Montgomery Planning: Research & Technology - Characteristics of the Elderly (Aged 65+), 1997

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Characteristics of the Elderly (Aged 65+)

Montgomery County, 1997

Table 1: Whites constitute a larger share of the elderly population than of the total county population;
Table 2: There are comparatively few hispanics among the County's elderly population;
Table 3: Montgomery County's elderly are well-educated;
Table 4: The distribution of educational attainment reflects the increasing availability of college during this century;
Table 5: The foreign born are a smaller percentage of elderly households than all households;
Table 6: Women constitute the majority of Montgomery County's population, especially after age 85;
Table 7: As expected, employment declines with age
Table 8: Married couple households decrease, one person households increase as the age of the household head increases
Table 9: Households with the oldest heads move most (address in April 1989)
Table 10: Among older households, renters move more than owners
Table 11: Household income declines substantially with increasing age
Table 12: Older renters have markedly lower incomes than older owners;
Table 13: Renter's housing cost burden increases with age;
Table 14: Household size declines with age;
Table 15: More than 60 percent of households with heads aged 85+ live in apartments;
Table 16: Computer ownership declines steeply with increasing age;
Table 17: Car ownership decreases as the head of household ages;
Table 18: Monthly housing costs are higher for older renters than for older homeowners;
Table 19: The percent of residents aged 65+ is highest in the down-County planning areas along MD355;
Table 20: The need for day care rises with age;
Table 21: Significant care needs emerge after age 75;
Table 22: Younger prospective retirees are most likely to plan to move away from the County

Total County Population by Race
Race	Age 65+	All County Residents
White	86.3%	73.0%
Black	6.3%	13.4%
Asian*	6.1%	10.9%
Other	1.3%	2.8%
* Includes Pacific Islander

Hispanic Elderly Population
Hispanic Origin	Age 65+	All County Residents
Yes	3.3%	8.6%
No	96.7%	91.4%

Education
Educational Attainment	Age 65+	All County Residents Age 25+
Less Than High School Graduate	17.6%	8.4%
High School Graduate	39.5%	32.4%
College Graduate	21.5%	28.6%
Graduate Degree	21.4%	30.6%

Distribution of Educational Attainment
Educational Attainment	Age 65-74	Age 75-84	Age 85+
Less Than High School Graduate	15.1%	18.0%	29.8%
High School Graduate	36.4%	43.8%	42.7%
College Graduate	22.4%	21.9%	14.7%
Graduate Degree	26.0%	16.2%	12.8%

Foreign Born Percentage of Elderly Households
Foreign Born Head or Spouse	Age 65+	All County Residents Age 25+
Yes	16.2%	26.2%
No	83.8%	73.8%

Women Population Percentage
Age	Percent Female
65-74	56.3%
75-84	58.6%
85+	68.0%
All 65 Years and Older	58.3%
All Residents	53.2%

Employment Status
Age	Percent Employed Full- or Part-Time
65-74	25.4%
75-84	8.6%
85+	9.1%
All Elderly	18.2%
All Residents*	73.2%
* All residents aged 16 and older.

Household Status
Age	Married Couple*	One-Person	Other
65-74	58.8%	29.5%	11.7%
75-84	43.7%	46.5%	9.8%
85+	27.0%	64.3%	8.7%
All Elderly	49.8%	39.5%	10.7%
All Residents*	63.6%	22.3%	14.1%
* Households may or may not include other persons.

Households Age Relocation
Age	Same Address	Other Montgomery County	Elsewhere in State or Region	Outside State or Region
65-74	86.3%	7.6%	3.1%	2.9%
75-84	83.7%	6.8%	4.9%	4.6%
85+	78.6%	12.3%	2.4%	6.6%
All Elderly	84.5%	7.9%	3.8%	4.0%

Relocation
Tenure	Same Address	Other Montgomery County	Other State or Region	Outside State or Region
Owner	90.6%	4.9%	2.4%	2.1%
Renter	59.0%	19.9%	9.5%	11.7%

Household Income (1966)
Age	Median Household Income
65-74	$55,144
75-84	$46,628
85+	$33,475
All Elderly Households	$50,526
All County Households	$65,840
* Includes Pacific Islander

Owner/Renters Incomes Comparison
Tenure	Median Household Income*
Owner	$54,493
Renter	$27,042
* 1996 household income, age 65+

Renter's Housing Cost*
Age	Last than 20%	20-30%	30-50%	50%+
65-74	37.2%	22.4%	22.5%	18.0%
75-84	28.7%	25.3%	28.3%	17.7%
85+	27.5%	22.1%	27.8%	22.7%
All age 65+ renters	29.4%	24.8%	26.9%	20.9%
* This chart shows housing cost as a percentage of income. Less than 25 to 30 percent is desirable. The inclusion of meals in the housing costs can make higher percentages acceptable.

Household Size
Race	Size
65-74	1.99
75-84	1.67
85+	1.45
All age 65+	1.81
All Households	2.64

Household Type
Age	Single-Family Detached	Townhouse	Garden Apartment	High-Rise Apartment
65-74	66.6%	10.6%	11.5%	11.3%
75-84	52.3%	6.6%	15.4%	25.7%
85+	33.1%	5.6%	20.4%	40.9%
All Elderly	57.8%	8.6%	13.9%	19.7%
All Households	52.0%	17.3%	20.9%	9.8%

Computer Ownership
Age	Own One or More Computers
65-74	47.5%
75-84	23.6%
85+	13.7%
All Elderly	35.5%
All Households	67.6%

Car Ownership
Age	No Car Reported	One Car	Two or More
65-74	4.4%	37.8%	57.8%
75-84	10.4%	56.7%	32.8%
85+	34.4%	53.2%	12.4%
All Elderly	9.5%	46.1%	44.4%
All Households	4.5%	32.6%	62.9%

Owner/Renter Housing Costs Comparison
Age	Owner	Renter
Age 65+	$642	$713
All Households	$1,254	$804

Aged 65+ Residence
Location	All Persons Aged 65+
Bethesda-Chevy Chase	19.4%
North Bethesda	15.6%
Rockville	13.1%
Gaithersburg	7.0%
Germantown	2.9%
Clarksburg	9.7%

Day Care Needs
Age	Receiving Day Care (%)	Needing Paid Day Care (%)
65-74	0.8%	0.6%
75-84	1.4%	1.2%
85+	7.3%	3.1%
All Elderly	1.7%	1.1%

Care Needs
Needs	65-74	75-84	85+	Total
Needs personal care	0.8%	3.0%	9.7%	2.5%
Needs transportation	3.0%	7.3%	17.1%	6.0%
Uses wheelchair/walker	2.0%	7.0%	17.4%	5.3%

Plans to Move Away from the County
Age	Remain in County	Plan to Move	Percent of All Households
50-54	61.1%	38.9%	24.2%
55-59	66.1%	33.9%	37.1%
60-64	77.0%	23.0%	41.2%
65-69	85.1%	14.9%	23.7%
70-74	93.4%	6.6%	15.4%

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Characteristics of the Elderly (Aged 65+)