In 2000, 35.0 million

people 65 years of age

and over were counted

in the United States.1

This represents a 

12.0-percent increase

since 1990, when 

31.2 million older people were counted.2

Although the number

of people 65 years and

over increased

between 1990 and

2000, their proportion

of the total population

dropped from 12.6 percent in 1990 to 12.4 percent in 2000.

This report, part of a series that analyzes

population and housing data collected

from Census 2000, provides a portrait of

the 65 years and over population in the

United States and discusses its distribution at the national and subnational levels. The report also highlights comparisons with data from the 1990 census.3

A question on age has been asked since

the first census of the population in 1790,

and data on the 65 years and over population was first published in 1870. The

Census 2000 age data were derived from

a two-part question that was asked of all

people. The first part asked for the age

of the person, and the second part asked

for the date of birth (see Figure 1).4

The 65 years and over population

grew slower than the total

population.

Census 2000 was the first time in the history of the census that the 65 years and

over population did not grow faster than

the total population. Between 1990 and

2000, the total population increased by

13.2 percent, from 248.7 million to 

281.4 million people. In contrast, the

population 65 years and over increased

by only 12.0 percent. 

Among the older population, those

85 years and over showed the

highest percentage increase.

In 2000, there were 18.4 million people

ages 65 to 74 years old, representing 

53 percent of the older population 

U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

U.S.Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Issued October 2001

C2KBR/01-10

The 65 Years and Over 

Population: 2000

Census 2000 Brief

By 

Lisa Hetzel and 

Annetta Smith Figure 1.

Reproduction of the Question on Age

From Census 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 questionnaire.

What is this person's age and what is this person's date

of birth? Print numbers in boxes.

4.

Age on April 1, 2000 Month Day Year of birth

1 The text of this report discusses data for the 50

states and the District of Columbia, but not the

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Island Areas. 2 For this brief, the older population is defined as

people 65 years and over. 3 1990 populations shown in this report were originally published in 1990 census reports and do not

include subsequent revisions resulting from boundary

or other changes.

4 For more Census 2000 age information, see U.S.

Census Bureau, 2001, Age: 2000, by Julie Meyer, Census

2000 Brief, C2KBR/01-12, Washington, DC.
2 U.S. Census Bureau

(see Table 1). The 75-to-84-year-olds

numbered 12.4 million people 

(35 percent of the older population),

and those ages 85 and over numbered 4.2 million people (12 percent

of the older population). These age

groups represented 6.5 percent, 

4.4 percent, and 1.5 percent of the

total population, respectively.

During the 1990s, the most rapid

growth of the older population

occurred in the oldest age groups.

The population 85 years and over

increased by 38 percent, from 

3.1 million to 4.2 million. In contrast, the population 75 to 84 years

old increased by 23 percent, and

the population 65 to 74 years old

increased by less than 2 percent,

from 18.1 million to 18.4 million.

Within the 65-to-74 age group, the

number of people 65 to 69 years

old declined by 6 percent, compared with an increase of 11 percent in the number of people 70 to

74 years old. The changes in the

65-to-74 age group reflect the relatively low number of births in the

Table 1.

Population 65 Years and Over by Age: 1990 and 2000

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf1.pdf)

Age

1990 2000 Percent of U.S. total Percent

change, 1990

Number Percent Number Percent 1990 2000 to 2000

65 years and over . . . . . . . . . 31,241,831 100.0 34,991,753 100.0 12.6 12.4 12.0

65 to 74 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,106,558 58.0 18,390,986 52.6 7.3 6.5 1.6

65 to 69 years . . . . . . . . . . . 10,111,735 32.4 9,533,545 27.2 4.1 3.4 -5.7

70 to 74 years . . . . . . . . . . . 7,994,823 25.6 8,857,441 25.3 3.2 3.1 10.8

75 to 84 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,055,108 32.2 12,361,180 35.3 4.0 4.4 22.9

75 to 79 years . . . . . . . . . . . 6,121,369 19.6 7,415,813 21.2 2.5 2.6 21.1

80 to 84 years . . . . . . . . . . . 3,933,739 12.6 4,945,367 14.1 1.6 1.8 25.7

85 to 94 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,829,728 9.1 3,902,349 11.2 1.1 1.4 37.9

85 to 89 years . . . . . . . . . . . 2,060,247 6.6 2,789,818 8.0 0.8 1.0 35.4

90 to 94 years . . . . . . . . . . . 769,481 2.5 1,112,531 3.2 0.3 0.4 44.6

95 years and over . . . . . . . . . . 250,437 0.8 337,238 1.0 0.1 0.1 34.7

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1; 1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics, United

States (1990 CP-1-1).

