Aged 65 and Older in the Community and in the Nursing HomePopulation, k Sex and Marital Status, 1977

By sex

Pert, nt75

Community Residents Nursing Home Residents

Male Female Male

By marital status

Community Resident Nursing Home Resident

Female

Married Widowed Divorced

',nun r Notional ( rntrr tnr tiro Ith YoIntu N ond Bunton of thc( crnor.

I #1

Never Married

109

V-7. Family

Changing Family LifestylesThe family usually plays a central tolein the provision of essential supportservices to an aging parent (see V-5)Available data do not support claimsthat this responsibility has been aban-doned There are, however, indicationsthat a number of recent trends affect-ing traditional family structures andlifestyles may interfere with thefamily's capacity to sustain this role inthe future

The growth of the 75-plus popula-tion, or the "frail elderly," has resultedin a parent population requiringgreater support services At the sametime, the number of children whocould provide these services has beendiminishing (see V-3) This phenom-enon is evident in the increase in thenumber of persons aged 80 and olderrelative to those aged 60-64, which af-fects the intergenerational dependencyratio (see 1-14) Of equal signif-icance is the aging of the adultchild populaion, which has resulted ina potential support grow) likely tohave an increasing share of health andother age related problems of its own

Illustrative of the changing Amen-can family structure is the rapidgrowth of families headed by womenwho are divorced or separatedLikewise, families maintained by amarried couple in which the wife ispart of the labor force have increaseddramatically since the 1950s Womencurrently comprise more than four outof every 10 U S workers Of particularimport has been the lifestyle changeamong women aged 45-64, the pm

110

mary support network for an agingparent The divorce rate amongwomen aged 45-64 has increased bymore than two-and-a-half times since1950 There has been a dramatic risein the number of women in this agegroup who have entered the laborforce in the last three decades In1980, six out of every 10 women aged46-54 and more than four out ofevery 10 women aged 55-64 wereemployed outside the home

V-7. DR or«d Per,,on, per HMO Marned Per,,ons Aged 45 through 64, by Sex,Sete( ted 'rear, 1950-1978

Male Female

1950 1960 1970

Percent Dvtribution ot I dithhes, F) Type, Selected 'tearsP151-1978

19-6

1960

1(16;

1970

1(7-)

1978

I) 20

I ,P.

El\I irnt 11 \r% Itil

\Alt, In 11,11(1 Irit,,kr ton I,

40 6)) 8() 100Int it tamills

\ttrrt.,(1 ,.,(11.1, ,Alth 0,,ttf1,1111 11kg tun

`.1J(4 111,1 t.I .1 tilt '1,11

1111 Mtn III iti print

\%, anon no nt

Number01

42 0

45 1

480

55 7

57 2

111

VI-1. Physical Environment

Older Households IncreaseIn 1980 the total number of house-holds in the U S reached about 79 4million Over one-fifth of all U Shouseholdssome 16 millionareheaded by persons 65 or older Overone-third of all householdsa total of28 millionare headed by a person55 or older

The decade of the 1970s witnesseda substantial increase in the numberof households headed by persons 65or older as the trend toward inde-pendent living continued

The rate of growth for such house-holds outpaced the overall growth ofthe 65-plus population in the 1970sand will continue to do so in thedecade of the 1980s Between 1980and 1990, the number of householdsheaded by persons 65 and older willincrease by about 3 6 million

A major factor in the growth of thenumber of households headed by per-sons 65 and older has been the rapidincrease in single-person, non-familyhouseholds, particularly the increasingnumber of widows and older womenwho choose to live alone rather thanwith children or other faintly members(see V-2)

112

In 1979, of the households headedby persons aged 55-64, 24 percentwere headed by a "primary" in-dividual (a person living alone or witha non-relative' For households withheads aged 65-74, the figure climbs to40 percent, and for households withheads 75 and older, to 55 percent

V1-1. Number of Households by Age of Head of Household, 1979

Under 25 (7 million)

25-35 (18 3 million) 75+ (6 million)

35-44

(1 3 4 million)

45-54 (12 4 million)

Family

Single Person Households

Sour «. Bureau of Olt ,1),..e.,

12;

65-74

(10 million)

55-64

(123 million)

113

VI-2. Physical Environment

HomeownershipOlder people are more likely to hehomeowners than younger peopleEquity in a home is the major assetfor many people aged 65 and olderThe latest data available from a na-tional housing survey (1976) show thatmore than seven out of every 10household heads aged 65 and olderown their own homes, 84 percent ofwhich are mortgage-free In com-parison, six out of every 10 householdheads under 65 are homeowners, andonly 25 percent of this group owntheir homes outright Homeownershipis highest among older couples (83percent) and lowest among men livingby themselves (52 percent)

While homeownership is wide-spread among the 65-plus population,total housing costs (including utilitiesand property taxes) remain high formany older people In absolute mone-tary terms, the elderly spend less onhousing costs than members ofyounger age groups Because of theirlower income, older homeowners onthe average spend a greater propor-tion of their income on housing Thisis true for both mortgage-freehomeowners and those with mort-gages Persons aged 65 and older whohave mortgage-free homes spend 15 2percent of their income on housing,compared with 81 percent for home-owners aged 30-44 and 8 9 percent forthose 45-64 For homeowners with amortgage, the rates are 25 5 percentfor those 65 and older, 18 7 percentfor those 30-44 and 15 1 percent forthose 45-64

114

Approximately one-third of all olderpersons who are household heads livein rental housing Because olderrenters tend to have lower incomesthan older homeowners, they spend ahigher proportion of their income onhousing Data from a 1977 nationalhousing survey reveal that persons 65and older who rent their homes spendnearly one-third of their income onhousing costs, compared with a na-tional average of one-fourth of totalincome Current estimates from theU S bepartmenr of Housing andUrban Development reveal that morethan 1 3 million persons 65 and olderreceive some form of assistance underthe federal government's major hous-ing programs

