37.9 million - The number of people 65 and older in the United States on July 1, 2007. This age group accounted for 13 percent of the total population. Between 2006 and 2007, this age group increased by 635,000 people.
88.5 million - Projected population of people 65 and older in 2050. People in this age group would comprise 20 percent of the total population at that time.
518 million - Projected 2009 midyear world population 65 and older. Projections indicate the number will increase to 1.6 billion by 2050.

Income and Wealth

$28,305 - Median 2007 income of households with householders 65 and older, statistically unchanged, in real terms, from the previous year.
9.7% - Poverty rate for people 65 and older in 2007, statistically unchanged from 2006. There were 3.6 million seniors in poverty in 2007, up from 3.4 million in 2006.

$190,100 - Median net worth for families in 2004 whose head was between 65 and 74.  

Serving Our Nation

9 million - Estimated number of people 65 and older who were military veterans in 2007.

Jobs

5.8 million - Number of people 65 and older who were in the labor force in 2007. Projections indicate that by 2016, the number will reach 10.1 million.
15% - Percentage of people 65 and older in the labor force in 2007.

Education

74% - Proportion of people 65 and older in 2007 with at least a high school diploma.
19% - Percentage of the population 65 and older in 2007 who had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher.
7.3 million - Number of people 66 and older taking adult education courses in 2004-05, comprising about 8 percent of these students.

Marital Status and Living Arrangements

54% - Percentage of people 65 and older who were married in 2007.
31% - Percentage of people 65 and older in 2007 who were widowed.
65% - Percentage of people 65 and older in 2007 who lived with relatives. Another 27 percent lived alone, while 5 percent lived in group quarters and 2 percent in a household with nonrelatives. In addition, 6 percent lived in their children’s home.
1.5 million - Number of people 65 and older who lived in nursing facilities in 2007. These residents comprised 4 percent of all people in this age group.

Voting

78% - Percentage of citizens 65 and older registered to vote in the 2006 congressional election. Sixty-three percent of citizens in this age group reported actually casting a ballot.

Homeownership

80% - Percentage of householders 65 and older in 2007 who owned their homes. This compares with 42 percent for householders at the other end of the age spectrum — younger than 35.

Population Distribution

Nation

73 - The number of men 65 and older on July 1, 2007, for every 100 women in this age group. For those 85 and older, it drops to 48 men per 100 women.
5.5 million - The number of people 85 and older in the United States on July 1, 2007.
96,548 - Estimated number of centenarians in the United States on Nov. 1, 2008.
601,000 - Projected number of centenarians in the United States in 2050.

States and Counties

4 million - Number of people 65 and older living in California on July 1, 2007, the highest total of any state. Florida, with 3.1 million, was the runner-up.
17% - Percentage of Florida’s population 65 and older in 2007, which led the nation. States with the next-highest percentages of older people included West Virginia (15.5 percent) and Pennsylvania (15.2 percent).
32% - Percentage of the population of La Paz County, Ariz., that was 65 and older on July 1, 2007, which led the nation. There were 24 counties with at least one-quarter of their population 65 and older. Nine of those counties were in Florida, with four in Texas and three in Michigan.