Senior Citizens Less Diverse, Growing in Percentage of State’s Population

Over 575,000 Connecticut residents are age 65 and older, making up an estimated 16 percent of the state’s total population of 3.6 million, according to U.S. Census data updated through 2016.  Those numbers are expected to grow – steadily and rapidly – during the next two decades, experts anticipate. Among Connecticut’s eight counties, the largest percentage of seniors is in Litchfield County, 19.7 percent, followed by Middlesex County, 18.8 percent, and New London County, 17.1 percent.  New Haven (16.3%) and Hartford (16.2%) counties are next, followed by Fairfield and Tolland Counties, both at 14.8 percent.

The data, highlighted by the Connecticut Office of Legislative Research (OLR)  in a recent report, also shows that “Connecticut’s senior population is less ethnically and racially diverse than the state as a whole.”

Just over 89 percent of the state’s seniors (age 65+) are white, compared with 77 percent of the state’s population as a whole.  While 10 percent of the state’s population are Black or African American, that is true of only 6.4 percent of seniors.  The state’s Asian population is 4.2 percent of the total; among seniors, less than half that, only 2 percent, are of Asian heritage.

While the total state population is almost evenly split between male (49%) and female (51%) residents, the senior population has a larger percentage of females (57%) compared to males (43%), the analysis found.  Connecticut seniors are more likely to be veterans (20% vs. 7% of all residents) and more likely to have a disability (32% vs. 11% of residents).

According to a recent report by the state’s Commission on Women, Children and Seniors, Connecticut is the 7th oldest state in the nation.  Roughly one-third of the state’s population are baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964.  The state also has nearly 1,000 people over the age of 100.  As has been previously projected, the number of Connecticut towns with at least 20 percent of residents age 65 or older will dramatically increase between 2010 and 2020 (see maps below).  The 65 and older population is expected to grow by 56 percent in Connecticut between 2010 and 2040, compared with  1.5 percent growth in the population between ages 20 and 64.

Approximately 7 percent of Connecticut seniors had incomes which fell below the census poverty level, with an additional 8 percent of seniors having incomes between 100 percent to 149 percent of the threshold, the OLR report indicated. The most common source of income for Connecticut seniors is Social Security, with an average benefit of $20,591 per year, as of 2015. An estimated 90 percent of senior homeowners and renters receive Social Security benefits. The second most common source (50.7%) is personal retirement income, averaging $27,240 per year in 2015.

Of the more than 330,000 senior households, an estimated 76 percent are homeowners and 24 percent are renters. This represents higher home ownership rates than the state as a whole (67% of 1.35 million households).

The most common source of income for Connecticut seniors, the report indicated, is Social Security, with an average benefit of $20,591 per year in 2015. An estimated 90 percent of senior homeowners and renters receive Social Security benefits. The second most common source (50.7%) is personal retirement income, averaging $27,240 per year in 2015.

The demographic characteristics of Connecticut’s senior population (e.g. residents age 65 years and older) used by OLR were largely based on the 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Transportation Seen As Key for Growing Senior Population in CT

Connecticut is the 7th oldest state in the nation with the 3rd longest-lived average life expectancy, at 80.8 years.  Transportation is “the vital link,” according to a new report, “that connects residents across the lifespan with their communities and the elements of a vibrant and engaged life.”  By 2025, at least 20 percent of the population in every Connecticut town (except Mansfield and New Haven) will be age 65 or older, according to projections. As the state considers a range of transportation options – all carrying considerable price-tags – the impact of various alternatives on the state’s fast-growing senior population was the focus of a statewide survey and report led by the Connecticut’s Legislative Commission on Aging.47 8

The Commission’s Transportation Policy Brief, issued last month, was prepared in partnership with the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association and the Capitol Region Council of Governments. Among the key findings:

  • Connecticut’s older adults are currently more likely than any other age group to rely on their cars as their primary form of transportation. Currently, 82% of all Connecticut adults use their cars as their primary form of transportation, versus 92% of adults age 50 and older.
  • However, Connecticut residents want to become less car-dependent. Compared to today (82%), 10% fewer Connecticut adults (72%) plan to use their cars as their primary form of transportation in the future. Moreover, 47% of Connecticut adults reported currently living in a suburb where most people drive to most places, but only 8% of Connecticut adults want to live there in the future.bike

The report calls for the state and municipalities to create environments that promote equity, environmental sustainability and support healthier lifestyles for everyone; retrofitting car-dominated infrastructure for the safety of all users; rebuilding the street as a public space for social experience; supporting economic activity, and sustaining, coordinating and growing both fixed route and demand-responsive transportation options.

Connecticut residents, especially older residents, are looking for transportation alternatives, according to the online survey conducted for the Commission this year by the Harris Poll:

  • Connecticut residents intend to use public transit more in the future, especially older adults. Among adults 66 years of age and older, more (12 percentage point increase) plan to use the bus as their primary form of transportation in the future (14%), compared to today (2%).
  • More Connecticut residents plan to bike in the future, with the highest increases for the 50-65-year-old age group (13 percentage point increase) and 66 years and older age group (9 percentage point increase).
  • Creating a more walkable infrastructure is a top priority for Connecticut residents, second only to maintaining existing transportation systems (41%). Among new public investments, the strongest demand by Connecticut residents is for new sidewalks and pedestrians crossings (38%).