VI-2. Homeownership, Rental and Mortgage Status by Age of Head ofHousehold, 1979

nt80

70

60

50

40

10

20

10

(1

Age 65+

Own Home

Mortgage Free

Rent

Under 65

`1(,kif t "CM] r,t 011 ( 111,l1, And 1)(),Irt111411t ut ii0lising and l'rhan Dvtlopriient

115

1 (-) #

V1-3. Physical Environment

Location of ResidenceMost people aged 65 and older live inmetropolitan areas, a total of 14 7million individuals, or more than 63percent of the older non-institutionalpopulation in 1979 Persons under 65are even more concentrated in metro-politan locations with 68 percentresiding in these areas Because of re-cent trends in mobility and the agingof the suburbs, more older persons.ow live in the suburbs than in thecentral cities (33 percent vs approx-imately 30 percent)

Substantial differences exist in theplace of residence of different racialsubgroups within the 65-plus popula-tion While the overwhelming majorityof all older subgroups live in metro-politan areas, whites predominantlylive in the suburbs (55 percent ofmetropolitan-dwelling whites aged65-plus), whereas more than threequarters of urban older blacks live inthe central city Numerically, however,there are almost six million olderwhites to one million older blackresidents of central cities

The past decade has witnessed a

substantial movement away from thecentral city and an aging of residentsalready living in the suburbs Thegrowth in the number of personsaged 65 and older in the suburbs hasbeen particularly significanta one-third increase since 1970 Whereas in1970 the majority of metropolitandwellers aged 65 and older lived inthe central cities, in 1979 more thanhalf were residing in suburban areasIn 1979, 12 7 percent of all suburban

116

1

residents were aged 65 and older,compared with 7 7 percent in 1970

The movement away from centralcitiesin conjunction with the "gray-ing" of the suburbsis likely to affectlifestyle patterns among the elderly inthe future and the way services aredelivered to the older population

V1-3. 10( mum ()I Re,idn( b Age 4,1-0411) and ( 1'470 and 1979

Prr,

1041

80

70

641

10

20

10

()

( ntral it1970

Suburban S+4111Nletro

1979

Under 65

'.lit1(N)

911

70

61)

10

2))

1))

Whites

65+ Under 65

Blacks

65+

'nder t,"; 65 Under hi 65.

117

VI4. Physical Environment

Age of HousingPersons aged 65 and older are morelikely to live in older housing struc-tures than are younger persons Nearlyone-half of all homeowners aged 65or older reside in homes built prior toWorld War II, compared with lessthan one-third of all young home-owners By the same token, only 24percent of older homeowners, com-pared with 42 percent of youngerhomeowners, live in homes built after1959 For homes built after 1969, thepercentages are eight percent forolder homeowners and 18 percent foryounger homeowners

While age of housing is not neces-sarily an index of physical condition,it does bear a relationship to size,functional obsolescence, and ease ofmaintenance Various housing studiesreveal that many older persons live inhomes that are too large for c urrentfamily size and need And for thosewith physical handicaps maintenancedifficulties can be severe Age ofhousing likewise hears a relationship

1

118

to net worth, placing the elderlyhomeowner at a considerable mone-tary disadvantage in terms of resalevalue Data from the 1979 annualHUD housing survey reveal that ap-praised value of housing built in 1939or before was $35,000, compared with$62,200 for ho...iing built in 1970 orlater

VI-4. Age of Houses Occupied by Older Persons by Selected Age Group,1976

Peru nt50

40

30

20

I()

11

S,,i in , IStirc.iti (., tiw( (n.ii,,m(11)up irtm,Fit (0 I iouing drill t rum I )1,.,1"riluni

1 9 '.., 4

Head Under 65 Head 65,

Built Before 1941 Built After 1959

119

V1-5. Physical Environment

Condition of HousingMost older persons and younger per-sons alike live in housing withoutserious physical inadequacies Accord-ing to detailed tabulations from the1976 annual HUD survey, only ninepercent, or 1 3 million, of the 148million housing units with householdsheaded by persons 65 and older werecharacterized as having physical def I-

ciencies or flaws The comparablerate for the population as a wholewas 9 7 percent

Older persons who are renters aremore likely than older homeowners tolive in housing that has significantflaws (15 7 percent vs 6 2 percent) In1976, about 273,000 rental units and259,000 owner housing units occupiedby older persons were seriouslyflawed (two or more deficiencies) inthe major areas of plumbing, sewage,maintenance and kitchen facilities

Although the majority of persons65 and older live in physically ade-quate housing, substantial differencesexist within the older population Thesubgroup of older persons most likelyto live in inadequate housing aresingle men who live alone Twenty-one percent of houses lived in by

I ';. ,,)120

single men 65 and older are classifiedas physically inadequate

The highest rates of inadequatehousing are found among poorhouseholds consisting of Hispanicmales living alone, followed by blackmales living alone, families headed byblack females and black females orwhite males living alone

VI-5. Percent of Housing with Selected Flaws Occupied by Household withHeads 65 and older, 1976

Percent

22

20

18

16

14

12

10 9.79.0

Households with Selected Flaws

Headed by 65+ Persons

20.8

6.1

9.9

Tt; aC 3t...)

