In 1970, children under 18 outnumbered adults 50 and over by 70 million to 50 million. By 2010, there are expected to be 96 million Americans 50 and above, versus 74 million youth. Yet Medicare is projected to go bankrupt by 2001 unless it is changed. And Social Security will start running deficits by 2013 and go bankrupt by 2029. Thus, elderly men are nearly twice as likely to be married and living with their spouse.
Elderly women are nearly three times as likely to be widowed as male seniors.
The poverty rate for those under 65 has increased slightly since 1966 from 10.5 percent to 11.9. But it has plunged for those 65 and up from 28.5 percent to 11.7 percent. Statistics show that the better educated a person is, the more likely he is to be healthy and better-off financially. Today's aged generally are not that well educated compared to younger people. The elderly are less than half as likely as younger adults to have a college degree.