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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO NATIONAL EDITORS:
Census Bureau Examines the Social and Economic Characteristics of our
Nation's 55,000 Centenarians
WASHINGTON, April 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Centenarians have
lower education levels, are overwhelmingly women and are more likely
to live in poverty than the 65-and-older population, according to a
U.S. Census Bureau report released today. The report, "The Centenarian
Population: 2007-2011," analyzes characteristics of centenarians and
how they compare with those 65 years and older.
"Centenarians are a small group who are a significant indicator of
American life," said Brian Kincel, a statistical analyst in the Census
Bureau's Age and Special Populations Branch and the report's author.
"By living a century or more, they have seen great changes in the
American landscape and their education levels reflect social and
economic conditions in the 1920s and earlier. Today, their situations
may vary based on many factors, and the statistics in this report
begin to tell their story."
The report, based on results from the American Community Survey,
compares social and economic differences between the 55,000
centenarians in the U.S. and the 40 million people 65 and older.
Major findings from the report include:
-- Of centenarians, 57 percent received at least a high school diploma
compared with 77 percent of the 65-and-older group.
-- Women made up 81 percent of centenarians and 57 percent of those 65
and older.
-- 17 percent of centenarians lived below the poverty line, and 9
percent of the 65-and-older population were in poverty.
-- Among women, 3 percent of centenarians were married as opposed to
41 percent of women 65 and older. Among men, 23 percent of
centenarians were married compared with 71 percent of men 65 and
older.
-- Of centenarians, 83 percent received Social Security income
compared with 88 percent of the 65-and-older group.
-- 24 percent of centenarians received retirement income, while 38
percent of the 65-and-older population received it.
About the American Community Survey The American Community Survey
provides a wide range of important statistics about all communities in
the country. The American Community Survey gives communities the
current information they need to plan investments and services.
Retailers, homebuilders, police departments, and town and city
planners are among the many private- and public-sector decision makers
who count on these annual results.
Ever since Thomas Jefferson directed the first census in 1790, the
census has collected detailed characteristics about our nation's
people. Questions about jobs and the economy were added 20 years later
under James Madison, who said such information would allow Congress to
"adapt the public measures to the particular circumstances of the
community," and over the decades allow America "an opportunity of
marking the progress of the society."
CB14-64 Graph | JPG | PDF
Virginia Hyer Public Information Office 301-763-3030 email:
pio@census.gov
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SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
-0- 04/09/2014
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/Web Site: http://www.census.gov
CO: U.S. Census Bureau
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