Figure 2.

Population 65 Years and Over by Age and 

Sex: 1990 and 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1; 1990 Census of Population, General 

Population Characteristics, United States (1990 CP-1-1).

(Numbers in thousands. For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling 

error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf1.pdf)

7,942 8,303

3,766

4,879

858

1,227

10,165 10,088

6,289 7,482

2,222 3,013

1990 2000 1990 2000 1990 2000

65 to 74 years 75 to 84 years 85 years and over 

4,240

18,107 18,391

10,055

12,361

3,080

Men

Women
late 1920s and early 1930s, which

in turn led to a relatively small

number of people reaching age 65

during the decade of 1990 to 2000.

This trend is expected to reverse as

baby boomers (born from 1946

through 1964) reach age 65, starting in 2011.

Women outnumbered men in

the 65 years and over

population.

In 2000, there were 14.4 million

men and 20.6 million women aged

65 and over, yielding a male-female

ratio (the number who were male

times 100 divided by the number

who were female) of 70 (see Figure 2

and Table 2).5 The male-female ratio

drops steadily with age group. In

the 65-to-74 age group, the malefemale ratio was 82; in the 75-to-84

age group, the male-female ratio was

65, and in the group 85 years and

over, the ratio was 41. The malefemale ratio for each age group in

the older population has risen since

1990. In 1990, the ratios were 78,

60, and 39, respectively.

The West and South regions

had the most growth in the

total population and in the

older population.

The regional pattern of growth of

the older population matched the

regional growth of the total population. Between 1990 and 2000, the

West and South regions grew the

fastest (see Table 3).6 The West

experienced the highest percent

increase of the older population, at

20 percent, and the South’s older

population grew by 16 percent. In

contrast, the older population grew

at a much lower rate in the Midwest

(7 percent) and Northeast (5 percent).

Every state’s older population grew

between 1990 and 2000, ranging

from a 1-percent increase in Rhode

Island to a 72-percent increase in

Nevada. After Nevada, the next

highest increases in the older population were found in Alaska (60 percent), Arizona (39 percent), and

New Mexico (30 percent). Only the

District of Columbia showed a

decline in the 65-years-and-over

population.7 Between 1990 and

2000, the older population in the

District of Columbia decreased by

10 percent, or 8,000 people.

People 65 years and over

represented a smaller

proportion of the total

population in 2000 than in

1990.

Unlike previous decades, during the

1990s, the proportion of the population composed of people 65 years

and over declined nationally, in two

regions of the country, and in over

half of the states. In the Midwest,

the proportion 65 years and over

declined from 13.0 percent of its

total population in 1990 to 

12.8 percent in 2000, and the proportion in the South declined from

12.6 percent to 12.4 percent. This

proportion remained at 13.8 percent in the Northeast, but in the

West, the proportion of people 

65 years and over increased slightly

from 10.9 percent in 1990 to 

11.0 percent in 2000. 

In over half of the states (29,

including the District of Columbia),

the proportion 65 years and over of

the total population declined.

Nineteen of these states are in the

Midwest and South. The states with

the largest declines in the proportion 65 years and over were

Oregon, Arkansas, and Idaho, which

each declined about 1 percentage

point between 1990 and 2000 to

proportions of 12.8 percent, 

14.0 percent, and 11.3 percent,

respectively. Although Florida continued to have the highest proportion 65 years and over (17.6 percent), Florida experienced a similar

decline in this proportion since

1990. 

A total of 29 states had a proportion of population 65 years and

over that equaled or exceeded the

national value of 12.4 percent.

Florida’s high proportion of population 65 years and over was followed by Pennsylvania and 

U.S. Census Bureau 3

Table 2.

Number of Men per 100 Women by Age, for the 65 Years

and Over Population: 1990 and 2000

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf1.pdf)

Age 1990 2000

65 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 70

65 to 74 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 82

75 to 84 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 65

85 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 41

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1; 1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics, United States (1990 CP-1-1).

5 For more Census 2000 information about

the male and female populations, see U.S.

Census Bureau, 2001, Gender: 2000, by Denise

I. Smith and Reneé E. Spraggins, Census 2000

Brief, C2KBR/01-9, Washington, DC.

