HEADLINES SCREAMED LAST WEEK when the U.S. Census Bureau released numbers showing the population of older adults is growing faster than other age categories.
Well … duh.
We told you there’s a reason they’re called Baby Boomers. Everyone went to war from 1941 to 1945 and, when the survivors got home, it was time to celebrate, get lives back on track, and have a disproportionate number of babies.
Boom!
Compared to being shot at, raising kids sounded like a piece of cake. After two world wars killed millions over 30 years or so, nobody was worried about overpopulation, and all those babies have grown up to be a historically large population of older Americans.
The most recent census numbers aren’t a big surprise to anyone paying attention to the past few years of projections. And an ugly juxtaposition jumped right out.
Obviously, Congress didn’t see it (or didn’t care), but we’re facing an even bigger crisis than the most contentious critics of President Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill” realize. And those census numbers just clarified it may only get worse.
Simply put, as billons in Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are likely to be slashed or have steeper eligibility requirements, the number of older Americans needing them is just growing — a growth spurt not projected to slow down anytime soon.
More older Americans means more people needing help with food and health care that may not be available to them.
Numbers tell troublesome tale
The numbers got my attention a few years ago, when I started writing about aging and longevity and saw that in 2019, about one in every 11 people on Earth was 65 or older. By 2050, that number was projected to nearly double, rising to one in six, according to the United Nations.
The World Health Organization said back then the number of people 60 or older on the planet will more than double from 2015 to 2050, from 900 million to 2 billion. The 65 and over population will grow faster, by percentage of overall population, than any other U.S. Demographic between 2016 and 2060.
In 2016, there were 49.2 million people in the U.S. 65 and older. By 2060, that number will increase to about 94.7 million.
If I knew that, why didn’t Congress? Or is that someone else’s problem? The new 2025 data says older adults outnumber children in 11 states (it was only three as recently as 2020) and in nearly half of U.S. counties. The Census says the U.S. population of folks 65 and older increased by 3.1% (to 61.2 million) from 2023 to 2024, while the population of kids under 18 fell by 0.2% (to 73.1 million). And that trend, a greater older population, a lesser younger, has been consistent over the past couple decades.
Why does it matter?
While one segment of the population grows, there’s fewer people at the other end paying taxes to help fund programs the older people need.
Someone needed to send these numbers to D.C. because, if this budget passes — and as of this writing, they’ve been trying to vote on it for more than 48 hours — we’re looking at insanity-inducing shortages in medical care and food for many older Americans.
We’re way past the point of hoping politicians fix the problem. The coming disparities could be as desperate as we’ve seen without wars or natural disasters.
Though the bill will likely include increased tax breaks for middle income seniors, AARP said it’s urging Senate leaders to reconsider proposed cuts to programs that support access to health care, food assistance and long-term care for older adults.
According to AARP, SNAP provided grocery income to 11 million adults age 50 or older in 2023. AARP also said Medicaid provides health insurance to more than 17 million low-income Americans age 50 and older.
If politicians don’t care, we have to
AARP said the Senate’s version of the bill would block new staffing standards in nursing homes receiving funding through Medicaid and Medicare. The care for which there could be less funding could also be of lower quality.
This comes only a half-decade after COVID-19 showed what a nightmare a large-scale medical emergency can be for nursing homes.
We’re way past the point of hoping politicians see a need and get to work fixing it. The coming disparities could be as desperate as we’ve seen without wars or natural disasters.
What’s the solution? Can states, counties and cities find creative ways to fill in the gaps and take care of their older Americans? There is one surefire way for older Americans — typically the most civic-minded folks when it comes to elections — to control their destiny.
There’s more of them available to vote than ever before. Sixteen months until the mid-term elections.
What does a longer lifespan mean to you? Talented local columnists tag-team every Friday to tackle the challenges that inform your choices — whether you’re pushing 17 or 70. Recent Stanford Center on Longevity Visiting Scholar Susan Nash looks at life experiences through an acerbic personal lens, while other longtime writers take the macro view to examine how society will change as the aging population grows ever larger. Check in every Friday to expand your vision of living the long game and send us your feedback, column suggestions and ideas for future coverage to newsroom@baycitynews.com.