C.)0073 ,,5 t'ccc D

7i 7 "E 74c ft, -0 ,4 -0 ci,

3

Sour( e Bureau ot the ( ensu% and Department ot Housing and Urban Development

121194., 1

VI-6. Physical Environment

TransportationThe 1971 White House Conference onAging identified transportation as asignificant problem for older persons,outranked only by income and healthThe ability to participate in everydayactivities and to obtain access toneeded community services is directlyrelated to the quality of transportationavailable In 1981, inadequate trans-portation remains a major problemfor many older Americans Manycommunity services, particularly insuburbs, have become increasingly in-accessible to those who do not haveprivate automobiles

The automobile is the primarymeans of transportation in the UnitedStates for both younger and older agegroups, accounting for more than 80percent of all personal trips, includin,excursions by automobile, publictransportation, walking, bicycling andother modes However, the auto-mobile is less available as a means ofpersonal transportation for those 65and older, because the number ofboth car owners and drivers declinesdramatically in the upper age groupsA 1974 survey by the U S Bureau ofthe Census revealed that approximate-ly four out of 10 persons aged 65 andolder who were heads of householdsdid not own an automobile, a figuretwice that of any other age groupDecline in automobile ownership inthe older age groups is accompaniedby a decline in frequency of excur-sions (approximately half that ofyounger persons), and an increase inthe proportion of trips taken as

122

passengers rather than drivers Theolder woman is particularly disadvan-taged in a society dominated by auto-mobiles Reflecting lifestyles andmores of the past, possession ofautomobiles and driver's licenses issubstantially lower among womenaged 65 and older than among men

In the decade of the 1970s signifi-cant legislation was enacted and arange of federally-supported programsdeveloped to ameliorate the transpor-tation problems facing many olderAmericans Estimates indicate that infiscal 1975 there were approximately2,000 transportation projects sup-ported either fully or partially byfunds authorized through the OlderAmericans Act alone (Federal fundingof transportation services for theelderly is also provided through theUrban Mass Transportation Act andTitles XIX and XX of the Social Securi-ty Act) By 1979 the number hadgrown to an estimated 2,800-3 200projects An exact figure is unavail-able on the total number of transpor-tation projects serving the elderlyunder all public and private sectorsources, although it is estimated to besubstantially higher

VI-6. Pert( nt of Population Who Do Not Own Cars, by Age, 1974

Under 25 25-29 30-34 35-44 45-54

Percent of "Person" Trips by Mode and Age, 1977

i% 2%

16-64

Ei PrRatt AutoPublic 1 rdrwI

,,,,jr,, 1 , i 1. i,'.11, ,I. ,`I 11 I, 1,.1.,C1101

1!11 NA'alk

Othf.r

13;

55-64

2%

654

65+

12

VI-7. Physical Environment

Criminal VictimizationCriminal victimization of the elderlyhas generated national concern in re-cent years While the exact scope ofthe problem is difficult to determinedue to inadequacies in reporting andcollecting relevant data, the quality oflife of large segments of the olderpopulation is influenced by the fearof crime

Victimization data of the Law En-forcement Assistance Administration(LEAA 1979) reveal that older personsare, overall, less likely to be victims ofcrimes than members of other agegroups Older persons are more likelyto be victims of crime against house-hold property (burglary and larceny)than crimes against the person (rob-bery, assault and theft), but rates inboth categories are substantially lowerthan those for persons aged 14-64 In1979 the overall personal victimizationrate against men 65 and older was 33per 1,000, that against women was 24per 1,000 Comparable rates for thepopulation aged 14-64 were 159 per1,000 for men and 125 per 1,000 forwomen The rate of household crimewas 103 per 1,000 for householdsheaded by persons aged 65-plus com-pared with 247 per 1,000 for house-holds headed by a person aged 18-64About 22 million older persons suff-ered crimes against their person orhousehold in 1979

There is considerable evidence,however, that crime against the elderlymay be substantially greater than in-dicated by these national statisticsVarious local studies reveal higher

124

rates of victimization than containedin the LEAA data, particularly amonglow-income, inner-city residents Alsoof importance is the fact that olderpeople are more physically vulnerablevictims, and have a diminished poten-tial for recovering from the incidentfinancially, physically and psycholog-ically Indeed, a 1975 survey by LouisHarris and Associates revealed thatone out of every four elderly personsrates crime as a very serious problemOther studies substantiate this generalfinding and reveal the consequences ofthis fear to be far-reaching, affectingsuch aspects of daily living as the useof public transportation, shopping be-havior, socialization and involvementin cultural and recreational activities

V1-7. ( riminal Vu firmiation of Okler Persons, 1974

Percent of persons %, ho are %, it tints Number of tirmia t ionsPopulation 65. %,s under 65

1264 61+ U-114 b5. 12-64 65+

Population 65+

t kindredI hoosands personal

171615141

1

1

1

Household

Percent of persons age 65+ who are victims of specific c rimes10--I

4_

87654

2I

Robbery

f `rte\tale 1111dIV

Theft

Sour', I himrtilwnt rd In,he

%idle 11171011. 11Tike

1 3

All Persons

Larceny

All Personsh5+

125

VII-1. Continued Social and Economic Involvementin the Community

Voting PatternsOlder persons are more likely to votethan are members of most youngerpopulation groups Although the pro-portion of all age groups voting inboth presidential and congressionalelections has declined in recent years,the decline in the older age groupshas been much smaller than in theyounger population

In the 1980 election, persons 55and older cast 33 percent of all votes,and those 65 and older cast 17 per-cent, whereas they made up 27 per-cent and 15 percent, respectively, ofthe voting-age population Over 71percent of persons aged 55-64 and 65percent of persons aged 65 and oldervoted in the 1980 election By con-trast, less than 56 percent of theunder-55 population voted Althoughvoting falls off somewhat after age75, a higher percentage of persons 75

I"io -.I126

and older voted in the last election(58 percent) than did those in all ofthe age groups under 35

Men aged 65-plus had a bettervoting turnout than women (70 per-cent vs 61 percent), and whites votedin greater proportion (66 percent) thandid blacks (59 percent) or persons ofHispanic ongin (37 percent)

VII-1. Percent of People Voting in Presidential Election, 1980, by Age Group

70

65

`60

55

50

45

35

30

25

20

15-

10-

50

Age (years) 18-20 21-24

Sours 1 litio..to of the( nsti,

25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64

135

65-74 75+

127

VII-2. Continued Social and Economic Involvementin the Community

Educational AttainmentAs succeeding age groups with moreschooling reach age 65, the olderpopulation shows a steadily risinglevel of educational attainment Thepercentage of high school and collegegraduates has been increasing and thepercentage of persons with less thanfive years of schooling (functionally il-literate) has been declining. In 1952,only 18 percent of persons 65 andolder were high school graduates,whereas the figure had risen to 38percent by 1980 In 1990 one-half ofthe older population will be highschool graduates and one out of 10will be college graduates Conversely,by 1990 only one out of 20 personsaged 65 and older (five percent) willhave had less than five years ofschooling, compaied with one in five(20 percent) in 1965

