This is projected to grow another 20 to 30 percent. While older workers are considered more diligent and loyal, concerns over health insurance costs and sickness are real. Companies will have to adapt to this major shift in the labor force. We can look to our neighbors, Richfield and Edina, whose fastest-growing population sector is women 75 years and older who live independently. Because older women's median income is roughly 60 percent of men's, women generally suffer more economic hardships later in life.
Early retirees travel more, and as their needs change, they move closer to relatives and services.
Moving about the community, I have seen our gathering places that give us that sense of belonging. A community without diverse opportunities is one of people living and aging in isolation and loneliness. The aging population is not the only change in the face of Bloomington over the next 30 years. People in a broader range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds will be attracted to our economic and residential opportunities. Renewing structures Bloomington's face is changing in other ways as well.