The U.S. Census Bureau released a report showing that the centenarian population in the United States grew by 50% between 2010 and 2020, increasing from 53,364 to 80,139 people aged 100 or older. Despite this significant growth, centenarians remain a small segment of the population, accounting for only two out of every 10,000 people in 2020.
The “Centenarians: 2020” report draws on data from the 2020 Census and provides details about centenarians’ age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, living arrangements, and geographic distribution. The analysis also compares centenarians to other older age groups to highlight unique characteristics within this demographic.
According to the report:
– In 2020, women made up the majority of centenarians at 78.8%, although this was slightly lower than in 2010 when women represented 82.8%.
– The male centenarian population saw an increase of 85.3% over the decade compared to a rise of 42.9% among female centenarians.
– The group became marginally more racially diverse and male during this period. There was an approximately eight percentage-point decline in the share of White alone centenarians since 2010—a trend similar to other older adult groups but less pronounced than for those under age 65.
– The proportion of Black or African American alone centenarians declined from 12.2% in 2010 to 10.3% in 2020.
Geographically, regional differences emerged:
– The Northeast had the highest concentration with about 3.19 centenarians per every 10,000 people.
– Hawaii led all states with more than four centenarians per every 10,000 residents (4.44), while Puerto Rico followed closely at (4.14).
– No state reported fewer than one centenarian per every 10,000 residents; Utah (1.04) and Alaska (1.28) had the lowest proportions.
– States with higher concentrations of centenarians mirrored patterns seen among those aged between ages 85–99 but differed from patterns among those aged 65–84.
Living arrangements for U.S. centenarians showed notable differences by gender:
– A greater proportion of female centenarians lived alone without familiar household members compared to their male counterparts.
– Nearly half (49.7%) of male centenarians lived with others in a household; just over a third (33.8%) of female centenarians did so.
– Female centenarians were about twice as likely as males to reside in group quarters such as nursing homes—27.6% versus 14.2%.
– Overall, two-thirds (66.2%) of female centenarians either lived alone or in group living situations; for males it was about half (50.3%).
The data also indicated that racial and ethnic diversity varied across different living arrangements:
– Centenarian households where individuals lived with others were more racially and ethnically diverse compared to those where individuals lived alone or resided in nursing homes.
– Hispanic or Latino, Asian alone, and “All Other Races” categories each had over 60% living with others in a household.
– White alone not Hispanic individuals were much less likely—with less than 35%—to live with others.
– About half of Black or African American alone centenarians lived with others.
This special report offers insights into how America’s oldest residents are distributed across demographics and regions based on recent census data.