Since improving educational statusis directly related to knowledge, skill,and lifetime earnings, it is likely thateach succeeding age group reaching65 will enjoy more favorable econom-ic circumstances than today's elderlyIt also signals an older populationwhose skills and knowledge will be-come an increasingly important re-source to the nation

Although the older population as awhole has experienced substantialgains in educational status, significantdifferences exist among racial, ethnic,and age groupings In 1979, one-thirdof whites aged 75 and older were highschool graduates, but only 13 percentof blacks and 10 percent of those of

128

Hispanic ongin were so classifiedEven more dramatic is the fact thatmore than five out of every 10 per-sons 75 and older of Hispanic originand nearly four of every 10 blackshave had fewer than five years ofschooling By contrast only one out of10 whites has had so little educationAlthough 65-74-year-olds tend to bebetter educated than their 75-pluscounterparts, the percentage of per-sons of black and Hispanic origin whohave had less than five years ofeducation remains exceedingly high

VII-2. Edo( ational Attainment of Persons Aged 65 and Older, 19651990

Pen en(55

50

45-,

Less than 5 yrsHigh Si. hool Graduate

40

35-30

25-20

15-10

1965

*Projection1970

I1975 1980

I I1985* 1990*

( ()liege Graduate

(A Au( anon12

10

8

6

2

0

1965 1970 1975 1980 -1985* 1990*

Educational Attainment by Age Group and Race, 1979

Pert ent

5

4

4

3

3

2

if1

White

65-74

than 5 years High School

Graduate

1115ar if

i*May he of either race

',nun e tioreau of the (

Black Spanish Origin*

RI( ent60

Less than 5 years High School54

Graduate48

42

75+

36

3024

18

12

60

129

V11-3. Continued Social and Economic Involvementin the Community

Educational PursuitsAdult educational opportunities haveexpanded considerably during the last10 years, and older Americans haveresponded by returning to the class-room in increasing numbers

Even though most colleges and um-versales throughout the country havebegun to offer special programs andtuition reductions for older students,most persons 55 and older pursueeducational activities outside such for-mal settings as college classrooms A1978 survey conducted by the Nation-al Center for Educational Statisticsfound that three out of five of theeducational activities undertaken bypersons 65 and older were offered byprivate community organizations,voluntary associations, governmentalagencies, business and industry orprivate tutors, rather than by tradi-tional educational institutions In fact,for that sizable portion of the olderpopulation that lives in communitieswithout colleges, informal settingssuch as libraries and churches may bethe primary educational resourceavailable

It is likely that older Americans insucceeding generations will be in-creasingly involved in lifelong learning

131 10

pursuits of both a formal and infor-mal nature as a result of the steadilyimproving educational level of allAmericans (see VII-2) Currently, howaver, older people are considerablyless likely to enroll in adult educationcourses than are their younger coun-terparts, only 2 4 percent of all per-sons enrolled in such courses in 1978were aged 65 and older

Pan( ipation in Adult t du( anon by Age Group, 1978Per, tilt16

12

8

4

017-34 35-54 55-64 65

I ype of Adult I du( anon Participation by Age Group

111 All 17 Nears,-ri tilt

2()

055-64 years 111 65+

, I ',doll 11),!11,11111 1.1141,1i1,11

13'1 31

Ar 4

VII-4. Continued Social and Economic Involvementin the Community

Older Americans as VolunteersAs volunteers, older Americans offertheir time and talents to a wide varietyof organizations throughout the coun-try A 1974 survey conducted by theBureau of the Census for the federalagency for voluntarism, ACTION,reveals that about seven million per-sons aged 55 and older were engagedin volunteer work at that time Oneout of every five persons aged 55-64and one out of seven aged 65 or oldercontributed an average of eight hoursof service weekly to volunteer ac-tivate, in their communities A com-panion study estimates that the totalvalue of these services came to morethan $11 6 billion

Although substantial numbers ofolder Americans are actively involvedin volunteer service to civic, fraternal,religious, and other organizations,studies reveal that many more personsare interested in volunteering A 1975survey conducted by Louis HarrisAssociates estimated this number tobe about 10 percent of the currentnon-volunteers aged 65 or older Fac-tors inhibiting increased volunteerismby older persons include a lack ofknowledge about opportunities avail-able, transportation problems, finan-cial considerations and resistance onthe part of some community organi-zations to utilize older volunteers

In 1980, federal programs adminis-tered by ACTION utilized 270,000Retired Senior Volunteer Programvolunteers, 17,300 Foster Grandparentsand 3,800 Senior Companions in volun-teer projects across the country Older

132

Americans are also actively involved insuch federal programs as Volunteers inService to America, the Service Corpsof Retired Executives and other proj-ects conducted tinder local private andpublic auspices nationwide

V114. Volunteer Ar twines of Older PeNons, 1974

Involvement inVolunteer Activities

Age 55-64 Age 65+

Sow( (. ihl littredtt ()t th ( (1,,(1..ind A( 11( IN

7

6

5

Value of VolunteerActivities

1

0Age 55-64

Informal ActivitiesOrganized Agency Services

Age 65+

113

VII-5. Continued Social and Economic Involvementin the Community

Television and Newspaper UtilizationOlder persons are an informed publicPersons aged 55 and older are primeusers of the major media, particularlytelevision and newspapers Althougholder persons have many programsand content interests similar to otherage groups, persons 55 and oldershow a much higher preference fornews and public affairs programmingIn d recent national survey, 62 percentof the American public reported dailyTV news viewership, but in the agegroup 55-64 the figure climbed to 74percent and by age 65 and older, to80 percent This contrasts with 48 per-cent daily viewership in the 18-24year-old group and 55 percent amongviewers 25-29

