Quick Facts About Aging in NC
General Population Data
The number of persons aged 65+ in NC increased 21.1% between 1990 and 2000. [1]
NC's older population is projected to more than double from 2000 to 2030. The very old population (85+) is projected to much more than double, increasing 150%. [1]
From 2001 to 2030, the 65+ age cohort is expected to increase by over 1.2 million persons, to approximately 18% of North Carolina's population. The 45-64 cohort will experience an increase of just over 1 million persons. Age cohorts from 0-44 years are expected to decline in their proportions of the state total. [3]
NC ranked 12th among states in the growth rate of the 65+ population from 1990-2000. During the period from 2000-2030, this rank will fall to 19th. [2, 12]
The median age in NC increased from 33 years in 1990 to 35.3 years in 2000. By 2030, it is projected to be 37.8 years. [1]
By 2005, life expectancy at birth in North Carolina had increased to 75.8 years. In general, women live longer than men within racial and ethnic groups, and white North Carolinians live longer on average than persons of minority races. [1, 22]
Socioeconomic Factors
The percentage of NC adults 65+ living in poverty increased from 13.2% in 1999 to 16% in 2003. [5, 22]
In 2000, 41.6% of North Carolina adults aged 65+ did not have a high school diploma. By 2005, this measure had improved, decreasing to 32.8%. [6, 23]
As of 2003, about half of older adults in NC lived in rural areas. [7]
In 2005, 21.6% of North Carolinians aged 65-74 were employed, as were 6.4% of those 75 and older.[23]
Race & Gender
The median age of all minorities in North Carolina is projected to increase at a greater rate than for the general population, from 30.5 years in 2000 to 35 years in 2030. [1]
About 18.7% of older adults in NC are minorities (2005). [14]
North Carolina has a significantly higher percentage of black elderly (15.7%) than the overall U.S. (8.3%). In contrast, North Carolina has a much lower percentage of Hispanic elderly (1.1%) than the overall U.S. (6.2%) (2005). [14]
Older women significantly outnumber older men; they represent 58.9% of the 65+ population and 71.1% of the 85+ population in NC (2005). [14]
North Carolina women age 75+ are twice as likely to be poor as men the same age. [14]
In North Carolina, minority men and women don't live as long as whites, yet they have more years of poor health (2004). [17]
Health & Health Care
Less than 1% of older North Carolinians lack health insurance, compared with the 15% uninsured among those between ages 50 and 65 (2004). [6, 19]
As of 2007, 92% of NC Medicare beneficiaries had prescription drug coverage. [23]
In 2007, North Carolina spent $1.8 billion on Medicaid for the elderly. This population represented 9.3% of the total Medicaid recipients, but received 20.9% of the total Medicaid resources. [18]
45.7% of NC adults aged 65 and over have a disability. [23]
The five leading causes of death among North Carolinians age 65 and older during 2007 were, in order, heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic respiratory disease and Alzheimer's Disease. Heart disease and cancer killed over 2.5 times as many elderly as the latter three conditions. [21]
More than half (55%) of those ages 55 and older have been diagnosed with arthritis/joint problems. Of those with arthritis, 28 percent reported that arthritis adversely affected their usual activities and/or the nature and amount of work that they perform (2003). [20]
In North Carolina, only 24.5 percent of adults age 65 and over meet recommended levels of exercise (i.e., 30 minutes of brisk walking five times a week). North Carolina ranks among the bottom ten states in this category (2003). [7, 20]
In 2003, 2,145 North Carolinians died from Alzheimer's Disease. The incidence of Alzheimer's Disease is projected to increase by 31% in North Carolinians 65 and over from 2000 to 2010. In 2010, it is predicted that 170,000 elderly North Carolinians will have Alzheimer's. [10]
There were 188 certified geriatricians in North Carolina in 2007. The state has 3.7 geriatricians per 10,000 population age 75+ (below the national mean of 3.9 per 10,000). [13]
Caregiving, Long Term Care, and End of Life
In 2000, about 17% of North Carolinians had cared for a person age 60 or older during the previous month, which was higher than the national average (15.7 percent). [6]
Since 1990, NC's long-term care spending for older adults has increased from approximately $486 million to $1.38 billion in SFY 2000 (185%). [9]
