Healthy Aging for Diverse Older Adults in the U.S.

People age 65 and older accounted for 12.8% of the total U.S. population in 2010 or 39 million people, and are projected to increase to 20% or 89 million by 2050 (U.S. Census, 2008a). The ethnic composition of our aging population is also changing, with the percentage of people age 65 and older who come from communities of color projected to dramatically increase from 2010 (20%) to 2050 (43%) (see Figure 3.1). This growing diversity is transforming the population landscape of aging and the priority given to cultural competence for the aging service community.