The number of older adults as a percentage of the total population differs according to race. Differences result from higher fertility rates and higher mortality rates below age 60 in minority populations. However, the numbers of minority older adults increased significantly over the past decade. Hispanic older adults come from any race, but most Hispanics living in Milwaukee County are white. Since women experience a greater life expectancy than men, the majority of older adults are women.
Older women outnumber older men in Milwaukee County at all age ranges.
Over the last decade, the ratio between men and women narrowed below age 75, but has increased for women above age 80. Chart II below shows that the percentage of older adults living alone varies significantly by gender and race. Chart II shows older women live alone more often than older men, except among Asian or Pacific Islanders and persons of other races. Persons living alone increases with age, especially among older women. The percentage of older adults living at or near poverty tends to increase with age across all populations.