Persons 65 Years Old and Over—Characteristics by Sex,
1990–2009
Updated August 5, 2020 |
Infoplease Staff
The following table includes characteristics of persons age 65 years and over in the U.S. population, including sex, marital status, years of school completed, and labor force participation.
| Characteristic | Total | Male | Female | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2006 | 2009 | 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2006 | 2009 | 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2006 | 2009 | |
| Total1 (million) | 29.6 | 32.6 | 35.2 | 35.5 | 37.8 | 12.3 | 13.9 | 15.1 | 15.2 | 16.3 | 17.2 | 18.7 | 20.0 | 20.3 | 21.5 |
| Percent distribution | |||||||||||||||
| Marital status: | |||||||||||||||
| Single | 4.6% | 3.9% | 4.1% | 3.6% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 4.4% | 3.8% | 4.4% | 4.9% | 3.6% | 3.9% | 3.6% | 4.0% |
| Married | 56.1 | 57.2 | 57.7 | 57.8 | 57.2 | 76.5 | 75.2 | 74.9 | 75.0 | 74.4 | 41.4 | 43.8 | 44.7 | 44.9 | 44.1 |
| Spouse present | 54.1 | 54.6 | 54.8 | 54.7 | 54.8 | 74.2 | 72.6 | 71.7 | 71.9 | 72.0 | 39.7 | 41.3 | 42.0 | 41.9 | 41.8 |
| Spouse absent | 2.0 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 2.3 |
| Widowed | 34.2 | 32.1 | 30.3 | 29.9 | 29.0 | 14.2 | 14.4 | 13.7 | 13.1 | 12.9 | 48.6 | 45.3 | 42.9 | 42.4 | 41.3 |
| Divorced | 5.0 | 6.7 | 7.9 | 8.7 | 9.6 | 5.0 | 6.1 | 7.0 | 8.1 | 8.3 | 5.1 | 7.2 | 8.5 | 9.1 | 10.7 |
| Years of school completed: | |||||||||||||||
| 8 years or fewer | 28.5 | 16.7 | 13.4 | 13.0 | 10.7 | 30.0 | 17.8 | 13.2 | 13.0 | 10.4 | 27.5 | 15.9 | 13.5 | 12.9 | 10.9 |
| 1 to 3 years of high school1 | 16.1 | 13.8 | 12.7 | 11.9 | 11.0 | 15.7 | 12.7 | 11.9 | 11.0 | 10.0 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 13.3 | 12.5 | 11.7 |
| 4 years of high school2 | 32.9 | 35.9 | 36.3 | 36.7 | 36.5 | 29.0 | 30.4 | 31.6 | 32.9 | 32.0 | 35.6 | 39.9 | 39.9 | 39.5 | 39.9 |
| 1 to 3 years of college3 | 10.9 | 18.0 | 18.7 | 19.0 | 20.2 | 10.8 | 17.8 | 18.4 | 17.4 | 19.4 | 11.0 | 18.2 | 19.0 | 20.2 | 20.8 |
| 4 years or more of college4 | 11.6 | 15.6 | 18.9 | 19.5 | 21.7 | 14.5 | 21.4 | 24.9 | 25.6 | 28.2 | 9.5 | 11.4 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 16.8 |
| Labor force participation5: | |||||||||||||||
| Employed | 11.5 | 12.4 | 14.5 | 15.0 | 16.1 | 15.9 | 16.9 | 19.1 | 19.8 | 20.5 | 8.4 | 9.1 | 11.1 | 11.4 | 12.8 |
| Unemployed | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.8 |
| Not in labor force | 88.1 | 87.2 | 84.9 | 84.6 | 82.8 | 83.6 | 82.5 | 80.2 | 79.7 | 78.1 | 91.3 | 90.6 | 88.5 | 88.3 | 86.4 |
| Persons below poverty level6: | 11.4 | 9.7 | 9.8 | 10.1 | n.a. | 7.8 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 7.3 | n.a. | 13.9 | 11.8 | 11.9 | 12.3 | n.a. |
NOTES: n.a. = not available.
1. Represents those who completed 9th to 12th grade, but have no high school diploma.
2. High school graduate.
3. Some college or associate degree.
4. Bachelor's or advanced degree.
5. Annual averages of monthly figures (from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Earnings, January issues. Data beginning 1990, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 not directly comparable with earlier years).
6. Poverty status based on income in preceding year.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, and U.S. Bureau of the Census.
| Population 65 Years and Over by Age, 1990 and 2000 | Population | Persons 65 Years Old and Over—Characteristics by Sex, 1980–2000 |
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