General Information about the Older Adult Population

By 2030, the number of U.S. adults aged 65 or older will more than double to about 71 million. The rapidly increasing number of older Americans has far-reaching implications for our nation’s public health system and will place unprecedented demands on the provision of health care and aging-related services. It also has important implications for disaster preparedness planning and response.

The following links give background information on the demographics, health status, health risks and behaviors, and health care utilization of the older adult population in the United States. As recommended in CDC’s publication, Identifying Vulnerable Older Adults and Legal Options for Increasing Their Protection During All-Hazards Emergencies: A Cross-Sector Guide for States and Communities [PDF–3.6M], this information can be used to create community and state profiles to characterize the population of older adults and better plan for their needs in emergencies.

• Profile of Older Americans
  Administration on Aging
• Healthy Aging Program At A Glance 2011
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Healthy Aging Data and Statistics on Older Adults
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Older Americans 2010: Key Indicators of Well Being [PDF–16M]
  Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics