This report presents a statistical portrait

of selected social and economic characteristics of the civilian noninstitutionalized population aged 55 years and over

in the United States, based on the results

of the Annual Demographic Supplement

to the March 2002 Current Population

Survey (CPS).1 These characteristics,

which are shown by age and sex, include

race and Hispanic origin, marital status,

educational attainment, labor force status, income, and poverty status.2

POPULATION SIZE AND

COMPOSITION

Women outnumber men among

older adults.

In 2002, 26.6 million men and 33.0 million women in the civilian noninstitutionalized population

were aged 55 and over, yielding a sex

ratio (men per 100 women) of 81.3 The

sex ratio drops steadily with age. In the

55-to-64 age group, the sex ratio was

92, and in the age group 85 years and

over, the sex ratio was 46 (see Figure 1).

As a corollary to the declining sex ratios

with age, the age distribution of women

was older than for men among the population aged 55 and over. For example,

41 percent of women and 47 percent of

men were 55 to 64, whereas 7 percent

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 April 2003

P20-546

The Older Population in the

United States: March 2002

Demographic Programs

Current

Population

Reports

By 

Denise Smith

Population Characteristics

1 The data in this

report are from the Annual

Demographic Supplement

to the March 2002 Current

Population Survey. The

population represented

(the population universe)

is the civilian noninstitutionalized population of

the United States.

Members of the Armed

Forces living off post or

with their families on post

are included if there is at

least one civilian adult living in the household. 2 For a similar profile

of the older population in

1999, see Denise Smith

and Hava Tillipman, U.S.

Census Bureau, Current

Population Reports, P20-

532, The Older Population

in the United States:

March 1999, Washington,

DC, 2000.

Figure 1.

Sex Ratio of People 55 Years and 

Over by Age: 2002

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement 

to the March 2002 Current Population Survey.

(Men per 100 women)

85 and over

75 to 84

65 to 74

55 to 64

46

67

83

92

3 The estimates in this report are based on

responses from a sample of the population. As with

all surveys, estimates may vary from the actual values because of sampling variation or other factors.

All comparisons made in this report have undergone

statistical testing and are significant at the 

90-percent confidence level unless otherwise noted.
of women and 4 percent of men

were 85 and older.

Diversity is less evident

among the older population

than among the younger

population.

Non-Hispanic Whites accounted for

69 percent of the total population

in 2002; however, the proportion

varied greatly with age — 66 percent of the population under age

55, and 81 percent of those aged

55 and over. The percentage of

non-Hispanic Whites increased with

age: 79 percent for those 55 to

64, 80 percent for those 65 to 74,

86 percent for those 75 to 84, and

87 percent for those 85 and over.4

The age distribution of the older

population varied considerably

among racial and ethnic groups.

Among the groups shown in Figure

2, non-Hispanic Whites had the

oldest age distribution in 2002,

with 42 percent in the 55-to-64

age group and 6 percent who were

aged 85 and over.5 American

Indians and Alaska Natives, Asians

and Pacific Islanders, and

Hispanics6 had the youngest age

distribution, with 51.7 percent,

51.1 percent, and 50.6 percent in

the 55-to-64 age group7 and only

3.6 percent, 2.9 percent, and 

4.1 percent in the group aged 85

and over.8

MARITAL STATUS

Living arrangements and marital

status of the older population

differ considerably between

men and women as they age.

In 2002, among people 55 years

and over, men were more likely

than women to be married and

living with their spouse (74 percent and 50 percent, respectively).

The pattern intensified for each

subgroup within this category, as

the corresponding proportions for

men and women aged 55 to 64

were 75 percent and 63 percent,

respectively; at ages 65 to 84, they

were 74 percent and 45 percent,

respectively;9 and at ages 85 and

over, they were 58 percent and 

12 percent, respectively. Because

women have longer life expectancies than men, it is not surprising

that 31 percent of women and only 

9 percent of men aged 55 and over

were widowed. With increasing

age, the proportions of women

who were widowed rose rapidly:

10 percent of women 55 to 64, 

41 percent of women 65 to 84,

and 79 percent of women 85 and

over (see Figure 3). 

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Among the older population,

men are more likely than

women to have a bachelor’s

degree or more education.

High school completion rates vary

among the older population. In

2002, 84 percent of people aged

55 to 64 and 71 percent of those

aged 65 to 84 had completed high

2 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 2.

Percent Distribution of People 55 Years and Over by Race, Hispanic Origin, 

and Age: 2002

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement to the March 2002 Current Population Survey.

Hispanic origin

(of any race)

Asian and

Pacific Islander

American Indian

and Alaska Native

Black

Non-Hispanic White

55 to 64 65 to 74 75 to 84 85 and over

4.1

42.1 30.1 21.6 6.2

46.7 33.0 16.1 4.3

51.7 30.0 14.6 3.6

51.1 30.0 16.1 2.9

50.6 30.6 14.7

4 Percentage differences for those aged

75 to 84 and those 85 and over were not

statistically different. 5 Percentage differences for the 85 and

over age group who were non-Hispanic

Whites and American Indians and Alaska

Natives are not statistically significant.

