How Long Will Baby Boomers Make the Majority

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

Baby boomers accept changed the face of the U.Southward. population for more than seventy years and continue to do so every bit more enter their senior years, a demographic shift often referred to as a "gray tsunami."

The 2020 Census volition provide the almost upward-to-date count of the infant smash generation, now estimated at virtually 73 million.

"Information from the 2020 Demography volition bear witness the bear on of the infant boomers on America's population historic period construction."

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

Born afterwards World War II, from 1946 to 1964, the oldest boomers volition plough 74 adjacent twelvemonth. When the last census was taken in 2010, the oldest had not even turned 65.

Since then, about 10,000 a day have crossed that age threshold and by 2030, all boomers will be at least age 65.

"Data from the 2020 Census will show the bear on of the baby boomers on America's population historic period structure," said Wan He, caput of Aging Research Programs for the Population Division of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Why Knowing Where Boomers Are Matters

Knowing almost the number of people age 65 and older is important for tribal, local, state and federal lawmakers. They will use 2020 Census statistics to help determine how to spend billions of dollars annually in federal funds on critical public services for the next 10 years.

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

"The census is really of import to us in the aging customs," said John Haaga, of the National Establish on Aging in Washington, D.C. "It's our only fashion to figure out how things are dissimilar across the state, what areas are aging faster, where elderly disabled people live, or where older people are full-bodied, like Appalachia or Westward Virginia, considering young people are leaving for the cities." Older people are remaining backside there.

Other states, such every bit Florida, have large older populations because people are moving at that place to retire, according to Haaga.

By using Census Bureau statistics and its geographic information organisation, analysts and customs planners can get a refined moving-picture show of where older Americans live and how close they are to the services they demand. That helps lawmakers or business people decide where to open up health clinics or senior citizen centers, amidst other services.

"You can kickoff to expect at specifics like how many older people are living lone who are more than 10 miles from an developed 24-hour interval care heart." Haaga said. "You can respond questions of access and how to ameliorate it."

Enter the Baby Boomers

At an estimated 73 1000000, this generation is the 2d-largest historic period group after their children, the millennials, born from 1982 to 2000.

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

"The older population is becoming even more than meaning," she said.

The number of people age 65 and older in the United States has grown rapidly over most of the 20th century, from 3.1 million in 1900 to 35 million in 2000.

In 2018, at that place were 52 meg people age 65 and older, co-ordinate to the Census Bureau's Vintage Population Estimates. Their share of the population grew as well, from 12.iv% in 2000 to 16.0% in 2018.

Just aging boomers are non the simply reason the nation's population is getting older overall. Longer lives — in part due to better health care — and record low birth rates amongst young women are also major factors, co-ordinate to Haaga.

The total fertility rate of U.S. women is now i.7 children per woman, beneath the ii.1 children needed to supplant the population.

Life expectancy at age 65 went from 11.9 years (1900-1902) to 19.1 years in 2010, according to An Crumbling Earth, a Census Agency written report co-authored by Wan He.

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

"The mismatch betwixt former and young volition have implications beyond the coming years," said Dr. Grace Whiting, president and CEO of the National Brotherhood of Caregivers.

"We aren't having enough children to take intendance of us in our old age," she said. "Wait at my family: my in-law was one of 6 children, my husband and I were ane of two, and nosotros don't have kids. Extrapolate that out, and that'southward what'southward happening nationwide."

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

Federal Programs Help People Over Age 65

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

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

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

Third is Medicare Role B, at $seventy.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 simply a few of the reasons why it is important for people age 65 and older to respond to the 2020 Census.

They tin can answer online, past phone or by postal service.

Programs that help older people alive better lives include:

Social Services Cake Grants

Adult mean solar day care, community centre lunches, home-delivered meals, protection and remedy from abuse — both physical and financial — are all funded past Social Services Cake Grants.

The funding levels for these services are determined, in function, from statistics produced by the Demography Agency. 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.half dozen billion, according to the Census Agency, and x% 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 Human Services.)

In 2016, 42 states spent $284 million to provide assist for nearly 950,000 people historic period 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 neglect, including maltreatment, lack of adequate food or shelter, or financial abuse. Sadly, 1 in 10 older adults experience some form of abuse, according to the Census Agency.

Farmers' Market Program

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

The Senior Farmers' Market Diet Program (SFMNP) provides low-income seniors with coupons that they can commutation for eligible foods (fruits, vegetables, dear and fresh-cut herbs) at farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community supported agriculture (CSA) programs.

The SFMNP is administered by country agencies such as Departments of Agriculture or Aging, and federally recognized tribal governments. Not all states operate the SFMNP statewide. In 2016, an estimated 816,000 seniors used the programme.

Chore Grooming

The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) is a work-based job-training program for older individuals. Two-thirds of participants are women and almost one-half are from a racial or ethnic minority, co-ordinate to the SCSEP. Veterans and qualified spouses are given priority for enrollment.

Participants become piece of work experience in nonprofit and public agencies, including schools, hospitals, day care centers and senior centers.

bissonandisho.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/12/by-2030-all-baby-boomers-will-be-age-65-or-older.html

Share this post