% 65 and Older*

About

Percentage of population ages 65 and older. The 2024 Annual Data Release used data from 2022 for this measure.

Older adults experience unique health risks and can benefit from distinct supports through policies, practices and norms that assure adequate community conditions and opportunities to thrive. As people age, they are more likely to experience mobility restrictions, injuries from falls and chronic disease.1 They are also more susceptible to the severe impacts of infectious diseases.1 Financial insecurity is also more common among older adults.2 Many of these risks are preventable and avoidable. Policies and practices, driven by norms and values, can ensure that older adults live long and well. Keeping everyone healthy depends on how well we include everyone in setting priorities, making decisions and sharing resources according to need. 

Data and methods

Data Source

Census Population Estimates Program

The Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program (PEP) uses data on births, deaths, and migration to estimate population changes occurring since the most recent decennial census and produce a vintage, or annual time series of estimates. Each vintage includes the current data year and revised estimates for any earlier years since the last decennial census. 

Because each vintage of estimates includes all years since the most recent decennial census, the latest vintage supersedes all other estimates produced since the previous decennial census. 

See the Population Estimates Program methodology for statements and release notes for each vintage of population estimates. See the Limitations section for specific details pertaining to the current vintage year population estimates.

Website to download data
For more detailed methodological information

Key Measure Methods

% 65 And Older is a percentage

% 65 and Older is the percentage of the population aged 65 years and older.

Numerator

The numerator is the county population aged 65 years and older.

Denominator

The denominator is the total county resident population.

The method for calculating % 65 And Older has changed

Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and changes to confidentiality protections for the 2020 decennial census, the 2020 census could not be used as the base population, or starting point, to estimate changes in the population. For the Vintage 2022 population estimates, the census created a Blended Base using 2020 census data, 2020 Demographic Analysis Estimates, and Vintage 2020 Population Estimates for April 1, 2020. At the national level, the age and sex characteristics for the Blended Base come from the 2020 Demographic Analysis Estimates. At the county level, age and sex estimates for the base population come from a blend of these three datasets.  

There were also methodological changes to the estimates of births, deaths, and migration, partially to adjust for the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.3 

Caution should be used when comparing these estimates across years

The population estimates vintage data used for this measure include estimates for all years since the most recent decennial census and therefore supersede all previously produced estimates for those dates. For this reason, population and demographic estimates are best compared within the same vintage series. CHR&R data draw from the most recent vintage available each year and therefore include multiple vintage series over time. 

Measure limitations

The data for this measure come from the Population Estimates Program, which uses survey data from the decennial census and American Community Survey and administrative records such as birth and death certificates. The measure is subject to the limitations of these data sources. 

For the oldest members of the population, there may be non-sampling error in birth records due to vital records being incomplete or unavailable. Medicare data is used to estimate the population over 75, however administrative records were not designed for this purpose and do not capture people who are ineligible for Medicare.4   

Finding More Data

Disaggregation means breaking data down into smaller, meaningful subgroups. Disaggregated data are often broken down by characteristics of people or where they live. Disaggregated data can reveal inequalities that are otherwise hidden. These data can be disaggregated by:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Race
  • Subcounty Area

Population estimates are available by age, sex, race, and subcounty from the U.S. Census Bureau.

References

  1. Healthy People 2030. Older adults. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/older-adults 
  2. National Council on Aging (NCOA). Get the facts on economic security for seniors. 2023.  https://ncoa.org/article/get-the-facts-on-economic-security-for-seniors   
  3. U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program. Methodology for the United States population estimates: Vintage 2022. 2022. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/technical-documentation/methodology/2020-2022/methods-statement-v2022.pdf 
  4. U.S. Census Bureau Population Division. Methodology for the 2020 Demographic Analysis estimates. 2020. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/technical-documentation/methodology/2020da_methodology.pdf