6 People of Hispanic origin may be of any

race. Based on the population 55 years and

over in the Annual Demographic Supplement

to the March 2002 CPS, 2.4 percent of the

Black population, 5.3 percent of the

American Indian and Alaska Native population, and 2.0 percent of the Asian and Pacific

Islander population were also of Hispanic

origin. 7 Percentage differences for the 55 to 64

year age group who were American Indians

and Alaska Natives, Asians and Pacific

Islanders, and Hispanics are not statistically

different. 8 Percentage differences for the 85 and

over age group who were American Indians

and Alaska Natives, Asians and Pacific

Islanders, and Hispanics are not statistically

different.

9 Percentage differences for men age 55

to 64 and 65 to 84 are not statistically different.
school, compared with only 

58 percent of those 85 and over.

The percentage of people with less

than a ninth grade education also

varied. At the older ages, 27 percent of people 85 and over had

less than a ninth grade education,

compared with only 7 percent of

people aged 55 to 64 and 15 percent of people aged 65 to 84. 

In most age categories, women and

men aged 55 and over were equally

likely to be high school graduates.10

The proportions were 84 percent

for both men and women among

those 55 to 64; 71 percent and 

72 percent, respectively, for those

65 to 84; and 61 percent and 

57 percent, respectively, for those

aged 85 and over.

Among the older population, however, men were more likely than

women to have a bachelor’s degree

or more education (see Figure 4).

The proportions were 31 percent

and 22 percent, respectively,

among those 55 to 64; 22 percent

and 13 percent, respectively, for

those 65 to 84; and 17 percent

and 12 percent, respectively, for

people 85 and over.11

LABOR FORCE

PARTICIPATION

Older men are more likely

than older women to be in the

civilian labor force.12

Men aged 55 and over were more

likely than women to be in the

U.S. Census Bureau 3

Figure 3.

Percent of People 55 Years and Over Who Were Married 

With Spouse Present or Widowed by Age and Sex: 2002

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement to the 

March 2002 Current Population Survey.

Men Women Men Women

55 to 64 65 to 74 75 to 84 85 and over

57.6

11.8

33.9

79.0

70.5

33.9

18.4

55.0

76.7

52.8

8.6

30.6

74.9

63.2

2.6

10.4

Married, spouse present Widowed

Figure 4.

Percent of People 55 Years and Over by Educational 

Attainment, Age, and Sex: 2002

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement to the 

March 2002 Current Population Survey.

Men

Women

85 and over

75 to 84

65 to 74

55 to 64

85 and over

75 to 84

65 to 74

55 to 64

High school graduate or higher

Bachelor’s degree or higher

83.5

74.1

68.4

57.1

21.5

14.7

10.5

11.8

83.7

72.8

66.9

61.3

31.1

23.3

20.8

17.1

10 Percentage differences for men and

women in the age group of 55 to 64 were

not significantly different. 11 Percentages for women aged 65 to 84

and 85 and over were not significantly different. 12 Civilian labor force data shown in this

report reflect characteristics of the civilian

noninstitutionalized population for March

2002 and are not adjusted for seasonal

changes. Official estimates released by the

Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor

Statistics, may differ from data shown in this

report because of differences in when the

population controls based on Census 2000

were adopted and their seasonal adjustment

of the data.
civilian labor force, and that proportion declined with age for both

sexes. In March 2002, 77 percent

of men aged 55 to 59 were in the

civilian labor force, compared with

63 percent of women (see Figure

5). Among people aged 60 to 64,

these proportions were 57 percent

for men and 44 percent for

women, whereas for people aged

65 and over, they were 18 percent

and 10 percent, respectively.

Among the people aged 55 and

over in the civilian labor force, 

3.8 percent were unemployed.

FAMILY INCOME

Married-couple households

with a householder aged 55 to

64 are more likely to have

higher incomes than their

older counterparts.13

In 2001, 77 percent of marriedcouple households with a householder aged 55 to 64 had an

income of $35,000 or more, compared with 49 percent of marriedcouple households with a householder aged 65 and over (see

Figure 6). Married-couple households were more likely to have an

income below $20,000 when the

householder was aged 65 and over

than when the householder was

aged 55 to 64 (20 percent and 

10 percent, respectively).

POVERTY STATUS

Among people 55 years and

over, those aged 65 and over

are most likely to be poor.

Of the 59.6 million people 55

years and over in 2002, 5.8 million

(9.8 percent) were below the

poverty level in 2001. The poverty

rate was 9.4 percent for those 55

to 64 and 10.1 percent for those

65 years and over.14 Older women,

in general, had a higher poverty

rate than older men —10.3 percent

and 8.4 percent for those 55 to 64,

compared with 12.4 percent and

7.0 percent among those 65 and

over (see Figure 7). 

