U.S. Census Bureau 1

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Issued September 2000

P20-532

The Older Population in

the United States

Population Characteristics

By Denise Smith and

Hava Tillipman

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

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

Current

Population

Reports

Demographic Programs

March

1999

This report presents a statistical portrait of

selected social and economic characteristics of the civilian noninstitutional population age 55 years and over in the United

States. These characteristics, which are

shown by age and sex, include race and

Hispanic origin,1 marital status, educational attainment, labor force status, income, and poverty status. The findings

are based on the results of the March 1999

Current Population Survey (CPS).2

POPULATION SIZE AND

COMPOSITION

Women outnumber men

among older adults.

In 1999, 24.7 million men and 30.6 million

women were age 55 and over, yielding a

male-female ratio of 81 to 100. The malefemale ratio dropped steadily with age. In

the 55 to 64 age

group, the ratio

was 92 to 100, and

in the age group

85 years and over,

the ratio was 49 to

100 (Figure 1).

As a corollary to the declining male-female

ratios with age, the age distribution of

women was older than for men among the

population 55 and over. For example, the

55 to 64 age group accounted for 39 percent of women and 44 percent of men,

whereas the age group 85 and over accounted for 7 percent of women and 4 percent of men.

Less diversity is evident among the

older population than among the

younger population.

Non-Hispanic Whites accounted for 71 percent of the total population in 1999; however, the proportion varied greatly with age

— 68 percent of the population under age

55 and 82 percent for those 55 and over.

Among the older population, the proportion was 79 percent in the 55 to 64 age

group, 82 percent in the 65 to 74 age

Figure 1.

Sex Ratio of People 55 Years and 

Older by Age: 1999

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, March 1999.

(Number of men per 100 women)

85 years and over

75 to 84 years

65 to 74 years

55 to 64 years

49

69

82

92

1Hispanics may be of

any race. 2The population universe in the March 1999

CPS is the civilian noninstitutional population of the

United States and members of the armed forces

in the United States living

off post or with their families on post, but excludes

all other members of the

armed forces. Thus, the

findings in this report do

not cover people living in

institutions such as nursing homes and correctional facilities.
2 U.S. Census Bureau

group, 86 percent in the 75 to

84 age group, and 85 percent in

the age group 85 and over.3

The age distribution among the

older population varies considerably

among racial and ethnic groups.

Among those groups shown in Figure 2, non-Hispanic Whites had the

oldest age distribution in 1999, with

40 percent in the 55 to 64 age group

and 6 percent 85 and over. Hispanics had the youngest age distribution, with 50 percent in the 55 to

64 age group and only 3 percent

85 and over.

MARITAL STATUS

Living arrangements and

marital status among the older

population differ considerably

between men and women as

they age.

In 1999, men 55 years and over

were more likely than women in

this age group to be married and

living with their spouse. In the

younger ages, the majority of men

(77 percent) age 55 to 64 years old

and women (64 percent) were married and living with their spouse.

Among people 65 to 84 years old,

the majority of men (76 percent)

were married and living with their

spouse, compared with less than

half (46 percent) of women the same

age.4 For people 85 years and over,

the proportion who were married

and living with their spouse was

much lower: 49 percent of men and

only 12 percent of women.

Figure 2.

Percent of People 55 Years and Older by Race and Hispanic Origin: 1999

1Hispanics may be of any race.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, March 1999. 

85 years

and over

55 to 64 years 65 to 74 years 75 to 84 years

Hispanic origin1

Non-Hispanic Asian

and Pacific Islander

Non-Hispanic Black

Non-Hispanic White

50.1

47.7

45.6

40.0

32.1

33.9

32.0

32.3

14.5

14.3

16.9

22.0

3.2

4.2

5.5

5.8

3Percentages between those age 75 to 84

and 85 and over or those age 55 and over and

age 65 to 74 were not statistically different.

4Percentages for men age 55 to 64 and 65

to 84 are not statistically different.

Figure 3.

Percent of People 55 Years and Older Who Were 

Married With Spouse Present or Widowed 

by Age and Sex: 1999

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, March 1999. 

48.6

11.7

40.7

77.0

72.7

34.4

17.4

54.9

77.3

53.2

8.8

31.3

76.6

64.0

2.8

12.5

85 years

and over

75 to 84

years

65 to 74

years

55 to 64

years

Married, spouse Widowed men Widowed women

present-women

Married, spouse

present-men
U.S. Census Bureau 3

In the 55 to 64 age group, 81 percent of both men and women had

graduated from high school, compared with about 70 percent in the

65 to 84 age group, and just over

half of those age 85 and over.