In 2005, over 311,000 North Carolinians provided unpaid care valued at over $2.6 billion to persons with Alzheimer's Disease or dementia. [10]
North Carolina will need more than 21,000 additional nurse aides and other paraprofessionals to meet the long term care needs of its older adults over the next 5 years (2001). [8]
Over 40% of NC residents in nursing homes were reported to be in persistent pain in 1999. [11]
In a 2002 survey completed by 3,586 members of NC AARP, only 50% of Whites and 30% of African Americans had completed advance health care directives. [23]
Less than 25% of NC hospitals reported having a hospice program in 2000, and the median length of stay in hospice for NC residents in 2001 was only 32 days, less than half of the 60 days considered ideal. [11]
Family Issues
North Carolina ranks 11th in the number of multi-generational households in the nation, with 101,544 multi-generational households out of a total of 3,132,013 households in the state (2000). [15]
Half of grandparents in NC living with their grandchildren reported themselves as having primary responsibility for their grandchildren's care (2002). [4]
Migration
Among the 8 southeastern states, NC was second only to Florida for net in-migration of people aged 65+ (21,000 between 1995 and 2000). Nearly 65% of these in-migrants were in the 65-74 age group. [16]
NC has the 6th highest net migration rate of the 65+ population in the U.S. for the 5-year period from 1995-2000, and the 3rd highest rate for the 60+ age group for the 15-year period from 1985-2000. [16]
Sources:
1. NC Office of State Planning, State Demographics Unit. (2008). Past and Expected Trends.
2. U.S. Census Bureau (2000). PHC-T-13, States and Puerto Rico Ranked by Percent Change of Population 65 Years and Over: 1990 and 2000.
3. The North Carolina Atlas Revisited. (2008)
4. NC State Data Center. (2002). New Socioeconomic Portrait of North Carolina.
5. State Center for Health Statistics. (2003). A health profile of older North Carolinians. Raleigh, NC.
6. North Carolina Study Commission on Aging (2004). Report to the Governor and the 2004 Regular Session of the 2003 General Assembly.
7. Division of Aging. (2003). The Aging of North Carolina: The 2003–2007 North Carolina Aging Services Plan. Raleigh, NC.
8. North Carolina Institute of Medicine. (2001). A Long Term care Plan for North Carolina: Final report. Durham, NC: North Carolina Institute of Medicine.
9. NC Division of Facility Services. (2000). Long-Term Care Expenditures For Older Adults Reported For SFY 2000.
10. Alzheimer's Association. Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures 2007.
11. Last Acts: A National Coalition to Improve Care and Caring at the End of Life. (2002). Terminally ill and dying residents of North Carolina receive mediocre to poor end-of-life care.
12. U.S. Census Bureau. (2005). Change in Total population and population 65 and older by state: 2000 to 2030.
13. Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs Status of Geriatric Workforce Study. Distribution of Certified Geriatricians in the United States for Populations aged 75 and over, 2007.
14. North Carolina Study Commission on Aging (2007). Report to the Governor and the 2007 Regular Session of the 2007 General Assembly.
15. U.S. Census Bureau (2000). PHC-T-17, Multigenerational Households for the United States, States, and for Puerto Rico: 2000.
16. U.S. Census Bureau. (2003). Internal Migration of the Older Population:
1995-2000. CENSR-10.
Longino, Charles F.; Bradley, Don E. (2003). A first look at retirement migration trends in 2000. The Gerontologist 43(6): 904-907.
17. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2004). "North Carolina: How Many Years of Your Life Will You Enjoy Good Health?," Chronic Disease Notes & Reports. 16 (2/3).
18. NC Division of Medical Assistance. (2007). 2007 Medicaid Tables, Table 10: NC Medicaid Service Expenditures by Recipient Group SFY 2007 .
19. North Carolina State Data Center (2004). Health Insurance Coverage in North Carolina, Summary
20. N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health. (2003). The Health of North Carolinians: A Profile. Raleigh: NC.
21. State Center for Health Statistics. (2007). NC Vital Statistics Volume 2, Leading Causes of Death - 2007. TABLE A: Leading Causes of Death* by Age Group- North Carolina Residents, 2007.
22. State Center for Health Statistics. (2005). Health Profile of North Carolinians: 2005 Update
23. Division of Aging. (2007). North Carolina Aging Services Plan 2007-2011: Putting the Pieces Together.
updated May 2009