In 2001, 6.2 percent of the 1.4 million families with a householder

aged 55 and over were in poverty.

The poverty rate for marriedcouple families with a householder

aged 55 and over was 4.8 percent

compared with 14.1 percent of

families with a female householder

4 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 5.

Percent of Men and Women 55 Years and 

Over in the Civilian Labor Force 

by Age: 2002

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement to the 

March 2002 Current Population Survey.

55 to 59 

60 to 64 

65 and over

Women

Men

18.0

9.8

57.2

44.3

77.1

63.4

Figure 6.

Percent of Married-Couple Households 

by Age of Householder 

and Income: 2001

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement to the 

March 2002 Current Population Survey.

Less than $20,000

$20,000 to $34,999

$35,000 or more

65 years and over

55 to 64 years

48.9

76.8

31.2

13.1

19.9

10.1

13 Throughout the report, references to

income and poverty status for families and

individuals in 2002 are based on their

incomes in calendar year 2001. For a

detailed discussion on the definitions of

income and poverty, see Bernadette D.

Proctor and Joseph Dalaker, U.S. Census

Bureau, Current Population Reports, Series

P60-219, Poverty in the United States: 2001,

U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington,

DC, 2002.

14 Percentage differences for those aged

55 to 64 and those 65 and over were not

statistically significant.
and no husband present, and 

10.7 percent of those with a male

householder, no wife present. 

The poverty rate was higher for

families with a householder aged

55 to 6415 than for families with a

householder aged 65 and over: 

7.0 percent compared with 

5.5 percent. This pattern occurred

for each family type: 5.6 percent

compared with 4.1 percent for

married-couple families; 15.3 percent compared with 13.2 percent

for families with a female householder, no husband present; and

14.4 percent compared with 

7.4 percent for families with a

male householder, no wife present. 

SOURCE OF THE DATA

The population represented (the

population universe) in the Annual

Demographic Supplement to the

March 2002 Current Population

Survey is the civilian

noninstitutionalized population of

the United States. Members of the

Armed Forces living off post or

with their families on post are

included if there is at least one

civilian adult living in the household. (Starting in 2001, the Annual

Demographic Supplement includes

some data collected in February

and April.) The institutionalized

population, which is excluded from

the population universe, is composed primarily of the population

in correctional institutions and

nursing homes (91 percent of the

4.1 million institutionalized population in Census 2000). 

ACCURACY OF THE

ESTIMATES

The data in the detailed tables 

(PPL-167) are from the March 2002

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 are significant at

the 90-percent confidence level.

This means the 90-percent confidence interval for the difference

between the estimates being compared does not include zero.

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, review of

the work of interviewers and

coders, and statistical review of

reports to minimize these errors.

The Current Population Survey

weighting procedure uses ratio

estimation whereby 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 biases may still

be present when people who are

missed by the survey differ from

those interviewed in ways other

than age, race, sex, and Hispanic

origin. How this weighting procedure affects other variables in the

survey is not precisely known. 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, go to

www.bls.census.gov/cps/ads/2002/

S&A-02.pdf or contact Anessah N.

Stephenson of the Census Bureau’s

Demographic Statistical Methods

Division on the Internet at:

dsmd.source.and.accuracy@

census.gov.

MORE INFORMATION

Detailed tabulations are available

that provide demographic characteristics by age. The electronic

version of these tables is available

U.S. Census Bureau 5

Figure 7.

Percent of People 55 Years and Over Below the 

Poverty Level by Age and Sex: 2001

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement to the 

March 2002 Current Population Survey.

55 to 64 

65 and over

Women

Men

Both sexes

10.1

7.0

12.4

9.4

8.4

10.3

15 Percentage differences for families with

a female householder aged 55 to 64 with no

husband present are not statistically different from families with a male householder

aged 55 to 64, with no wife present or from

families with a female householder aged 65

and over, with no husband present.
on the Internet at the Census

Bureau’s Web site (www.census.gov).

Once on the site, click on “O,” then

select “Older (55+) Population Data.”

Under “CPS March 2002,” choose

“Detailed Tables.”

A paper version of these tables is

available as PPL-167 for $22.10.

To receive a paper copy, send your

request for “PPL-167, The Older

Population in the United States:

March 2002,” along with a check

or money order for $22.10,

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 301-763-2422.

A copy of these tabulations will be

made available to any existing

Current Population Report P20 subscriber 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

301-763-2422

Special Populations Branch:

denise.i.smith@census.gov

301-763-2378

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

SUGGESTED CITATION

Smith, Denise. 2003. The Older

Population in the United States:

March 2002. U.S. Census Bureau

Current Population Reports, 

P20-546. Washington, DC.

6 U.S. Census Bureau

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Washington, DC 20233

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