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

Population / total
Total in 2000 / 46109
Total in 2006 (est.) / 49663
% Growth 2000-2006 / 7.71%
Ages 65 and over in 2000 / 5158
Ages 65 and over in 2006 / 5764
% 65 and over in 2006 / 11.61%
% Growth (65+) 2000-2006 / 11.7%
Population over 85 in 2006 / 732
Population est. 55-64 2006 / 4160
Spanish Speakers (65+) / 22
Speak little or no Engl. (65+) / 6

While the total population in Dearborn County grew rapidly, the population of elders grew proportionally even faster between 2000 and 2006.

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

Income
% of ages 65+ living below poverty level / 7.2
% of total population below poverty level / 6.6
Ages 65+ living below 150% of poverty / 16.24
Labor force participation rate for ages 65+ / 15.08
Unemployment rate (%) among labor force participants ages 65+ / 4.52

The percentage of seniors in Dearborn County that lives below the poverty levelis slightly larger than the percentage of the total population of the county, but slightly smaller than the percentage of seniors across Indiana (7.7%) that lives below the poverty level. The labor-force participation rate among seniors in Dearborn County is higher thanamong seniors across Indiana (13.93%), but unemployment among seniors in the county is also higher than among seniors in the labor force across the state (3.45%).

The proportion of females to males generally increases in older cohorts.

In Dearborn County the income category between $5,000 and $9,999 contains the largest frequency of seniors, 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+ / 3577
Number of 65+ householders / 3262
% 65+ householders who own (v. rent) / 81.91
% 65+ householders living in housing built before 1960 / 53.49
% 65+ householders who moved in before 1970 / 42.92
Number of 65+ females living alone / 1023
Number of 65+ male living alone / 338
% of householders living alone / 41.72
% of 65+ householders who pay >35% of income for housing / 20.63

The percentage of senior householders in Dearborn County who live in older housing is somewhat larger than the percentage of senior householderswho live in older housing across Indiana (48.6%). The percentage of senior householders in the county who have been living in the same home for over 30 years is also somewhat larger than the corresponding percentage across Indiana (37.8%).

Grandparents as Caregivers for Grandchildren 18 Years Old and Younger

Tot. / %
Aged 65+ who live with one or more own grandchildren / 100 / 2.07% (of sample)
Aged 65+ having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 50 / *50%
Aged 65+ live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 60 / *60%
Aged 55-64 who live with one or more own grandchildren / 230 / 5.53% (of sample)
Aged 55-64 having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 100 / *43.48%
Aged 55-64 live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 150 / *65.22%

*Percent of total of those who live with two or more of their own grandchildren. Sample size for 65+ = 4840; sample size for ages 55-64 = 4160.

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 Dearborn County who own their home and the percentage of householders ages 85 years and older in the county who own their home are both nearly the same as the corresponding percentages across Indiana (82.13% and 70.94%, respectively). The percentage of seniors in Dearborn County who live aloneis smaller than the percentage of all seniors who live alone across Indiana (29.11%).

Disabilities among Non-institutionalized Population Ages 60+ / Total number
Sensory / 615
Physical / 1225
learning/remembering/concentrating / 350
Self-care disability / 410
Go-outside-home disability / 845
Employment disability / 110
Percent of ages 65+ with any disability / 37.8

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