Among the older population, however, men were more likely to have a

bachelor’s degree or more education

(Figure 4). Of people age 55 to 64,

27 percent of men and 19 percent of

women had a bachelor’s degree or

higher, compared with 21 percent

and 11 percent, respectively, among

those age 65 to 84, and 17 percent

and 12 percent, respectively, among

those 85 and over.6

LABOR FORCE

PARTICIPATION

Older men are more likely than

older women to be in the

civilian labor force.7

Men age 55 and over are more

likely than women to be in the civilian labor force, and that proportion

declines with age for both sexes.

In 1999, 79 percent of men age 55

to 59 were in the civilian labor

force, compared with 62 percent of

women (Figure 5). Among people

60 to 64, 56 percent of men were

in the civilian labor force, compared with 39 percent of women.

Among people 65 and over, only

16 percent of men were in the civilian labor force, compared with

10 percent of women. Of the

people 55 and over in the civilian

labor force, nearly 97 percent were

employed.

Figure 4.

Percent of People 55 Years and Older by 

Educational Attainment, Age, and Sex: 1999

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, March 1999. 

Men

Women

81.3

73.0

64.0

52.7

18.5

12.3

9.7

11.9

81.0

71.7

67.1

53.6

27.3

23.0

18.0

17.1

85 years and over

75 to 84 years

65 to 74 years

55 to 64 years

85 years and over

75 to 84 years

65 to 74 years

55 to 64 years

High school graduate or higher

Bachelor’s degree or higher

Because women have higher life expectancies than men, it is not surprising that 32 percent of women

and only 9 percent of men age 55

and over were widowed. With increasing age, the likelihood that a

woman is widowed rises rapidly:

13 percent of women at 55 to 64

years, 41 percent of women at 65 to

84 years, and 77 percent of women

85 years and over (Figure 3).

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Men are more likely than

women to have a bachelor’s

degree or more education

among the older population.

High school completion rates vary

among the older population. In

1999, 81 percent of people age

55 to 64 and 70 percent of those

age 65 to 84 had completed high

school. In contrast, only 53 percent of people age 85 years and

over were high school graduates or

higher. The percentage of people

with less than a ninth grade education also varied. At the older ages,

31 percent of people 85 years and

over had less than a ninth grade

education, compared with only

8 percent of people 55 to 64 years

old and 16 percent of people 65 to

84 years old.

In most age categories, women and

men age 55 and over were equally

likely to be high school graduates.5

5Percentages between men and women for

the age groups of 55 to 64, 65 to 84, and 85

and over were not significantly different.

6Percentages between women age 65 to 84

and 85 and over were not significantly different.7Civilian labor force data shown in this report reflect characteristics of the civilian noninstitutionalized population for March 1999 and

are not adjusted for seasonal changes. Data

released by the Department of Labor, Bureau of

Labor Statistics, may not agree entirely with

data shown in this report because of differences in methodological procedures and their

seasonal adjustment of the data.
4 U.S. Census Bureau

FAMILY INCOME

Married-couple households

with a householder age 55 to

64 are more likely to have

higher incomes than married

couples 65 to 74 and 75 and

over.8

In 1998, 74 percent of marriedcouple households with a householder age 55 to 64 had incomes

of $35,000 or more (Figure 6).

Among married-couple households

with a householder age 65 to 74,

51 percent had incomes of

$35,000 or more, compared with

37 percent of married couples with

a householder age 75 and over.

The percentages of married-couple

households with a householder age

75 and over and incomes of

$20,000 to $34,999 and $35,000

or more were not significantly different.

POVERTY STATUS

Among people 55 and over,

those age 75 and over are most

likely to be poor.

Of the 55.3 million people 55 years

and over in 1999, 5.6 million

(10.1 percent) were poor in 1998.

In the younger ages, the poverty

rate was 9.6 percent for those 55

to 64 years old. For those 75 years

and over, the poverty rate was

12.2 percent. Older women, in

general, had a higher poverty rate

than older men–for those age 55

to 64, 10.9 percent and 8.2 percent, respectively. Among those

age 65 to 74 and 75 and over,

10.7 percent and 15.1 percent of

women were poor, compared with

7.0 percent and 7.5 percent of men

(Figure 7).9

In 1998, 7.2 million families were in

poverty, representing 10.0 percent of

all families. Married-couple families

with householders 65 and over and

with householders 18 to 64 were

equally likely to be poor

(5.1 percent compared with 5.3 percent).

Families with a female householder

and no husband present were more

Figure 5.

