Regional Snapshot: Exploration of Key Trends in the 65+ Age Cohort

This month’s Regional Snapshot explores key trends among the 65+ age cohort in the 10-county Atlanta region. This snapshot is a compressed version of a longer product giving an overview of Aging demographics, as well as of issues impacting seniors in our region. This forthcoming product will also highlight activities and programs of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Aging & Health Resources group that address the aging population’s needs and challenges.

Highlights from this snapshot:

The 60+ age cohort population will increase more than all other age cohorts combined, comprising 51.5 percent of all population growth between 2015 and 2040.
The majority of the white population in the 10-county region is older than 35. The converse is true for minority (non-white) populations – the majority are younger than 35.
Many older adults experience isolation, which has been shown to have adverse health effects on par with smoking 15 cigarettes per day!
Approximately 36 percent of respondents age 65+ indicated that they had challenges accessing needed transportation to get to places they need to go, almost 10 percentage points higher than all respondents to this question.
Today, older adults are much more likely to remain in the workforce, as more than half of workers aged 65-69 are considered to be in the workforce, compared to only 25 percent in 1990.