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Q: Population statistics ( Answered,   0 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Population statistics
Category: Relationships and Society > Cultures
Asked by: denece-ga
List Price: $5.00
Posted: 26 Oct 2004 11:37 PDT
Expires: 25 Nov 2004 10:37 PST
Question ID: 420368
Hi.  It was said twenty years ago that by 2000 the average age of the
American population would be over age 65.  Did that prove true?

Thanks,
Denece
Answer  
Subject: Re: Population statistics
Answered By: pinkfreud-ga on 26 Oct 2004 12:08 PDT
 
Although the average age of the American population is increasing, it
is nowhere near 65. In the year 2000, the mean age was 36.6, and the
median age was 35.9. According to the 2000 Census, 12.4 percent of
Americans are 65 or older.

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"The average age of the American population is, however, older than it
once was, and projections indicate the percentage of the population
over 65 will continue to increase through the first quarter of the
21st century. In the first census of the United States, taken in 1790,
about half of the white male population was under the age of 16. This
extremely youthful society was a result of the high birthrate and the
relatively low life expectancy that prevailed in the 18th century. No
figures exist on the elderly at that time, but the percentage was
undoubtedly quite small. By 1890 the proportion of the population
under age 15 had fallen to 35.5 percent, in large part because of the
declining birthrate. Only 3.9 percent of the population was over age
65. The median age of the population?that is, the age at which half
the people are older and half are younger?had risen to 22. By 2001,
the proportion of the population under age 15 had fallen to 21.1
percent, while 12.6 percent of the population was over age 65. The
median age in 1990 was 32.8, and according to estimates it had
increased to 35.9 by 2001.

The rapid increase in the median age between 1990 and 2000 was the
result of the aging of the baby-boom generation?people who were
reaching their 30s, 40s, and 50s. The percentage of those under age 5
increased by 4.5 percent during these years, while the percentage of
the population between 50 and 54 increased by some 55 percent. The
numbers of those between 65 and 69 years of age actually decreased
between 1990 and 2000, a reflection of the decline in birthrate during
the 1930s depression."

MSN Encarta
http://encarta.msn.com/text_1741500824___25/United_States_(People).html

======================================================================

"Resident Population Estimates of the United States by Sex, Race, 
 and Hispanic Origin:  April 1, 1990 to July 1, 1999, with Short-Term
 Projection to November 1, 2000. (Numbers in thousands. Consistent 
 with the 1990 population estimates base.)

Source:   Population Estimates Program, Population Division,
          U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, D.C. 20233

Internet Release Date:  January 2, 2001...

Nov. 1, 2000...

Median age (years)..       35.9     
Mean age (years)....       36.6"

United States Census: Population
http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/intfile3-1.txt

======================================================================

Google search strategy:

Google Web Search: "mean age" "median age" census 2000
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22mean+age%22+%22median+age%22+census+2000

======================================================================

I hope this is precisely the information you need. If anything is
unclear or incomplete, or if a link doesn't work for you, please
request clarification; I'll be glad to offer further assistance before
you rate my answer.

Best regards,
pinkfreud
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