According to the poll conducted by Pew Research Center, about 79% of respondents to the question about the markers of old age say that a person becomes old when he or she turns 85.
Key facts
In 1900, only 100,000 U.S. citizens lived to be 85 and older.
By 2020, that number had risen to almost 7 million. This is the fastest-growing age group of elders.
By 2050, the 85 and older age group will reach 19 million — 24% of older adults and 5% of the total population.
Some researchers state that the 85+ group will rise even faster because death rates at older ages will drop more quickly than the U.S. Census Bureau predicts.
The number of older Americans is increasing. In 2019, the 85+ group (6.6 million) was over 53 times larger than in 1900 (122,362). For comparison, the population 65+ group in the United States is 54.1 million.
Because women’s life span is almost 8 percent on average longer than men’s, the number of women aged 85+ far exceeds the number of men of the same age. In 2020, there were 178 women for every 100 men.
Geographically, the 85-and-older population is primarily concentrated in the upper Midwest and Florida.
Top 10 of the oldest U.S. Counties
Kalawao (Hawaii) – 19.54
Harding (New Mexico) – 9.25
Mcintosh (North Dakota) – 7.58
Sheridan (North Dakota) – 7.14
Hooker (Nebraska) – 7.11
Decatur (Kansas) – 6.49
Sioux (Nebraska) – 6.25
Hand (South Dakota) – 6.14
Daniels (Montana) – 6.11
McPherson (South Dakota) – 5.97
The map below illustrates the population aged 85+ changes by U.S. county from 2000 to 2020.
It is projected that the 85 and older population is more than double, from 6.6 million in 2019 to 14.4 million in 2040 (a 118% increase).
Population 85 years and older by county (2000 – 2020)
Health troubles associated with aging speed up when adults advance into their 80s and beyond. For instance, about 4/10 respondents ages 85 and older say they have been exposed to some memory loss, compared with 27 percent of those ages 75-84 and 20 percent of those ages 65-74. Also, 30 percent of those ages 85 and older say they are often depressed or feel sad, contrasted with less than 20 percent of those who are 65-84. And a 1/4 of adults ages 85+ state they no longer drive, contrasted with 17 percent of those ages 75-84 and 10 percent of those who are 65-74.
But despite these health changes, 255,000 Americans 85 years old or older continue to work.
The forecasted increase of the older adult population in the United States over the next 50 years will have an unprecedented impact on the U.S. healthcare system, especially regarding the supply of and demand for healthcare workers.
The great plains so old, because there’s not much there other than farming. The young often leave the area right out of high school.