6 The West includes Alaska, Arizona,

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana,

Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah,

Washington, and Wyoming. The South includes

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of

Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,

Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina,

Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,

Virginia, and West Virginia. The Midwest

includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,

Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North

Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

The Northeast region includes Connecticut,

Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,

and Vermont. 7 Washington, DC, is treated as a state

equivalent for statistical purposes.
4 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 3.

Population 65 Years and Over for the United States, Regions, and States,

and for Puerto Rico: 1990 and 2000

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf1.pdf)

Area

1990 2000 Change, 1990 to 2000

Total

population

Population 65 years and over

Total

population

Population 65 years and over

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

United States ....... 248,709,873 31,241,831 12.6 281,421,906 34,991,753 12.4 3,749,922 12.0

Region

Northeast . .......... 50,809,229 6,995,156 13.8 53,594,378 7,372,282 13.8 377,126 5.4

Midwest ............ 59,668,632 7,749,130 13.0 64,392,776 8,259,075 12.8 509,945 6.6

South .............. 85,445,930 10,724,182 12.6 100,236,820 12,438,267 12.4 1,714,085 16.0

West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52,786,082 5,773,363 10.9 63,197,932 6,922,129 11.0 1,148,766 19.9

State

Alabama............ 4,040,587 522,989 12.9 4,447,100 579,798 13.0 56,809 10.9

Alaska ............. 550,043 22,369 4.1 626,932 35,699 5.7 13,330 59.6

Arizona. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,665,228 478,774 13.1 5,130,632 667,839 13.0 189,065 39.5

Arkansas ........... 2,350,725 350,058 14.9 2,673,400 374,019 14.0 23,961 6.8

California ........... 29,760,021 3,135,552 10.5 33,871,648 3,595,658 10.6 460,106 14.7

Colorado ........... 3,294,394 329,443 10.0 4,301,261 416,073 9.7 86,630 26.3

Connecticut ......... 3,287,116 445,907 13.6 3,405,565 470,183 13.8 24,276 5.4

Delaware ........... 666,168 80,735 12.1 783,600 101,726 13.0 20,991 26.0

District of Columbia . . . 606,900 77,847 12.8 572,059 69,898 12.2 -7,949 -10.2

Florida ............. 12,937,926 2,369,431 18.3 15,982,378 2,807,597 17.6 438,166 18.5

Georgia . . .......... 6,478,216 654,270 10.1 8,186,453 785,275 9.6 131,005 20.0

Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,108,229 125,005 11.3 1,211,537 160,601 13.3 35,596 28.5

Idaho .............. 1,006,749 121,265 12.0 1,293,953 145,916 11.3 24,651 20.3

Illinois.............. 11,430,602 1,436,545 12.6 12,419,293 1,500,025 12.1 63,480 4.4

Indiana ............. 5,544,159 696,196 12.6 6,080,485 752,831 12.4 56,635 8.1

Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,776,755 426,106 15.3 2,926,324 436,213 14.9 10,107 2.4

Kansas............. 2,477,574 342,571 13.8 2,688,418 356,229 13.3 13,658 4.0

Kentucky ........... 3,685,296 466,845 12.7 4,041,769 504,793 12.5 37,948 8.1

Louisiana . . . ........ 4,219,973 468,991 11.1 4,468,976 516,929 11.6 47,938 10.2

Maine .............. 1,227,928 163,373 13.3 1,274,923 183,402 14.4 20,029 12.3

Maryland ........... 4,781,468 517,482 10.8 5,296,486 599,307 11.3 81,825 15.8

Massachusetts ....... 6,016,425 819,284 13.6 6,349,097 860,162 13.5 40,878 5.0

Michigan. ........... 9,295,297 1,108,461 11.9 9,938,444 1,219,018 12.3 110,557 10.0

Minnesota .......... 4,375,099 546,934 12.5 4,919,479 594,266 12.1 47,332 8.7

Mississippi .......... 2,573,216 321,284 12.5 2,844,658 343,523 12.1 22,239 6.9

Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,117,073 717,681 14.0 5,595,211 755,379 13.5 37,698 5.3

Montana. . . ......... 799,065 106,497 13.3 902,195 120,949 13.4 14,452 13.6

Nebraska . . ......... 1,578,385 223,068 14.1 1,711,263 232,195 13.6 9,127 4.1

Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,201,833 127,631 10.6 1,998,257 218,929 11.0 91,298 71.5

New Hampshire ...... 1,109,252 125,029 11.3 1,235,786 147,970 12.0 22,941 18.3

New Jersey ......... 7,730,188 1,032,025 13.4 8,414,350 1,113,136 13.2 81,111 7.9