The survey also found that as economic uncertainty continues, 43% of Connecticut adults identified keeping transportation costs low to be a high priority.  The survey found that 28% of Connecticut adults said the quality of life, including community transportation features, was the single most important factor in choosing where to live, ranking higher than friends and family living there (17%) or job prospects (11%).

“The Commission recognizes that continued strategic investments, as well as critical policy expansions and transformations, are necessary to shape a transportation system that values community and much as it values mobility” said Julia Evans Starr, Executive Director of the Commission.

coupleFixed route transportation operates along a prescribed route and on a fixed schedule, and includes buses and light rail. In 2014 in Connecticut, buses provided over 43 million passenger trips and rail provided over 39 million passenger trips.  Demand-responsive transportation provides routes and scheduling more individually tailored to the needs of the user. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires transit agencies to provide paratransit service, subject to certain parameters, to people with disabilities who cannot use the fixed route services. Paratransit ridership in Connecticut in fiscal year 2014 under the ADA totaled over one million rides, and dial-a-ride ridership neared 100,000 rides.

Among the report’s 12 recommendations were a call to “incentivize and enhance funding for municipalities to engage in transit-oriented development in conducive locations to ensure that compact, walkable, mixed-used, mixed-income cCommission on Agingommunities are located within a reasonable distance of quality, dependable public transportation.” In addition, policy makers were urged to “identify funding streams to sustain, coordinate, grow and make more convenient both fixed route and demand-responsive transportation options (including providing door-to-door service), and provide technical assistance to support regionalization efforts.”

The report also advocated efforts that would “enhance collaboration with non-transportation partners, including those in housing, health care, public health, planning and zoning, social services, law enforcement, and the business community, among others.”  Improved data collection regarding key risk factors in road traffic injuries, and research into self-driving vehicles were also recommended.

Between 2010 and 2040, Connecticut’s population of people age 65 and older is projected to grow by 57 percent, but its population of people age 20 to 64 is projected to grow by less than 2 percent.

For more information and to read the full report visit the Legislative Commission on Aging website at www.cga.ct.gov.coa

 

CT is Top 10 State in Percentage of Seniors in Workforce;Both Men and Women Highly Ranked

Connecticut is among the nation’s leading states in the percentage of senior citizens – men and women age 65 or older – still in the workforce.  The Land of Steady Habits placed in the top ten for both men and women, and showed increases in the percentage of seniors in the workforce compared with 2000, reflecting a national trend.

Connecticut is ranked 9th in the nation in the percentage of female senior citizens in the workforce, with 14.7 percent.  The state is 7th nationwide in the percentage of male senior citizens in the workforce, with 23.8 percent.

Looking at the percentage of senior female workers, the top ten are AlasTop 10 words over white backgroundka (with 20.7%), Nebraska, District of Columbia, South Dakota, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Maryland, Connecticut and North Dakota.  The lowest percentage was in Michigan at 9.2 percent.

In Connecticut, 9.2% of women age 65-69 are working, 3.3% of women age 70-74, and 2.2% of women 75 years old or older.  The overall percentage of women seniors in the workforce in Connecticut increased from 9.9% in 2000 to 14.7% in 2011.

Using U.S. Census data, Bloomberg.com ranked the U.S. states and the District of Columbia based on thworkinge percentage of female seniors employed.  Figures are calculated by dividing the number of females aged 65+ and employed by total population of females aged 65+.   The male population was calculated in a similar fashion.

Connecticut ranked 7th in the nation in the percentage of male senior citizens in the workforce.  Data for male senior citizens indicate that in Connecticut, the overall percentage in the workforce is 23.8 percent, with 13.3% of those age 65-69, 5.6% of those 70-74 and 4.4% of male seniors age 75 or older still working.

The top ten states in the percentage of male senior citizens in the workforce are District of Columbia, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, North Dakota, Maryland, Connecticut, Vermont, Alaska and Massachusetts.  The lowest percentage was in West Virginia, with 13.5 percent.

Volunteer Programs Celebrated in Ten Cities During Senior Corps Week

More than 4,900 seniors in Connecticut contribute their time and talents in one of three Senior Corps programs.

  • Foster Grandparents serve one-on-one as tutors and mentors to more than 1,000 young people who have special needs.
  • Senior Companions help more than 320 homebound seniors and other adults maintain independence in their own homes.
  • RSVP volunteers conduct safety patrols, renovate homes, protect the environment, tutor and mentor youth, respond to natural disasters, and provide other services through more than 830 groups across Connecticut.

The programs operate in ten Connecticut cities - Bridgeport, Bristol, Danbury, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Norwalk, Norwich, and Waterbury.

Senior Corps Week 2013 is May 6-10 to align with Older Americans Month – a time to celebrate, recognize, and highlight the extraordinary contributions that Foster Grandparents, RSVP, and Senior Companion volunteers make through service in their communities each and every day.  [See video.]logo_sc_week_2010sc

The Corporation for National and Community Service is joining with organizations across the country to honor the powerful impact of Senior Corps volunteers and encourage more Americans 55+ to serve their communities through the fourth annual Senior Corps Week.

For more than four decades, Senior Corps volunteers have used their lifetime of skills and experience to meet community needs. Today more than 330,000 volunteers age 55+ are serving through Senior Corps' three programs.  The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. CNCS annually engages more than five million Americans in service to meet local needs through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and national days of service; improves communities through the Social Innovation Fund, and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve.

To learn more visit NationalService.gov  or call 202-606-5000 or TTY 1-800-833-3722.