Regular newspaper readership isalso high among older persons, par-ticularly among persons 65 and olderwho are the heaviest subscribers todaily newspapers of any age group Infact 71 percent of all persons 65 andolder are subscribers A recent studyanalyzed newspaper content of pri-mary interest to older readers andfound them to have a strong orienta-tion to issue and news-oriented itemsas well as an interest in practical mat-ters of everyday life The followingcontent areas were most frequentlyc ited editorials, stories on political orpublic figures, human interest stoneson people in the news, consumernews, and articles on the environment

1i4

A positive relationship exists be-tween newspaper readership in laterlife and general educational level Asthe educational level of older personscontinues to increase, it is likely thatthey will become an increasingly in-formed segment of American society

VII-5. Daily Adult television and Newspaper Usage, 1979

IN.r(vot -Yesterday" I V Viewership "Yesterday" T V News Viewership100)1(X)

9089%

83%80706050

40i()21)

10

0All Adults 55-64 65+

Daily Adult Newspaper Readership

Perwnt Yesterday" Newspaper Readership80

770 76%

60

50

40

20

10

0

69%

All Adult, 55-64

SOON \clsp,ip fi',1111111)2,1iiir.

65+

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

62%

74%

0All Adults 55-64 65+

Regular Readership (Subscribers)80

All Adults 55-64

I .4I.,

65+

1 35

VII-6. Continued Social and Economic Involvementin the Community

Consumer ExpendituresOlder persons have become a sub-stantial and growing consumer forcein the U S marketplace In 1980, overone-third of all U S consumer house-holds, some 28 million, were headedby a person 55 or older Persons 65and older headed 16 million of thesehouseholds By 1990, the number ofconsumer households headed by per-sons 55 and older will reach 32million

Household income of the 55-plusgroup was more than $400 billion in1980nearly 30 percent of total U Shousehold income Householdsheaded by persons 65 and older ac-counted for 12 percent of the ag-gregate U S total Older people alsohold a.major share of the nation'sdiscretionary income, which is thatmoney available to be spent on "non-essential" items Households of per-sons 55 and older had 28 percent ofall such funds, while those persons 65and older accounted for seven per-cent of the total

At the time of the last comprehen-sive consumer expenditure surveyconducted by the U S Department ofLabor in 1973, households headed bya person 55 or older contributed $160billion dollars to the U S economyThis figure represented more thanone-quarter (28 percent) of all con-sumer expenditures at that time Per-sons 65 and older spent $68 billion onconsumer purchases in 1973

Older persons are significant buyersof a wide range of consumer goodsAmong the products for which they

116

contribute an above-average share ona per capita basis are: health careproducts, food for the home, homecare services, vacation travel, mobilehomes, gifts and contributions, lawnand garden supplies, cosmetic andbath products, certain categories ofclothing, and various banking servicesOlder persons at higher income cate-gories (above $20,000) are importantpurchasers of a number of luxurygoods and services, such as new cars,vacation homes, and vacation travelIt is income, rather than age, thatappears to be the most importantdeterminant of consumer interests andpurchasing decisions

VII-6. Percent Distribution ot Number of Households, income andxpenditures, by Age Croup

1980Total U SConsumerHousehold

Per+ ent

1(X)--

9()-

80-

70-

( -

51 )-

-

3 )-

10-

10-

0

157

169

19130

Percent ofU S TotalIncome

Age 65+

55-64

21 0

21.4

I

',Olin liIreou t th ( nm ond Drportment nt I ii,()r

1973

ConsumerExpenditures°A) of U S Total

23

21

45-54 2 5- 34

35-44 Less than 25

115137

VII-7. Continued Social and Economic Involvementin the Community

Leisure-time ActivitiesThe leisure-time interests, activities,and creative pursuits of older personsare as diverse as the people them-selves The retirement years are often a

time of development of new lifestylesand exploration of new horizons

Not unexpectedly, travel is afavored activity of many A 1977 na-tional travel survey revealed that overhalf of all persons aged 65 and olderhad taken a vacation trip during theprevious year

Participation in sports and exerciseprograms is another popular pastimefor older persons, a recent govern-ment survey showed that almost halfof all persons aged 65 and olderfollow a regular exercise regimen

The growing involvement of olderpersons in both formal and informaleducational pursuits has been docu-mented in Chart VII-3 A recent studyconducted by Louis Harris Associatespinpoints a broad range of creativeactivities engaged in by people 65 andolder These activities include photog-raphy (31 percent), needlepoint, weav-ing or other handiwork (42 percent),singing in a choir or choral group (19percent), playing a musical instrument(19 percent), painting or drawing (15percent), folk and ethnic dancing (13percent), writing stories and poems (12percent), pottery and ceramics (eightpercent) and working with localtheatre groups (four percent)

Attendance at arts performances isalso a favorite activity for persons 65and older Over 40 percent of theHarris survey group reported attending

1-38

I "

a live theatre arts performance orvisiting a museum during the previousyear The Harris survey revealed thatattendance at cultural events is close-ly associated with educational levelThus, with the average level of educa-tional attainment of older personssteadily increasing, their involvementin cultural activities can be expectedto increase Major factors limiting further involvement at the current timeas revealed by the Harris survey, in-clude inaccessibility of facilities, lackof adequate transportation and costsinvolved

V11-7. Perc ent of Persons 65 and Older Reporting Specific Leisure-timeAc twines, 19130

I ratil

NeedlepointWea%ing,Handiwork

Photography

Play Mum( alInstrument

Sing inChoir

Paint orDraw

WritStories OrPoems

MakePottery or( cramp( S

I elk orI- thnit

Dancing

Work with11)1 al

Theatre Croup

I'vri ent 0 10

Soon ii National ( nun( it on Aging

20 30

1 4 7

40 50 60

1 39

VII-8. Continued Social and Economic Involvementin the Community

Involvement in ReligiousOrganizationsChurches, synagogues and otherreligious organizations have longplayed a vital role in the lives of olderAmericans In turn, older people haveserved as an important resource tothese groups as members, financialcontributors, lay leaders, and volun-teers Recent surveys by variousreligious denominations reveal thatpersons 65 and older represent nearlyone-fourth of their total membershipIn a recent survey of religious affilia-tions conducted by the PrincetonReligion Research Center, almost allpersons in the 65-plus group reporthaving a religious preference; onlythree percent do not Actual churchattendance likewise remains high wellinto advanced old age

