What Is the Population of Baby Boomers in the United States

This story is part of an occasional series on the important community benefits that come from responding to the 2020 Census.

Babe boomers take inverse the confront of the U.S. population for more than 70 years and continue to do so equally more enter their senior years, a demographic shift often referred to as a "gray tsunami."

The 2020 Demography will provide the most up-to-engagement count of the infant blast generation, now estimated at about 73 million.

"Data from the 2020 Demography volition show the impact of the infant boomers on America'southward population age construction."

— Wan He, head of Aging Enquiry Programs for the Population Division of the U.S. Demography Bureau

Born subsequently World War II, from 1946 to 1964, the oldest boomers volition plough 74 next year. When the final census was taken in 2010, the oldest had non fifty-fifty turned 65.

Since then, most 10,000 a 24-hour interval have crossed that age threshold and by 2030, all boomers will be at least age 65.

"Data from the 2020 Census will show the affect of the infant boomers on America's population age structure," said Wan He, head of Aging Research Programs for the Population Division of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Why Knowing Where Boomers Are Matters

Knowing about the number of people age 65 and older is of import for tribal, local, land and federal lawmakers. They will use 2020 Census statistics to help decide how to spend billions of dollars annually in federal funds on disquisitional public services for the next 10 years.

Everyone uses roads, hospitals and emergency services only some state and federal programs target specifically older populations — such as coin for senior citizen centers, job-grooming programs, and Medicare Office B health insurance.

"The census is really important to usa in the crumbling community," said John Haaga, of the National Found on Crumbling in Washington, D.C. "It's our just way to effigy out how things are dissimilar across the land, what areas are aging faster, where elderly disabled people alive, or where older people are full-bodied, like Appalachia or West Virginia, because young people are leaving for the cities." Older people are remaining behind there.

Other states, such as Florida, have large older populations because people are moving there to retire, according to Haaga.

Past using Demography Bureau statistics and its geographic data system, analysts and community planners can go a refined picture of where older Americans live and how close they are to the services they need. That helps lawmakers or concern people determine where to open wellness clinics or senior citizen centers, amongst other services.

"You can outset to wait at specifics similar how many older people are living lonely who are more than 10 miles from an adult mean solar day care centre." Haaga said. "You can answer questions of admission and how to improve information technology."

Enter the Infant Boomers

At an estimated 73 million, this generation is the 2nd-largest age grouping subsequently their children, the millennials, born from 1982 to 2000.

"As boomers age through their 60s, 70s, 80s and increasingly beyond, the 'big bulge' of the boomer generation volition contribute to the overall aging of the U.Southward. population in coming decades," said Stella Ogunwole, a demographic statistician with the Demography Bureau.

"The older population is condign even more significant," she said.

The number of people historic period 65 and older in the Us has grown rapidly over almost of the 20th century, from 3.1 million in 1900 to 35 one thousand thousand in 2000.

In 2018, there were 52 million people age 65 and older, according to the Census Agency'southward Vintage Population Estimates. Their share of the population grew also, from 12.4% in 2000 to 16.0% in 2018.

But crumbling boomers are not the only reason the nation's population is getting older overall. Longer lives — in part due to better health care — and record low birth rates among young women are too major factors, according to Haaga.

The total fertility rate of U.S. women is now one.7 children per woman, below the 2.i children needed to replace the population.

Life expectancy at historic period 65 went from 11.9 years (1900-1902) to 19.1 years in 2010, according to An Aging World, a Census Agency study co-authored past Wan He.

Older adults are projected to outnumber children under age 18 for the get-go fourth dimension in U.S. history by 2034, according to Demography Bureau projections.

"The mismatch between old and young volition have implications beyond the coming years," said Dr. Grace Whiting, president and CEO of the National Alliance of Caregivers.

"We aren't having enough children to accept care of us in our onetime historic period," she said. "Look at my family: my in-law was one of six children, my hubby and I were ane of ii, and we don't have kids. Extrapolate that out, and that's what'due south happening nationwide."

Whiting's concern points to the increasing need for caregiver and health services for people over age 65, many of whom utilize services whose funding depends on decisions fabricated based on census data.

Federal Programs Help People Over Age 65

Lawmakers and planners utilize census statistics to help decide how to spend on programs that help improve the quality of life for all people age 65 and older.

Medicaid, the wellness insurance plan for low-income people including those age 65 and older, is the largest federal program that uses census statistics to decide funding. In 2015, Medicaid received $312 billion, according to a 2017 written report from the Census Bureau.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assist Program (SNAP) spent $71 billion in 2015. SNAP is the second-largest program that uses census statistics to allocate funds.

Third is Medicare Role B, at $70.three billion, which is role of the Medicare health insurance program for all people over 65 years old, no affair their income.

These programs are merely a few of the reasons why information technology is of import for people age 65 and older to respond to the 2020 Census.

They can respond online, past telephone or by mail.

Programs that help older people live improve lives include:

Social Services Block Grants

Adult day care, community middle lunches, home-delivered meals, protection and remedy from abuse — both concrete and financial — are all funded past Social Services Block Grants.

The funding levels for these services are determined, in part, from statistics produced by the Census Bureau. The federal funding programme for social services grants gives states money to spend on a wide variety of programs.

In 2015, the program granted $ane.6 billion, co-ordinate to the Demography Agency, and 10% of the grants were aimed at the needs of vulnerable and elderly adults, according to the Social Services Block Grant 2016 focus report. (The SSBG is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Man Services.)

In 2016, 42 states spent $284 million to provide help for nearly 950,000 people age 65 and older, including intervention services, emergency medical services, emergency shelters, and counseling.

I of the largest programs under SSBG that is aimed at the elderly is for people suffering from abuse or fail, including maltreatment, lack of adequate food or shelter, or financial abuse. Sadly, 1 in 10 older adults experience some class of abuse, according to the Demography Bureau.

Farmers' Market Plan

Getting healthy nutrient is a primal business concern for low-income older people.

The Senior Farmers' Market place Nutrition Programme (SFMNP) provides low-income seniors with coupons that they can exchange for eligible foods (fruits, vegetables, honey and fresh-cut herbs) at farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community supported agronomics (CSA) programs.

The SFMNP is administered by land agencies such equally Departments of Agriculture or Aging, and federally recognized tribal governments. Non all states operate the SFMNP statewide. In 2016, an estimated 816,000 seniors used the plan.

Chore Training

The Senior Community Service Employment Plan (SCSEP) is a piece of work-based chore-training program for older individuals. Ii-thirds of participants are women and almost half are from a racial or ethnic minority, according to the SCSEP. Veterans and qualified spouses are given priority for enrollment.

Participants go work experience in nonprofit and public agencies, including schools, hospitals, day intendance centers and senior centers.

What Is the Population of Baby Boomers in the United States

Source: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/12/by-2030-all-baby-boomers-will-be-age-65-or-older.html#:~:text=Baby%20boomers%20have%20changed%20the,estimated%20at%20about%2073%20million.

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