Jan5Written by:NHS Editor
1/5/2010 2:22 PM 
DEMOGRAPHICS
The number of Americans age 55 and older will almost double between now and 2030 . from 60 million today (21 percent of the total US population) to 107.6 million (31 percent of the population) . as the Baby Boomers reach retirement age.
During that same period of time, the number of Americans over 65 will more than double, from 34.8 million in 2000 (12 percent of the population) to 70.3 million in 2030 (20 percent of the total population).
The next generation of retirees will be the healthiest, longest lived, best educated, most affluent in history
Americans reaching age 65 today have an average life expectancy of an additional 17.9 years (19.2 years for females and 16.3 years for males).
The likelihood that an American who reaches the age of 65 will survive to the age of 90 has nearly doubled over the past 40 years . from just 14 percent of 65-year-olds in 1960 to 25 percent at present. By 2050, 40 percent of 65-year-olds are likely to reach age 90.
EDUCATION AND INCOME
The older population is becoming better educated. While less than one-third of today's adults aged 70-74 have at least some college education, that percentage will increase to more than 50 percent by 2015.
Most older Americans today have more financial resources than did previous generations. Households headed by persons age 65 and older reported a median income in 2000 of $32,854 ($33,467 for whites, $27,952 for African-Americans, and $24,330 for Hispanics). While one of every eight (12.1 percent) households headed by someone age 65 or older had incomes less than $15,000, nearly half (49.2 percent) had annual incomes of $35,000 or more, and nearly three in ten households (29.8 percent) had incomes greater than $50,000 per year.
THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW LIFE STAGE
Older Americans no longer see retirement as an "endless vacation," but increasingly as an active, engaged phase of life that includes work and public service.
According to a 2002 survey conducted for Civic Ventures, 59 percent of older Americans see retirement as "a time to be active and involved, to start new activities, and to set new goals." Just 24 percent see retirement as "a time to enjoy leisure activities and take a much deserved rest."
Those who plan to work in their retirement cite the desire to stay active and productive, rather than economic necessity, as the primary reason.
More than half of the respondents (56 percent) say civic engagement will be at least a fairly important part of retirement (Peter D. Hart Research Associates, "The New Face of Retirement: An Ongoing Survey of American Attitudes on Aging," San Francisco: Civic Ventures, 2002).