Organized religious institutionshave traditionally served both spiritualand social functions in Americansociety As such, they have increasing-ly emerged as an important resourceand focal point for serving the needsof the elderly The religious sectorprovides substantial and growing ser-vices to older persons in such diverseareas as transportation, counseling,education, recreation and fellowship,nutrition, health care, housing assis-tance, home visiting, and volunteerservice opportunities The importanceof the religious sector as a communityresource to the elderly is underscoredby the fact that there are currentlymore than 500,000 local churches andsynagogues in the United States, with

140

a total reported membership in excessof 140 million Religious organizationsconstitute by far the largest single net-work of voluntary community organi-zations serving the needs of theelderly in American society

VII-8. Percent of Adults Who Are ( hun h or Synagogue Members, by AgeCroup, 1979

Pert t,nt1(N)

90

80

70

60

50

4()

30

20

10

0Age (,roa n 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-59 40-44 45-49 50-59 6069

NOW( f, Prue I.{()n Religion Re'S(yrt h ( VIltIl

70+

141

Supplement to

CHARTBOOK ON AGING IN AMERICA

published by

The 1981 White House Conference on Aging

Prepared byHerman 8, Brotman

Updating andcorrectionsby original

chart numbers

L

Total

All ages... 226,505 100.0 - 110,032 100.0 - 116,473 100.0 - 10655+ 47,244 20,9 20,452 18.6 26,790 23.0 13155..64,, 21,700 9.6 10,150 9.2 - 11,549 9.9 - 11455-59 1".614 5.1 - 5,481 5.0 - 6,133 5.3 - 11260-64 1 5 4.5 4,669 4.2 5,416 4.6 - 116.65+ 25,,,t4 11.3 100.0 10,302 9,4 100.0 15,241 13.1 1000 14865-74., 15,578 6.9 61,0 6,755 6.1 65.6 8,823 7.6 57.9 13165 ). 8,781 3,9 34.4 3,902 3.5 37,9 4,879 4.2 32.0 12570 -74 6,797 3.0 26,6 2,853 2.6 27,7 3,944 3,4 25.9 13875+ 9,967 4.4 39.0 3,547 3.2 34,4 6,418 5.5 42.1 18175A4 7,727 3.4 30.2 2,866 2.6 27.8 4,860 4.2 31.9 17075-79 4,793 2.1 18.8 1,847 1,7 17.9 2,945 2.5 19.3 15930-84 2,934 1.3 11,5 1,019 0.9 9.9 1,915 1.6 1f-, 18885+ 2,240 1.0 8.8 681 0.6 6.6 1,558 1.3 1;;,2 229

gMaiian

age 30.0 - - 28.8 - - 31.3 - - -

MalesFemalesAge groin

Per 100Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent males

15;

a 2:1a 0C0.a

0

15,

CHART OR TEXT -2-

I - 2 PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF THE TOTAL POPULATION BY AGE GROUP1980 Census Count (April 1) (Numbers in thousands)

All ages 226,505 100.0

Under 18 63,744 28.1

18.54 115,517 51.0

55-64 21,700 9.6

654. 25,544 11.3

Median age 30.0

I - 3 DISTRIBUTION OF THE OLDER POPULATION BY AGE GROUPSee I - 1

I - 4 LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH AND AT AGE 65Caution: In both charts, the horizontal base line (year of birth or year of

attainment of age 65) is divided into equal 10-year spaces from1900 tr; 1970 but then uses the same size space for 7 years (1970 -1977) and for one year (1977-1978). The slope of the lines atthose last two spaces must be interpreted in this light.

Correctior: In the bottom chart, the horizontal line just above the "0"base line should be labeled "9" (years) and the "Other Male"point for 1929-1931 should be 10.9 rather than 10.0.The third line in the second column of the text should read"death rate" rather then the "number of deaths".

I - 6 SEX RATIOS (WOMEN PER 100 MEN) AGED 55 AND OVER BY AGE GROUP

See I - 1

CHART OR TEXT -3-

I - 7 PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF PERSONS AGED 55 AND OLDER BY AGE GROUP ANDMARITAL STATUS1980 Estimate (Numbers in thousands)

Male Female Womenper 100menNumber Percent Number Percent

All ages 80,217 100.0 87,980 100.0 110Married 50,858 63.4 51,941 59.0 102Widowed 1,972 2.5 10,479 11.9 531Divorced 3,875 4.8 5,836 6.6 151Single 23,512 29.3 19,724 22.4 84

55-64 9,871 100.0 11,034 100.0 112Married 8,414 85.2 7,713 69.9 92Widowed 397 4.0 2,082 18.9 524Divorced 495 5.0 735 6.7 148Single 565 5.7 504 4.6 89

65-74 6,550 100.0 8,548 100.0 131Married 5,346 81.6 4,282 50.1 80Widowed 557 8.5 3,444 40.3 618Divorced 290 4.4 342 4.0 118Single 357 5.5 480 5.6 134

75+ 3,233 100.0 5,411 100.0 167Married 2,244 69.4 1,264 23.4 56Widowed 776 24.0 3,677 68,0 474Divorced 71 2.2 126 2.3 177Single 142 4.4 344 6.3 242

I - 8 LIVING ARRANGEMENTS OFBY SEX AND AGE GROUP1980 Estimate (Numbers

THE 65+ NONINSTITUTIONAL POPULATION

in thousands)

Male FemaleNumber Percent Number Percent

Age 65-74 6,549 100.0 8,549 100.0Living with spouse 5,199 79.4 4,114 48.1Living with other relative 426 6.5 1,243 14.5LivingAlone or with

nonrelative 924 14.1 3,192 37.3

Age 75+ 3,234 100.0 5,411 100.0Living with spouse 2,190 67.7 1,197 22.1Living with other relative 301 9.3 1,417 26.2Living alone or with

nonrelative 743 23.0 2,797 51.7

Text should carry a cross reference to V - 2.

