In 2003, nearly 36 million people age 65 and older lived in the United States, accounting for just over 12 percent of the total population. Over the 20th century, the older population grew from 3 million to 35 million. The oldest-old population (those age 85 and over) grew from just over 100,000 in 1900 to 4.2 million in 2000.

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The Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) will start turning 65 in 2011, and the number of older people will increase dramatically during the 2010-2030 period. The older population in 2030 is projected to be twice as large as their counterparts in 2000, growing from 35 million to 71.5 million and representing nearly 20 percent of the total U.S. population.

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In 2003, non-Hispanic whites accounted for nearly 83 percent of the U.S. older population. Blacks made up just over 8 percent, Asians made up nearly 3 percent, and Hispanics (of any race) accounted for nearly 6 percent of the older population. Projections indicate that by 2050 the composition of the older population will be 61 percent non-Hispanic white, 18 percent Hispanic, 12 percent Black, and 8 percent Asian.

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In 2003, older men were much more likely than older women to be married. Over three-quarters (78 percent) of men age 65-74 were married, compared with over one-half (56 percent) of women in the same group. The proportion married is lower at older ages: 36 percent of women age 75-84 and 14 percent of women age 85 and over were married. For men, the proportion married also is lower at older ages, but not as low as for older women. Even among the oldest old, the majority of men were married (59 percent).