Persons 65 Years Old and Over—Characteristics by Sex, 1980–2010
Updated August 5, 2020 |
Infoplease Staff
The following table features characteristics of the U.S. population age 65 and over, including sex, race, marital status, educational attainment, and employment status.
| Characteristic | Total | Male | Female | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | |
| Total1 (million) | 24.2 | 29.6 | 32.6 | 38.6 | 9.9 | 12.3 | 13.9 | 16.8 | 14.2 | 17.2 | 18.7 | 21.8 |
| Percent below poverty level2 | 15.2% | 11.4% | 9.7% | 9.8% | 11.1% | 7.8% | 6.9% | 7.0% | 17.9% | 13.9% | 11.8% | 11.9% |
| Percent distribution | ||||||||||||
| Marital status: | ||||||||||||
| Single | 5.5% | 4.6% | 3.9% | 4.3% | 4.9% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 4.1% | 5.9% | 4.9% | 3.6% | 4.5% |
| Married | 55.4 | 56.1 | 57.2 | 57.6 | 78.0 | 76.5 | 75.2 | 74.5 | 39.5 | 41.4 | 43.8 | 44.5 |
| Spouse present | 53.6 | 54.1 | 54.6 | 55.2 | 76.1 | 74.2 | 72.6 | 71.7 | 37.9 | 39.7 | 41.3 | 42.4 |
| Spouse absent | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
| Widowed | 35.7 | 34.2 | 32.1 | 28.1 | 13.5 | 14.2 | 14.4 | 12.7 | 51.2 | 48.6 | 45.3 | 39.9 |
| Divorced | 3.5 | 5.0 | 6.7 | 10.0 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 6.1 | 8.7 | 3.4 | 5.1 | 7.2 | 11.1 |
| Years of school completed: | ||||||||||||
| 8 years or fewer | 43.1% | 28.5% | 16.7% | 10.2% | 45.3% | 30.0% | 17.8% | 10.2% | 41.6% | 27.5% | 15.9% | 10.1% |
| 1 to 3 years of high school | 16.2 | 16.1 | 13.8 | 10.33 | 15.5 | 15.7 | 12.7 | 9.73 | 16.7 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 10.83 |
| 4 years of high school | 24.0 | 32.9 | 35.9 | 36.44 | 21.4 | 29.0 | 30.4 | 32.04 | 25.8 | 35.6 | 39.9 | 39.84 |
| 1 to 3 years of college | 8.2 | 10.9 | 18.0 | 20.65 | 7.5 | 10.8 | 17.8 | 19.75 | 8.6 | 11.0 | 18.2 | 21.25 |
| 4 years or more of college | 8.6 | 11.6 | 15.6 | 22.56 | 10.3 | 14.5 | 21.4 | 28.46 | 7.4 | 9.5 | 11.4 | 18.06 |
| Labor force participation7: | ||||||||||||
| Employed | 12.2% | 11.5% | 12.4% | 16.2% | 18.4% | 15.9% | 16.9% | 20.5% | 7.8% | 8.4% | 9.1% | 12.9% |
| Unemployed | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| Not in labor force | 87.5 | 88.1 | 87.2 | 82.6 | 81.0 | 83.6 | 82.5 | 77.9 | 91.9 | 91.3 | 90.6 | 86.2 |
NOTES: n.a. = not available.
1. Includes other races, not shown separately.
2. Poverty status based on income in preceding year.
3. Represents those who completed 9th to 12th grade, but have no high school diploma.
4. High school graduate.
5. Some college or associate degree.
6. Bachelor's or advanced degree.
7. Annual averages of monthly figures (from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Earnings, January issues. Data beginning 1994 not directly comparable with earlier years).
Source: Except as noted, U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports. From Statistical Abstract of the United States 2001.
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