Ranks of people reaching age 90 tripled since 1980

WASHINGTON — The 90-and-older population nearly tripled in the United States over the past three decades to reach 1.9 million in 2010 and will more than quadruple by 2050, the US Census Bureau said Friday.
Nonagenarians now represent 4.7 percent of the 65-and-older US population, compared to 2.8 percent in 1980. By the middle of the century, they will account for 10 percent of that group, according to the report.
Most Americans aged 90 and over have at least one disability, live alone or in a retirement home and have high school diplomas. And women outnumber men nearly three to one.
The age category is overwhelmingly white (88.1 percent), while blacks accounted for 7.6 percent, Asians 2.2 percent and Hispanics about four percent.
Nonagenarians are also mostly widows and widowers, live in poverty and have more disabilities than those aged less than 90.
"Traditionally, the cutoff age for what is considered the 'oldest old' has been age 85," Census Bureau demographer Wan He said in a statement.
"But increasingly, people are living longer and the older population itself is getting older. Given its rapid growth, the 90-and-older population merits a closer look.


An increase in education, improvements to nutrition and public health, a decline in smoking, diabetes controls and a reduction in strokes have been major factors contributing to the aging boom, Suzman said.


The report, which details the demographic, health and economic status of the oldest Americans, is based on the 2006- 2008 American Community Survey. It was released on the U.S. Census Bureau website.


"This is very important data for policy makers and researchers to start considering whether to change the definition for oldest-old from 85 to 90-plus," said Wan He, a Census Bureau demographer and an author on the report.


The so-called "oldest-old" in the United States has generally been defined as 85 and older.


Given the aging boom and increased life expectancy, that marker may now be inching closer to 90, researchers said, and it's important to understand the differences among the older population.


For example, of people aged 85-89, about 69 percent reportedly have a disability, which might include trouble hearing or seeing or a physical limitation.


At ages 90-94, that number jumps to nearly 83 percent.


Other study findings showed that the 90-plus population in the United States is overwhelmingly white with most earning a high school diploma.


Education is linked to a number of factors related to a person's well-being, according to the report, with higher education linked to lower mortality rates and better overall health.


Women over the age of 90 outnumbered men by nearly 3 to 1, according to the report. Nearly 80 percent of those women were widowed while more than 40 percent of the men 90 or older are married, it said.