Contact Us Home Page
Aging
ViewpointAgingDesign SolutionsResourcesAbout UsServices




 
Myths of Aging
Demographics of Age <<
Boomer Photo
People age 50 and over now make up 24 percent of the U.S. population – and control over 30 percent of its discretionary income.
  Bullet   The Demographics of Age...
 

Fifty million Baby Boomers will soon begin retirement and explode the number of older Americans seeking support from their residential environments and household products.
A swelling demand for products and environments that accommodate their changing needs will soon erupt.



The Swelling Senior Population

  • In the United States today, there are more people age 65 and older than the entire population of Canada.

  • In the United states today, there are more people aged 65 and older than the populations of New York, London, and Moscow — combined.

  • Throughout the world today, there are more people aged 65 and older than the entire populations of Russia, Japan, France, Germany and Australia.

Not only is the age structure of our global population changing, a dramatic change in the age structure within the older population is also occurring. The fastest growing sub-group among the elderly are the "old-old"—those 85 years or older. In the United States, this group alone will more than triple from 3+ million in 1990 to over 9 million by 2050.

 


Increased Life Expectancy

As life expectancy increases dramatically, not only are the numbers of older people increasing, but they are also living longer. Two thousand years ago the average Roman could expect to live 22 years. A person born in 1900 could only expect to live 47.3 years; in 1930, 59.7 years; and in 1960, 69.7 years. Today, a newborn infant has a life expectancy of 77.8 years.

Put in perspective, life expectancy at age 65 has increased more in the last 30 years than the entire 200-year period from 1750 to 1950. A person age 65 can expect to live another 18 years. A man of 75 has a 50-50 chance of reaching 84; a woman; 86. The longer you live, the longer you're likely to live.

 


Sex Ratio

As the population gets older, it also becomes predominantly more female. The sex ratio (the number of men per 100 women) changes over the human life span. There are 106 male births for every 100 female births. The numbers of men continue to exceed women until the third decade (20-29).

From that age on, women increasingly outnumber men. In the 65-74 age group, there are 82 males for every 100 females. This number drops to 65 in the 75-84 age group. The changes for the old-old (85 and older) group become even more pronounced. For this sub-group, the sex ratio is an astounding 41 men to every 100 women – which has very important implications! To design for an aging population means to design for a predominantly older female population.

 


Transgenerational Accommodation

By 2012, more than 100 million Americans will be age 50 or older. In 2004 alone, more than 3.5 million boomers turned 55. Today's physically and intellectually active younger generations suggest that tomorrow's elderly population will be better educated, healthier, culturally literate and, as individuals, more discerning consumers. Their increased life expectancies and energetic life styles will allow most of us to live 20 to 25 percent of our lives in active retirement.

 


 

Transgenerational homes and products can help maintain those active lifestyles, activities and independence. We can help you accommodate — and attract — their swelling purchasing power.


 



  Top of Page
For permission to reuse our copyrighted content, please go to www.copyright.com. Top of Page top of page Top of Page
Menu Footer Transgenerational Viewpoint Aging Design Solutions Resources About Us Services
Copyright - Legal
 

Top of Page
Top of Page Top of Page
top of page graphic Viewpoint Aging Solutions Resources About Us Services Privacy Policy Conditions of Use Home Contact Us