The older adult population (65 years of age and older) in the United States is about 35 million, or 12.4% of the entire population. There are an estimated 276,895 older adults living in West Virginia, or 15.3% of the population.

In any discussion about the aging of the population, there is great debate about where to draw the line between adults and older adults. The U.S. Census Bureau places emphasis on age 65 when analyzing population characteristics; hence, age 65 is the dividing line in this document.

The table below shows a breakdown of the population in the United States and West Virginia by selected age ranges.

The aging of the population of West Virginia is one of the most important demographic trends affecting the state. Estimates show that West Virginia has approximately 189,180 caregivers, who provide more than 203 million hours of care valued at more than $2 billion.

Of the older adults in West Virginia, 164,357 (59.4%) are female; 112,538 (40.6%) are male. In the U.S. as a whole, there are 20.5 million older females (58.8%) and 14.4 million older males (41.2%). Historically, female life expectancy has been higher than male life expectancy at most ages. In 2000, life expectancy at birth for females and males in the U.S. was 79.5 years and 74.1 years, respectively.

Disability is declining in the older adult population. Studies over the past two decades have revealed substantial declines in the rates of disability and functional limitation. In West Virginia, 138,171 people 65 and older population (49.9%) report that they have a disability. In the U.S. as a whole, this figure is 14.2 million (40.5%). Older women (43%) are more likely than older men (40%) to experience disability.

Regardless of their health or need for assistance, older adults prefer to live independently and in their own homes. In the U.S., 24.6 million households (23.4%) reported at least one individual age 65 or older; 9.7 million householders (9.2%) aged 65 and older reported living alone. In West Virginia, 201,399 households (27.3%) reported at least one individual age 65 or older, with 92,741 householders (33.5%) aged 65 and older living alone. Of the adults over age 65 in West Virginia, 12,276 (4.4%) reported living in group quarters--that is, in a setting which is not their home and where they are not alone. This compares to the U.S. total of 1.9 million (5.7%).

Family Caregiver Alliance maintains a state-specific database of programs and resources available to family caregivers. Visit Caregiving Across the States: A State-by-State Resource and select your state to access additional information.

References

• Family Caregivers Alliance. "Caregiving Across the States: A State-by-State Resource." http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=1274. Last accessed: 17 December 2007.
• National Family Caregivers Association & Family Caregivers Alliance. (2006). "Prevalence, Hours and Economic Value of Family Caregiving, Updated State-by-State Analysis of 2004 National Estimates by Peter S. Arno, PhD." Kensington, MD: NFCA & San Francisco, CA: FCA.
• U.S. Census Bureau. (2007). "State and County Quick Facts - West Virginia." http://www.census.gov. Last accessed: 03 July 2007.