America is getting older and grayer.
All of the baby boomers — people born in the “boom” years after World War II from about 1946 to 1964 — will be older than 65 by 2030, which means that 1 in every 5 residents in the United States will be of retirement age.
Right now, the U.S. population of people aged 65 or older is already growing at a faster rate than both the general population and the population of people under age 65, according to the Census Bureau.
One in five people is currently over the age of 65 in the states of Florida, Maine, and West Virginia.
This graying of America is happening because older Americans are living longer while birth rates are dropping. This phenomenon is occurring worldwide as well as in the United States.
This older population is mostly made up of non-Hispanic whites. More than 80 percent of the population over 85 is white, while 61 percent of the overall U.S. population is white.
These older folks are staying connected. About 80 percent live in a house with a computer and more than 75 percent have access to the internet. Among the seniors, those between the ages of 65 and 74 are most likely to own a computer and to have access the internet.
Increasing numbers of people in this upper age bracket are staying in the work force. Of the folks aged 65 to 74, 30 percent of men and 22 percent of women are still working.
To explore more about what older Americans are up to in each U.S. state, click on the interactive map below.
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