National Association of Counties * Washington, DC            Vol. 30, No. 17 * September 14, 1998

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Counties and an Aging America

More people today are living to be much older than they did in the past. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, people born in the late 1990s can expect to live an average of 76 years. If you reach 75 years, you can generally expect to live an additional 11 years. But what does this larger aging population actually mean to county governments?

People are not just living longer, they are living well longer. After long productive lives, many people look forward to their retirement years as a period of leisure living. For many years, only the most wealthy in our society could look forward to these leisure years. Now, because the population is generally better educated, and many have saved for retirement or have good retirement programs from their jobs, more and more people are participating in these "leisure years."

As people who are living longer and remaining active longer, Baby Boomers will probably change the definition of retirement, just as they have redefined the middle years. Since this generation is remaining more active than earlier generations, it is expected that they will continue to remain active. Sports, such as golf and tennis, will stay popular as they age, and many will look to local governments to provide these recreational activities and facilities.

Many will continue to take classes, both in degree programs and in other areas, such as arts and crafts, real estate licensing, foreign languages, tai chi, yoga and self defense. Community colleges, especially those with adult education programs, will feel the impact of this growing demand.

At what age is someone considered "old?" Years ago, anyone over 60 was considered old, but since the mid-80s, 72 years of age is what most people identify as old. Will this age get higher? Probably, as more Baby Boomers reach 50 and then 60 years of age, the definition of "old" will probably get higher too. Generally, women think old age begins at 75 years, but men think it begins somewhere around 71 years.

What do people think about getting old? Generally, in the past, getting old was connected with physical symptoms and a physical slowdown. Graying hair, wrinkles, age marks, visible veins are all areas of concern for most women. Men, however, are more concerned with new physical limitations as they age.

The revenue for local government does not always diminish as the resident population ages as many have thought. Of people 60 years and older, 97 percent shopped in the past month as compared with 98 percent of all adults. Ninety percent of older people go to the grocery store every month, which is the same as the national average. Older Americans are more likely to go to drugstores than the average person and because of extended families, are more likely to go to greeting card stores, too. Older people also spend more on their hobbies and leisure supplies and they are interested in and spend their money on housewares, plants and hardware stores.

Even though people over 60 still shop, they often enjoy it less, especially in a typical mall. Even though the atmosphere seems appealing and hospitable, many older people are discouraged by advertisers devotion to youth. Clothing that is not in the appropriate size or style turns them off. Many specialty stores cater to the wants and needs of a much younger clientele, forcing many older shoppers to buy what they have to, but not seeing much that they want. As many more retailers recognize these new markets for goods and address the needs of seniors, tax revenue for counties from these new sales will increase.

Nearly half of people between the ages of 45 and 59 are grandparents. A whopping 80 percent of adults over 60 years old are grandparents. More than 56 percent of the people over 60 have teenage grandchildren on whom they spend large amounts of money.

As more grandparents assume the guardianship of their grandchildren, these expenditures will increase. This new phenomenon of the Baby Boom generation will place additional pressures on local governments, since they will be seeking services from the counties that in the past were demanded by much younger people.

(Research News was written by Jacqueline Byers, director of research.)