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

Population / total
Total in 2000 / 484564
Total in 2006 (est.) / 494202
% Growth 2000-2006 / 1.99%
Ages 65 and over in 2000 / 63234
Ages 65 and over in 2006 / 63201
% 65 and over in 2006 / 12.79%
% Growth (65+) 2000-2006 / -0.1%
Population over 85 in 2006 / 8486
Population est. 55-64 2006 / 42955
Spanish Speakers (65+) / 3823
Speak little or no Engl. (65+) / 957

In Lake County the total population grew modestly while the population ages 65 years and older declined slightly 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
% of total population below poverty level / 12.2
Ages 65+ living below 150% of poverty / 21.15
Labor force participation rate for ages 65+ / 11.42
Unemployment rate (%) among labor force participants ages 65+ / 3.33

The percentage of seniors in Lake County that lives below the poverty level is smaller than the percentage of the total population of the county, but slightly larger than the percentage of seniors across Indiana (7.7%) that lives below the poverty level. The labor-force participation rate among seniors in Lake County is lower than among seniors across Indiana (13.93), while unemployment among seniors in the county is nearly the same as among seniors across Indiana (3.45%).

The proportion of females to males generally increases in older cohorts, but in Lake county women outnumber men in all cohorts over 19 years old.

In Lake County the largest number of seniors falls into the income category from $5,000 and $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+ / 46013
Number of 65+ householders / 41407
% 65+ householders who own (v. rent) / 80.57
% 65+ householders living in housing built before 1960 / 60.76
% 65+ householders who moved in before 1970 / 45.79
Number of 65+ females living alone / 12733
Number of 65+ male living alone / 4754
% of householders living alone / 42.23
% of 65+ householders who pay >35% of income for housing / 30.97

The percentage of senior householders in Lake County who live in older housing is much larger than the percentage of senior householders who live in older housing across Indiana (48.6%), and the percentage of senior householders in the county who have been living in the same home for over 30 years is also larger than 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 / 3270 / 5.4% (of sample)
Aged 65+ having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 1030 / *31.5%
Aged 65+ live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 2260 / *69.11%
Aged 55-64 who live with one or more own grandchildren / 3250 / 7.61% (of sample)
Aged 55-64 having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 1480 / *45.54%
Aged 55-64 live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 1770 / *54.46%

*Percent of total of those who live with two or more of their own grandchildren. Sample size for 65+ = 60570; sample size for ages 55-64 = 42710.

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 householders in Lake County who own their home is slightly smaller than the percentage of senior householders who own their home across Indiana (82.13%) and the percentage of senior householders age 85 years and older in the county who own their home is nearly the same as the corresponding percentage across the state (70.94%). Finally, the percentage of seniors in Lake County who live alone is smaller than the percentage of all seniors who live alone across Indiana (29.11%).

Disabilities among Non-institutionalized Population Aged 60+ / Total number
Sensory / 7825
Physical / 17875
learning/remembering/concentrating / 6050
Self-care disability / 6105
Go-outside-home disability / 12765
Employment disability / 1090
Percent of ages 65+ with any disability / 44.2

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