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

Population / total
Total in 2000 / 21806
Total in 2006 (est.) / 21605
% Growth 2000-2006 / -0.92%
Ages 65 and over in 2000 / 3204
Ages 65 and over in 2006 / 3332
% 65 and over in 2006 / 15.42%
% Growth (65+) 2000-2006 / 3.9%
Population over 85 in 2006 / 502
Population est. 55-64 2006 / 2210
Spanish Speakers (65+) / 17
Speak little or no Engl. (65+) / 6

In Jay County the total population declined slightly, but the population ages 65 years and older increased considerably 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 / 7.9
% of total population below poverty level / 9.1
Ages 65+ living below 150% of poverty / 17.9
Labor force participation rate for ages 65+ / 11.39
Unemployment rate (%) among labor force participants ages 65+ / 0

The percentage of seniors that lives below the poverty level in Jay County is smaller than the percentage of the total population in 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 Jay County is lower than among seniors across Indiana (13.93%), but no seniors in the county are registered as unemployed, though the unemployment rate in Indiana is 3.45%.

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

In Jay County the largest frequency 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+ / 2279
Number of 65+ householders / 2159
% 65+ householders who own (v. rent) / 83.84
% 65+ householders living in housing built before 1960 / 70.4
% 65+ householders who moved in before 1970 / 49.79
Number of 65+ females living alone / 803
Number of 65+ male living alone / 223
% of householders living alone / 47.52
% of 65+ householders who pay >35% of income for housing / 16.54

Jay County has the largest percentage of senior householders who live in older housing of all counties in Indiana. The average across Indiana is 48.6%. Jay County also has the second largest percentage of senior householders that have lived in the same home for over 30 years among the counties in Indiana, where the average is 37.8%.

Grandparents as Caregivers for Grandchildren 18 Years Old and Younger

Tot. / %
Aged 65+ who live with one or more own grandchildren / 50 / 1.62% (of sample)
Aged 65+ having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 0 / *0%
Aged 65+ live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 50 / *100%
Aged 55-64 who live with one or more own grandchildren / 90 / 4.13% (of sample)
Aged 55-64 having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 30 / *33.33%
Aged 55-64 live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 50 / *55.56%

*Percent of total of those who live with one or more of their own grandchildren. Sample size for 65+ = 3090; sample size for ages 55-64 = 2180.

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 Jay County who own their home is larger than the percentage of senior householders who own their home across Indiana (82.13%) and the percentage of householders ages 85 years and older in the county who own their home is much larger than the corresponding percentage across Indiana (70.94%). The percentage of seniors who live alone in Jay County is also larger than the percentage of all seniors who live alone across Indiana (29.11%).

Disabilities among Non-institutionalized Population Aged 60+ / Total number
Sensory / 520
Physical / 1020
learning/remembering/concentrating / 300
Self-care disability / 240
Go-outside-home disability / 555
Employment disability / 100
Percent of ages 65+ with any disability / 44.4

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