New Mexico ......... 1,515,069 163,062 10.8 1,819,046 212,225 11.7 49,163 30.1

New York . . . . . . . . . . . 17,990,455 2,363,722 13.1 18,976,457 2,448,352 12.9 84,630 3.6

North Carolina ....... 6,628,637 804,341 12.1 8,049,313 969,048 12.0 164,707 20.5

North Dakota . . . . . . . . 638,800 91,055 14.3 642,200 94,478 14.7 3,423 3.8

Ohio . .............. 10,847,115 1,406,961 13.0 11,353,140 1,507,757 13.3 100,796 7.2

Oklahoma. .......... 3,145,585 424,213 13.5 3,450,654 455,950 13.2 31,737 7.5

Oregon............. 2,842,321 391,324 13.8 3,421,399 438,177 12.8 46,853 12.0

Pennsylvania ........ 11,881,643 1,829,106 15.4 12,281,054 1,919,165 15.6 90,059 4.9

Rhode Island ........ 1,003,464 150,547 15.0 1,048,319 152,402 14.5 1,855 1.2

South Carolina ....... 3,486,703 396,935 11.4 4,012,012 485,333 12.1 88,398 22.3

South Dakota ........ 696,004 102,331 14.7 754,844 108,131 14.3 5,800 5.7

Tennessee .......... 4,877,185 618,818 12.7 5,689,283 703,311 12.4 84,493 13.7

Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,986,510 1,716,576 10.1 20,851,820 2,072,532 9.9 355,956 20.7

Utah . .............. 1,722,850 149,958 8.7 2,233,169 190,222 8.5 40,264 26.9

Vermont ............ 562,758 66,163 11.8 608,827 77,510 12.7 11,347 17.2

Virginia............. 6,187,358 664,470 10.7 7,078,515 792,333 11.2 127,863 19.2

Washington ......... 4,866,692 575,288 11.8 5,894,121 662,148 11.2 86,860 15.1

West Virginia ........ 1,793,477 268,897 15.0 1,808,344 276,895 15.3 7,998 3.0

Wisconsin........... 4,891,769 651,221 13.3 5,363,675 702,553 13.1 51,332 7.9

Wyoming . . . ........ 453,588 47,195 10.4 493,782 57,693 11.7 10,498 22.2

Puerto Rico .......... 3,522,037 340,884 9.7 3,808,610 425,137 11.2 84,253 24.7

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1; 1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics, (1990 CP-1).
U.S. Census Bureau

5

Percent 65 Years and Over: 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1. American Factfinder at factfinder.census.govprovides census data and mapping tools.

U.S. p

U.S. p

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, anddefinitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf1.pdf)Figure 3.

0 100 Miles 0 100 Miles 

0 100 Miles
West Virginia, which had proportions of 15.6 percent and 15.3 percent of their respective total populations. Alaska had the lowest

proportion 65 years and over 

(5.7 percent). Four other states had

proportions less than 10 percent —

Texas (9.9 percent), Colorado 

(9.7 percent), Georgia (9.6 percent),

and Utah (8.5 percent).

California, the most populous state,

was also the state with the largest

number of people 65 years and

over (3.6 million people). Following

California were Florida and New

York, with 2.8 million and 2.4 million older people, respectively.

Alaska had the fewest number of

people 65 years and over, with

36,000 people.

The proportion 65 years and

over in counties followed

regional trends.

Figure 3 shows the proportion 

65 years and over of each of the

country’s 3,141 counties and equivalent areas. The broad patterns evident on the map include a high proportion of people 65 years and over

in counties extending through the

Great Plains and south into central

Texas. Many of these counties had

a proportion of people 65 years and

over that equaled or exceeded the

proportion of the older population

in the state of Florida (17.6 percent). The presence of this band in

the Midwest suggests that the

trends of outmigration of the young

and aging-in-place have continued

in this region. A similar band of

counties with high proportions of

older people is found in the

Northeast region, stretching along

Appalachia. By contrast, much of

the West region consists of counties

with lower proportions 65 years

and over than the U.S. proportion of

12.4 percent, in part a result of

higher net immigration and fertility.

The proportion 65 years and over

of each county’s population ranged

from a low of 2 percent in

Chattahoochee County, Georgia,

which has a large military presence,

to a high of 35 percent in Charlotte

County, Florida. The older population represented 20 percent or more

of the total population in 381 counties of the United States, and 

30 percent or more of the total population in 10 counties, half of which

were in Florida.

