Table 3.

Older Adult Population Characteristics (2003)^a

U.S. population age (% of total pop.):b	2000	2030	% increase
65 years +	35.1 mil (12.4)	71.5 mil (19.7)	103.8
85 years +	4.3 mil (1.5)	9.6 mil (2.6)	125.1
Under 65 years	247.1 mil (87.6)	292.1 mil (80.3)	18.2
Male 65 years + (% of 65+ pop.):b	14.5 mil (41.2)	31.3 mil (43.9)	116.9
Male 85 years + (% of 85+ pop.):b	1.2 mil (29.1)	3.3 mil (34.8)	169.4
Percent of elderly: Non-Hispanic White:	83	72	−13.2
Hispanic:	6	11	83.3
African American:	8	10	20.0
Dependency ratio for older adults*	21.1	36.2	71.6
Older adults residing in nursing homes (%):c	1.5 million (4.2)
Life expectancy:	76.9 years
Older adults with 1+ chronic condition:	80%
2+ chronic conditions:	50%
Number of victims of elderly abuse:	2.1 million

^*Dependency Ratio = Persons 65 years and older/100 working age persons 20- 64 years old. Note: reference year is 2003, source is (a), and variables pertain to population 65 years old and older unless indicated otherwise.

Sources:

^aHe et al., 2005¹⁹

^bProjected Population of the United States, by Age and Sex: 2000 to 2050, 2004¹⁷

^cMcCaig and Burt, 2005¹⁸