September 25, 2006 |
2006-R-0590 | |
CONNECTICUT'S ELDERLY POPULATION GROWTH SINCE 1980 AND FUTURE PROJECTIONS | ||
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By: Helga Niesz, Principal Analyst | ||
You asked about growth in Connecticut's elderly (65+) population since 1980 and the projections for its future growth.
GROWTH IN CONNECTICUT'S POPULATION AGE 65 AND OVER SINCE 1980
From 1980 to 2005 the number of people age 65 or older in the state grew by about 30%. In 1980, Connecticut had about 365,000 seniors out of a population of about 3. 1 million. Seniors made up 11. 74% of the total state population. By July 1, 2005, their numbers had increased to an estimated 474,150 (13. 5 % of the state's total 3. 5 million population). During this same time period, the state's total population only increased by 13%, from 3,108,000 to 3,510,297. (Note: the 2005 annual estimate is very recently published and is slightly lower than the 2005 projection used in the chart below, which was derived from earlier U. S. Census Bureau projections. )
PROJECTIONS FOR FUTURE GROWTH IN ELDERLY POPULATION
The U. S. Census Bureau projects Connecticut's age 65+ population will grow from 470,183 (13. 8% of the total state population) in 2000 to 794,405 in 2030, constituting 21. 5% of the projected total state population. Table 1 lists the U. S. Census Bureau's projections for the Connecticut and U. S. age 65+ populations in five-year increments from the most recent actual census year 2000 through 2030.
TABLE 1: CONNECTICUT'S ELDERLY (AGE 65+) POPULATION PROJECTIONS COMPARED TO U. S. PROJECTIONS: 2000 TO 2030
Year |
CT 65+ Population. |
Projected % Increase |
65+ as a % of Total CT Population |
US 65+ Population |
US 65+ Pop. as a % of Total Population |
2000 |
470,183 |
13. 8% |
34,991,753 |
12. 4% | |
2005 |
479,443 |
2% |
13. 7% |
36,695,904 |
12. 4% |
2010 |
515,621 |
8% |
14. 4% |
40,243,713 |
13% |
2015 |
577,083 |
12% |
15. 9% |
46,790,727 |
14. 5% |
2020 |
642,541 |
11% |
17. 5% |
54,631,891 |
16. 3% |
2025 |
723,326 |
13% |
19. 6% |
63,523,732 |
18. 2% |
2030 |
794,405 |
10% |
21. 5% |
71,453,471 |
19. 7% |
Total % Increase 2000-2030 |
69% |
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Source: created from U. S. Census Bureau data on “U. S. Population Projections for Selected Age Groups by State: 2005-2030. ”
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