Of all 3,141 counties, 2,263 counties (or 72 percent) had a proportion of people 65 years and over

that exceeded the national value of

12.4 percent (see Table 4). The

Midwest had the highest percent of

counties that exceeded this value

(82 percent), followed by the

Northeast (78 percent), the South

(69 percent), and the West (55 percent).

6 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 4.

Counties Exceeding the U.S. Proportion 65 Years and Over

by Region: 2000

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf1.pdf)

Region Total

counties

Counties exceeding U.S. proportion1

Number Percent

United States . . . . . . . . . . . 3,141 2,263 72.0

Northeast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 170 78.3

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,055 869 82.4

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,424 980 68.8

West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445 244 54.8

1

U.S. proportion 65 years and over was 12.4 percent.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1.

Table 5.

Ten Places of 100,000 or More Population With the

Highest Proportion of Their Population 65 Years and

Over: 2000

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf1.pdf)

Place1

Total population

Population 65 years and over

Number Percent

Clearwater, FL . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108,787 23,357 21.5

Cape Coral, FL . . . . . . . . . . . . 102,286 20,020 19.6

Honolulu, HI 2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371,657 66,257 17.8

St. Petersburg, FL. . . . . . . . . . 248,232 43,173 17.4

Hollywood, FL . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139,357 24,159 17.3

Warren, MI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138,247 23,871 17.3

Miami, FL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362,470 61,768 17.0

Livonia, MI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100,545 16,988 16.9

Scottsdale, AZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202,705 33,884 16.7

Hialeah, FL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226,419 37,679 16.6

1

Census 2000 showed 245 places in the United States with 100,000 or more population. They included 238 incorporated places (including 4 city-county consolidations) and 7

census designated places that were not legally incorporated. For a list of these places by

state, see www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t6.html. 2

Honolulu, Hawaii, is a census designated place and is not legally incorporated.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1.
A majority of the counties in most

states (43) had a proportion of people 65 years and over that exceeded the national value of 12.4 percent. In seven states, more than 

90 percent of the counties had proportions 65 years and over that

were greater than 12.4 percent. In

Rhode Island, all 5 counties had

proportions that exceeded 12.4 percent, while in Maine, 15 of 16 counties had proportions exceeding 

12.4 percent. The other states

were Nebraska, Iowa, West Virginia,

Pennsylvania, and North Dakota. In

contrast, in only seven states did

the majority of counties have proportions 65 years and over that

were less than 12.4 percent. These

states were Alaska (in which there

were no counties that exceeded the

national percentage), Delaware,

Utah, New Mexico, Colorado,

Georgia, and Louisiana.

Table 5 lists the ten places with

populations over 100,000 that had

the highest proportion of their total

population 65 years and over. Six

of these places are located in

Florida, while two are in Michigan,

one is in Hawaii, and one is in

Arizona. Clearwater, Florida, had

the highest proportion 65 years and

over, at 21 percent, followed by

Cape Coral, Florida (20 percent) and

Honolulu, Hawaii (18 percent). 

Eight of the ten places with the lowest proportion 65 years and over

are located in the West; the remaining two places are located in the

South (see Table 6). Gilbert,

Arizona, had the lowest proportion

65 years and over (3.8 percent), followed by Fontana, California 

(4.7 percent) and Plano, Texas 

(4.9 percent). 

Table 7 lists the proportion 65 years

and over of the ten largest cities.

Of these cities, only Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania, at 14.1 percent, had a

proportion that exceeded the

national level of 12.4 percent.

ADDITIONAL TOPICS ON

THE 65 YEARS AND OVER

POPULATION

What proportion of the older

population lived in nursing

homes in 2000?

The percent of people 65 years and

over living in nursing homes

declined from 5.1 percent in 1990

to 4.5 percent in 2000 (see Table 8).

This percent decline occurred for

people 65 to 74 years, 75 to 84

years, and especially in the population 85 years and over, where only

18.2 percent lived in nursing homes

in 2000, compared with 24.5 percent in 1990. Ninety-one percent of

the nursing home population was

65 years and over in 2000, compared with 90 percent in 1990.

How many centenarians lived

in the United States in 2000?

In 2000, there were 50,454 centenarians (people age 100 or over),

representing only 1 out of every

U.S. Census Bureau 7

Table 6.

