Adams County Demographic Report on the Population of Elders: An Overview of Census 2000 Data

Population / total
Total in 2000 / 33625
Total in 2006 (est.) / 33719
% Growth 2000-2006 / 0.28%
Ages 65 and over in 2000 / 4506
Ages 65 and over in 2006 / 4509
% 65 and over in 2006 / 13.37%
% Growth (65+) 2000-2006 / 0.1%
Population over 85 in 2006 / 860
Population est. 55-64 2006 / 2745
Spanish Speakers (65+) / 111
Speak little or no Engl. (65+) / 9

The total population in Adams County grew slightly while its population of seniors ages 65years and older remained nearly unchanged during the period from 2000 to 2006.

(*Number of seniors ages 65 and over by census tract.)

Income / %
% of ages 65+ living below poverty level / 8.6
% of total population below poverty level / 9.1
Ages 65+ living below 150% of poverty / 17.63
Labor force participation rate for ages 65+ / 13.63
Unemployment rate (%) among labor force participants ages 65+ / 3.23

The percentage of seniors that lives below the poverty level in Adams County is slightly smaller than the percentage of its total population, but larger than the percentage of seniorsacross Indiana (7.7%) that lives below the poverty level. Labor-force participation by seniors and unemployment among those seniorparticipants in Adams County are nearly the same as the corresponding percentages among seniors across the state (13.93% and 3.45%, respectively).

The proportion of females to males generally increasesin older cohorts.

The largest frequency of seniors in Allen County is in the category from $5,000 to $9,999, as in most counties in Indiana. *Note that income categories for this graph are larger for those making more than $54,999.

Housing
Households with 1 or more 65+ / 3041
Number of 65+ householders / 2907
% 65+ householders who own (v. rent) / 74.41
% 65+ householders living in housing built before 1960 / 47.47
% 65+ householders who moved in before 1970 / 37.5
Number of 65+ females living alone / 1119
Number of 65+ male living alone / 257
% of householders living alone / 47.33
% of 65+ householders who pay >35% of income for housing / 19.06

In Adams County the percentage of senior householders who live in older housing is slightly smaller than the percentage of senior householders who live in older housingacross Indiana (48.6%) and the percentage of senior householders in the county who have been living in the same home for over 30 is nearly the same as the corresponding percentage across the state (37.8%).

Grandparents as Caregivers for Grandchildren 18 Years Old and Younger

Tot. / %
Aged 65+ who live with one or more own grandchildren / 60 / 1.42% (of sample)
Aged 65+ having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 0 / *0%
Aged 65+ live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 60 / *100%
Aged 55-64 who live with one or more own grandchildren / 80 / 2.94% (of sample)
Aged 55-64 having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 20 / *25%
Aged 55-64 live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 70 / *87.5%

*Percent of total of those who live with one or more of their own grandchildren. Sample size for 65+ = 4220; sample size for ages 55-64 = 2720.

Most householders over 64 years old own their home as opposed to rent, while almost one third of all seniors live alone. The percentage of senior householdersin Adams County who own their own home is considerably smaller thanthe percentage of senior householders who own their home across Indiana (82.13%). The percentage of householders aged 85 and older in the countywho own their home is also much smaller than the corresponding percentage across the state (70.94%). Finally, the percentage of seniors who live alonein Adams County is slightly larger than the percentageof all seniors who live alone across Indiana (29.11%).

Disabilities among Non-institutionalized Population Aged 60+ / Total number
Sensory / 485
Physical / 1015
learning/remembering/concentrating / 185
Self-care disability / 340
Go-outside-home disability / 740
Employment disability / 34
Percent of ages 65+ with any disability / 39.5

*Categories are not mutually exclusive. (Source: US Census Summary File 3)