CHART OR TEXT

I - 9. NUMBER AND PERCENT OF EACH STATE'S TOTAL POPULATION AGED 65 AND OVER1980 CENSUS COUNT (April 1) (Numbers in thousanls)

StateAll OCIS8 65. All Imes 65.

Number RankNum-ber

Per-Rank cent Rank

StateNumber Rank

Num-ber Rank

Per-let Rank

Alabama 3,890 22 440 19 11.3 24 Montana 787 44 85 43 10.7 32Alaska 400 51 12 51 2.9 51 Nebraska 1,570 35 206 35 13.1 7Arizona 2,718 29 307 28 11.3 25 Nevada 799 43 66 47 8.2 47Arkansas 2,286 33 312 27 13.7 2 New Hampshire.. 921 42 103 40 11.2 28California 23,669 1 2,415 1 10.2 34 New Jersey 7,364 9 860 9 11.7 19

Colorado 2,889 28 247 33 8.6 46 New Mexico 1,300 37 116 38 8.9 45Connecticut 3,108 25 365 26 11,7 18 New York 17,557 2 2,161 2 12,3 13Delaware. 595 48 59 48 10.0 36 North Carolina. 5,874 10 602 12 10.2 35District of Columbia. 638 47 74 46 11.6 20 North Dakota 653 46 80 44 12.3 14Florida 9,740 7 1,685 3 17.3 1 Ohio 10,797 6 1,169 7 10,8 30

Georgia 5,464 13 517 16 9.5 41 Oklahoma 3,025 26 376 25 12.4 12Hawaii 965 39 76 45 7.9 49 Oregon 2,633 30 303 30 11.5 22Idaho 944 41 94 41 9.9 37 Pennsylvania... 11,867 4 1,531 4 12.9 9Illinois 11,418 5 1,261 6 11.0 29 Rhode Island... 947 40 127 37 13.4 3Indiana 5,490 12 585 13 10.7 31 South Carolina. 3,119 24 287 32 9.2 44

Iowa 2,913 27 387 24 13.3 4 South Dakota... 690 45 91 42 13.2 6Kansas 2,363 32 306 29 13.0 8 Tennessee 4,591 17 518 15 11,3 26Kentucky 3,661 23 410 21 11.2 27 Texas 14,228 3 1,371 5 9.6 40Louisiana 4,204 19 414 22 9.6 39 Utah 1,461 36 109 39 7.5 50Maine 1,125 38 141 36 12.5 11 Vermont 511 49 58 49 11,4 23

Maryland 4,216 18 396 23 9,4 42 Virginia 5,346 14 505 17 9.4 43Massachusetts 5,737 11 727 10 12.7 10 Washington 4,130 20 431 20 10.4 33Michigan 9,258 8 912 8 9.8 38 West Virginia.. 1,950 34 238 34 12,2 15Minnesota 4,077 21 480 10 11.8 17 Wisconsin 4,705 16 564 14 12.0 16Mississippi 2,521 31 289 31 11.5 21 Wyoming 471 50 38 50 8,0 48

Missouri 4,917 15 648 11 13,2 5

Correction of texts At bottom of first column, Florida ranked third in number of older people, not eighth.

CHART OR TEXT-5-

I - 10 AESIDENTIAL MUILITY PATTERNS OF THE UNDER-65 AND 65-AND-OLDER POPULATION1975-1980 Estimate for 5-year interval (Numbers in thousands)

Number Percent

Under 65Non-movers 88,550 50.7

Movers 86,198 49.3

65+

Non-movers 18,707 79.1

Movers 4,948 20.9

Same county 2,840 12.0

Different county, same state 1,108 4.7

Out of state 1,000 4.2

I - 11 RACIAL AND ETHNIC MAKEUPText correction: Second sentence of second paragraph - 65+ whites make

up 12.2% of all whites rather than 11.2%.

I - 14 NUMBER OF PERSONS AGED 65 AND OLDER AND UNDER 18 PER 100 PERSONSAGED 18641980 Census Count (April 1)

Numbers Dependency Ratios

Under 18 63,744,157 Under 18 per 100 18-64 47.2

18.64 137,216,535 65+ per 100 18-64 18.6_

65+ 25,544,133 Total 65.8

II - 2 LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATES FOR PERSONS 55 AND OLDER, BY AGE AND SEXChart correction: The two columns of legends at the top right of the top

chart sre reversed. The first column (segmented lines)represents the three levels of projection: High, Medium,Low. The second column (colors) represents the threeage groups: 55-59, 60-64, 65+.

II - 4 EARLY RETIREMENT TRENDSText correction: In second sentence of first paragraph, insert "retired

worker" between "Social Security" and "beneficiaries".In fourth sentence of first paragraph, delete theword, "payment".

II - 5 LENGTHENING YEARS OF RETIREMENTText correction: In last sentence of second paragraph, substitute "five

years longer" for "four years longer".