Ten Places of 100,000 or More Population With the Lowest

Proportion of Their Population 65 Years and Over: 2000

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf1.pdf)

Place1

Total population

Population 65 years and over

Number Percent

Gilbert, AZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109,697 4,118 3.8

Fontana, CA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128,929 6,113 4.7

Plano, TX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222,030 10,911 4.9

Carrollton, TX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109,576 5,711 5.2

West Valley City, UT . . . . . . . . 108,896 5,858 5.4

Anchorage, AK. . . . . . . . . . . . . 260,283 14,242 5.5

Moreno Valley, CA. . . . . . . . . . 142,381 7,809 5.5

Santa Ana, CA . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337,977 18,565 5.5

Palmdale, CA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116,670 6,520 5.6

Provo, UT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105,166 6,020 5.7

1

Census 2000 showed 245 places in the United States with 100,000 or more population. They included 238 incorporated places (including 4 city-county consolidations) and

7 census designated places that were not legally incorporated. For a list of these places by

state, see www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t6.html.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1.

Table 7.

Percent 65 Years and Over of the Ten Largest Cities: 2000

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf1.pdf)

City

Total population

Population 65 years and over

Number Percent

New York, NY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,008,278 937,857 11.7

Los Angeles, CA . . . . . . . . . . . 3,694,820 357,129 9.7

Chicago, IL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,896,016 298,803 10.3

Houston, TX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,953,631 164,065 8.4

Philadelphia, PA. . . . . . . . . . . . 1,517,550 213,722 14.1

Phoenix, AZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,321,045 106,795 8.1

San Diego, CA. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,223,400 128,008 10.5

Dallas, TX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,188,580 102,301 8.6

San Antonio, TX. . . . . . . . . . . . 1,144,646 119,362 10.4

Detroit, MI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 951,270 99,056 10.4

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1.
5,578 people. In 1990, centenarians numbered 37,306 people (1 out

of every 6,667 people). The greatest number of centenarians (5,341)

lived in California in 2000, followed

by 3,997 centenarians in New York.

South Dakota, with 247 centenarians (1 out of every 3,056 people),

and Iowa, with 941 centenarians (1

out of every 3,110 people), had the

highest proportion of their population 100 years and over.

WHY DID CENSUS 2000 ASK

THE QUESTION ON AGE?

People who answered the census

help their communities obtain federal

funds as well as valuable information

for planning hospitals, roads, and

housing assistance. Many government agencies use data on the older

population to implement and evaluate programs and policies. For

example, the Department of Veterans

Affairs must plan for nursing homes,

hospitals, and veterans’ benefits; the

Department of Health and Human

Services monitors compliance with

the Older Americans Act, and the

Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission uses data on age in

order to enforce the Age

Discrimination in Employment Act.

The data are also used to forecast the

use of social security and medicare

benefits.

Private organizations and communities also value data on age for the

purposes of planning and assessment. Knowledge about the characteristics of the older population

helps businesses select an appropriate mix of merchandise and plan

advertising campaigns. Communities also use this information

in order to design needed health

services and living facilities for the

older population.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information on the older

population in the United States, visit

the U.S. Census Bureau’s Internet

site at www.census.gov/population/

www/socdemo/age.html#older. 

Data on age from the Census 2000

Summary File 1 were released on a

state-by-state basis during the summer of 2001. Census 2000 data are

available on the Internet via

factfinder.census.gov and for purchase on CD-ROM and later on DVD. 

For information on confidentiality

protection, nonsampling error, and

definitions, see www.census.gov/

prod/cen2000/doc/sf1.pdf or contact

our Customer Services Center at

301-763-INFO (4636).

Information on other population

and housing topics is presented in

the Census 2000 Brief series, located on the U.S. Census Bureau’s Web

site at www.census.gov/population/

www/cen2000/briefs.html. This

series presents information about

race, Hispanic origin, age, sex,

household type, housing tenure,

and other social, economic, and

housing characteristics.

For more information about Census

2000, including data products, call

our Customer Services Center at

301-763-INFO (4636) or e-mail 

webmaster@census.gov.

Table 8.

Population 65 Years and Over in Nursing Homes

by Age: 1990 and 2000

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf1.pdf)

Age

Percent of age group

1990 2000 2000

65 years and over . . . . . . . 5.1 4.5 1,557,800

65 to 74 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 1.1 210,159

75 to 84 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.1 4.7 574,908

85 years and over . . . . . . . . . . 24.5 18.2 772,733

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 special tabulation; 1990 Census of Population, Nursing Home Population: 1990 (CPH-L-137).

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