Percent of Men and Women 55 Years and 

Older in the Civilian Labor Force 

by Age: 1999

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, March 1999.

55 to 59 years

60 to 64 years

65 years and over

16.2

9.7

56.1

39.2

79.1

62.4

Women

Men

Figure 6.

Percent of Married-Couple Households 

by Age of Householder 

and Income: 1998

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, March 1999.

Less than $20,000

$20,000 to $34,999

$35,000 or more

73.8

51.4

36.8

15.5

29.1

34.6

10.7

19.5

28.7

75 years and over

65 to 74 years

55 to 64 years

8Throughout the report, references to income and poverty status for families and individuals in 1999 are based on their incomes in

calendar year 1998. For a detailed discussion

on the definitions of income and poverty, see

Joseph Dalaker, U.S. Census Bureau, Current

Population Reports, Series P60-207, Poverty in

the United States: 1998, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1999, pp. A2-A4.

9There is no statistical difference between

the poverty rates for men age 55 to 64, 65 to

74 and 75 and over, or women age 55 to 64

and women age 65 to 74.
U.S. Census Bureau 5

likely than families with a male

householder and no wife present to

be poor, regardless of age. Among

families with a female householder

age 65 and over with no husband

present, 13.4 percent were poor,

compared with 9.7 percent of

those with a male householder, no

wife present.

SOURCE OF THE DATA

The estimates in this report are

based on data obtained from the

March 1999 Current Population Survey (CPS). The Census Bureau conducts the CPS every month, although this report uses only data

from the March survey for its estimates.

ACCURACY OF THE

ESTIMATES

The data in the detailed tables

(PPL-133) are from the March 1999

Current Population Survey. Statistics from surveys are subject to

sampling and nonsampling error.

All comparisons presented in this

report have taken sampling error

into account and meet the Census

Bureau’s standards for statistical

significance. Nonsampling errors

in surveys may be attributed to a

variety of sources, such as how the

survey was designed, how respondents interpret questions, how able

and willing respondents are to provide correct answers, and how accurately the answers are coded and

classified.

The Census Bureau employs quality

control procedures throughout the

production process - including the

overall design of surveys, the

wording of questions, reviews of

the work of interviewers and coders, and statistical review of reports.

The Current Population Survey employs ratio estimation, whereby

Figure 7.

Percent of People 55 Years and Older 

Below the Poverty Level 

by Age and Sex: 1998

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, March 1999.

55 to 64 years

65 to 74 years

75 years and over

12.2

7.5

15.1

9.1

7.0

10.7

9.6

8.2

10.9

Women

Men

Both sexes

sample estimates are adjusted to

independent estimates of the national population by age, race, sex,

and Hispanic origin. This weighting partially corrects for bias due

to undercoverage, but how it affects different variables in the survey is not precisely known. Moreover, biases may also be present

when people who are missed in the

survey differ from those interviewed in ways other than the categories used in weighting (age,

race, sex, and Hispanic origin). All

of these considerations affect comparisons across different surveys or

data sources.

For further information on statistical standards and the computation

and use of standard errors, contact

the Demographic Statistical Methods Division on the Internet at:

dsmd_s&a@census.gov.

MORE INFORMATION

Detailed tabulations are available

that provide demographic characteristics by age. The electronic version of these tables is available on

the Internet at the Census Bureau’s

Web site (www.census.gov). Once

on the site, click on “E,” then select

“Older Population.” Under “CPS

March 1999,” choose “Data Tables.”

A paper version of these tables is

available as PPL-133 for $22.00.

To receive a paper copy, send your

request for “PPL-133, The Older

Population in the United States:

March 1999,” along with a check or

money order for $22.00, payable

to “Commerce-Census-88-00-

9010,” to U.S. Census Bureau, P.O.

Box 277943, Atlanta, GA 30384-

7943, or call the Statistical Information Staff at 301-457-2422. A

copy of these tabulations will be

made available to any existing Current Population Report P20 sub-
6 U.S. Census Bureau

scriber without charge, provided

that the request is made within

3 months of the issue date of this

report.

CONTACTS

Statistical Information Staff:

pop@census.gov

301-457-2422

Special Populations Branch

Denise Smith

denise.i.smith@census.gov

301-457-2378

USER COMMENTS

The Census Bureau welcomes the

comments and advice of users of

its data and reports. If you have

any suggestions or comments,

please write to:

Chief, Population Division

U.S. Census Bureau

Washington, DC 20233

or send e-mail to:

pop@census.gov
U.S. Census Bureau 7
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