15

CHART OR TEXT -6 -

II - 6 PERCENT OF EMPLOYED LABOR FORCE IN PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT BY AGE AND SEX1980 Estimate (Numbers in thousands)

Total Part-time employmentemployment Number Percent

Male25-34 14,744 877 5.935-44 10,864 448 4.145-54 9,359 390 4.255-64 6,739 568 8.465+ 1,750 869 50.5

Female25-34 10,530 2,469 23.435-44 7,773 2,092 26.945-54 6,355 1,634 25.755-64 4,239 1,178 27.83..r f 1,058 664 62.8

1

CHART OR TEXT -7-

f' i -1 PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF MONEY INCOME BY AGE'1/80 Estimate (March 1981 CPS)

Head Head Unrelated......14221_ 15-64 65+ individuals** 15-64 65+

:4 700 2.2 1.4 Under 2,000 8.1 3.11.000- 4,399 3.7 6.4 2,000- 2,999 4.7 10,1:ion3- 7,499 4,9 13.6 3,000- 3,999 5,4 18.3',300- 9,999 5.1 14.3 4,000- 4,999 5.0 17.5

10,000-12,499 6.3 12.7 5,000- 5,999 4.6 10.7

42,5m-14,999 6,2 10.9 6,000- 6,999 5.3 8.1u9U-17,499 7.1 7.9 7,000- 7,999 4.9 6.5

i1,500-19,999 6.8 6.2 8,000- 8,999 4.5 4.120,010-22,499 7.8 4.9 9,000- 9,999 4.7 3.927,500-24,999 6,7 4.2 10,000-12,499 13.0 5.9

25,000-27,499 6.9 3.0 12,500-14,999 8.4 3.827,50n-29,999 5,3 2.6 15,000-17,499 8.3 2.530,0Uu-32,499 5.5 2.2 17,500-19,999 5.9 1.132,500-34,999 3.9 1.6 20,000-24,999 8.4 2.035,000-37,499 3.9 1.2 25,000+ 8.9 2.4

37,500-39,999 2,7 1.140,000-44,999 4.7 1.345,000-49,999 2.9 1.150,000+ 7.3 3.4

* $22,475 median for 51.1 million families with heeds 15-64$12,881 median for 9.2 million families with heads 65+

** 110,526 median for 19.1 million unrelated individuals aged 15-64$5,095 median for 8.0 million unrelated individuals aged 65+

Correction: Legend in upper right hand corner above top chart shouldread Individual Age 14-64, not 18-64.

III - 3 MEDIAN MONEY INCOME OF FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS BY AGESee III - 1 just above.

CHART OR TEXT

III - 4 POVERTY RATE OF TOTAL1980 Estimate (Numbers

POPULATION AND PERSONS 65 AND OVERin thousands)Number Percent

All ages 29,272 13.065+ 3,871 15.7

White 3,042 13.6Male 820 9.0Female 2,272 16.8

Black 783 38.1Male 261 31.5Female 521 42.6

Spanish origin* 179 30.8Male 75 26.8Female 104 34.4

* May be of nr.y race

Text correction: Second sentence of first paragraph should read"from to 3.6 million persons", not "households".

III - 5 NON-GASP BENEFITS AND THIRD PARTY PAYMENTS IN HOUSEHOLDS OF ONE OR MOREPERSONS AND HEADED BY A PERSON 65 AND OVER1980 Estimate (Numbers in thousands)

Totalhouseholdswith 65+heads

Receivingfoodstamps

Coveredby

Medicare

Coveredby

Medicaid

Living insubsidized

housing

Nuriber of households 16,544 1,055 16,032 2,711 883Median income $7,878 $3,941 $7,749 $4,769 $4,078Percent of households

below poverty linereceiving thesebenefits 100.0* 23.3 97.3 35.9 11.9

Percent of householdsabove poverty linereceiving thesebenefits 100.0** 2.6 98.1 12.2 3.9

* Represents 3.0 million households** Represents 13,4 million households

II - 7 SOCIAL SECURITY

Text correction: In second column, insert "65+" between "Social Security"and "beneficiary unite ".

1

CHART OR TEXT -9-

III - a PENSION PLAN COVERAGE

Correction: Data in chart and all of the text except for the first para-graph, are for 1979, not 1978.

Text correction: In the third sentence of the first paragraph, substitute"married couples" for "married persons".

In the second sentence of the second paragraph, the yearshould be "1979" and "16 and older" should be "14 andolder".

III - 9 MEDIAN INCOMECaution: Data in text and chart are based on a study of receipt and

amount of income only from social security, earnings from employ-ment, and private pension plans. Other income may exist.

III - 12 AVERAGE SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS

Text correction: In the second sentence of the first paragraph, delete"ell" and substitute "retired-worker Social Securitybeneficiaries".

IV - 2 DEATHS PER 100 PERSONS BY AGE GROUP AND SEXChart corrections: Male, 85+, 1955, should be 19.6

Female, 85+, 195C should be 19.21955 soould be 18.51965 should be 18.91975 should be 14.01978 should be 13.5

IV - 3 CAUSES OF DEATH

Text correction: In last sentence in second column, suicides account for0.4% of 65+ deaths, not 4.0%.

1

CHART OR TEXT

IV - 4 PREVALENCE OF CHRONIC C.:LA;1"'::Correction, top chaet: rj nirfd, rs:OrrF4Ct data

a IS

Heart disease....Diabetes 00040

HypertensionVisual impairment..Hearing impairment.

17-4J

29,34c,

-0,

Correction, bottom chart: -,,' ,i, .''' :',:l 1::1- "Nobili4.. ' is lis-,_c; ,lat 1 ls follows:

CUMUletiVO_

Confined to bed...".... ,, .Needs help in house...,

Needs help in neighoorhq, , ,

._, 14.3

Needs help outside nFiglfloILoo . i:'., 26.3

No disability .0 0044 r e;. ' 100.D

Caution: rh rui e not mutilnlly exclusive;a ,Tncific - 4--e conditions arr,- one or more

service neg&.

IV - 6 HOSPITALIZATIONCaution: Data on j-tdiviii.,=-! :1- hlsed on an analyses of hospital

discharge i data for that stay. beta onnumber and durat:-on Ynii ta',-; Lased on que3ticho asked

durin; a oo- 1 i,Arvie.': (as cresent9L hore) aresubject not only to 7,:01A orrcc3 of recall but Ulric to signifi-

cantly under-tat onco F older persons who ms; havebeen institution,iti.h, st oiv7 dd between the date of the hospi-tal stay(1) nnd tio:4 -f ,,onold interview and are nolunger co,-;,J1r9j ii

V - 1 NUMBER CIF PUISONS t1;1

1980 Census Count

AciP i.Age F10-6,

Rattc:

1

1E() 60 THIOUGH u4