Contact: Robert Bernstein Public Information Office The nation's
90-and-older population nearly tripled over the past three
decades, reaching 1.9 million in 2010, according to a report
released today by the U.S. Census Bureau and supported by the
National Institute on Aging. Over the next four decades, this
population is projected to more than quadruple. Because of
increases in life expectancy at older ages, people 90 and older
now comprise 4.7 percent of the older population (age 65 and
older), as compared with only 2.8 percent in 1980. By 2050, this
share is likely to reach 10 percent. The majority of people 90
and older report having one or more disabilities, living alone
or in a nursing home and graduating from high school. People in
this age group also are more likely to be women and to have
higher widowhood, poverty and disability rates than people just
under this age cutoff. These findings come from 90+ in the
United States: 2006-2008, which presents an overview of this age
group and a comparative anal