THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WAS COMPILED BY THE CENTER FOR DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH AT AUBURN UNIVERSITY MONTGOMERY AND IS EXCERPTED FROM THE CENTRAL ALABAMA AGING CONSORTIUM AREA PLAN FOR 2007-2010

HIGHLIGHTS OF DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ON OLDER ADULTS

• Approximately 54,400 persons aged 60+ resided in the Montgomery Metropolitan Area (i.e., Autauga, Elmore and Montgomery Counties) in 2004.
• The elderly population in the tri-county area grew slightly slower than the total population during the 1990s (or by 12.2% vs. 13.9%).
• About one out of every seven persons currently residing in the Montgomery metro area is 60 years old or over.
• Almost two-thirds of all persons aged 60+ in the tri-county area reside in Montgomery County.
• About half of those aged 60+ in the tri-county area are between the ages of 60 and 69, yet nearly 10,000 persons are 80 years old or over.
• The most rapidly growing groups within the elderly population are those aged 75+, especially the 85+ age group.
• There are many more elderly females than males in the tri-county area. Females outnumber males in every age category within the elderly sector, but the discrepancy is particularly great for those of most advanced age.
• Approximately 72% of all elderly persons in the Montgomery metro area are white. Other than blacks, there are very few representatives of other racial groups who are aged 60+.
• About 84% of all elderly blacks in the metro area reside in Montgomery County, but only 59% of the whites.
• One-fifth of all households in the tri-county area are headed by a householder who is 65 years old or over.
• Of all households in the tri-county area, 28% contain at least one person who is 60 years old or over.
• A majority (or about 55 %) of the householders aged 65+ are "family householders" i.e., they live with someone else to whom they are related
• About 11,000 people aged 65+ in the Montgomery Metropolitan Area live alone. About three-fourths of those who live alone reside in Montgomery County, while 45 % are 75 years old or over.
• Only about 4 % of those aged 65+ in the metro area, or one for every 23 persons of that age, are confined to nursing homes. For the 75+ age group, however, the ratio increases significantly.
• There were over 7,000 grandparents in the tri-county area in 2000 living in households with children under 18. Over half of these grandparents (or 55 %) were responsible for the care of their grandchildren.
• Approximately half (or 17,000 people) aged 65+ in the tri-county area are characterized by one or more disabilities.
• Approximately 13 % of the metro area population aged 65+ was classified below the poverty level in 1999. This represents a drop of eight percentage points over the last 10 years
• About 72 % of the area's elderly who are poor reside in Montgomery County
• The rate of home ownership in the tri-county area is higher among those aged 65+ than the population generally (or 81.3 % versus 69.4 % in 2000). Elderly whites are more likely to own their own homes than elderly blacks
• Of all persons aged 60+ who live in Montgomery County, 90% (or about 31,000) reside in the City of Montgomery.