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

Population / total
Total in 2000 / 25588
Total in 2006 (est.) / 24648
% Growth 2000-2006 / -3.67%
Ages 65 and over in 2000 / 3956
Ages 65 and over in 2006 / 3894
% 65 and over in 2006 / 15.8%
% Growth (65+) 2000-2006 / -1.6%
Population over 85 in 2006 / 586
Population est. 55-64 2006 / 2555
Spanish Speakers (65+) / 20
Speak little or no Engl. (65+) / 0

Though the total population in Fayette County declined between 2000 and 2006,but the county’s population of elders declined proportionally at less than half of that rate.

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

Income
% of ages 65+ living below poverty level / 7.7
% of total population below poverty level / 7.9
Ages 65+ living below 150% of poverty / 20.48
Labor force participation rate for ages 65+ / 13.32
Unemployment rate (%) among labor force participants ages 65+ / 2.6

The percentage of seniorsin Fayette County that lives below the poverty levelis slightly smaller than the percentage of the county’s total population, and the same as the percentage of seniors across Indiana (7.7%) that lives below the poverty line. The labor-force participation rate among seniors in Fayette County is slightly lower thanamong seniors across Indiana (13.93%), and unemployment among seniors in the county is also lower than among seniors across the state (3.45%).

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

In Fayette County the income category between $10,000 and $14,999 contains the largest frequency of seniors, though it is the category between $5,000 and $9,999 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+ / 2770
Number of 65+ householders / 2603
% 65+ householders who own (v. rent) / 78.68
% 65+ householders living in housing built before 1960 / 63
% 65+ householders who moved in before 1970 / 36.5
Number of 65+ females living alone / 972
Number of 65+ male living alone / 279
% of householders living alone / 48.06
% of 65+ householders who pay >35% of income for housing / 21.67

The percentage of senior householders in Fayette County who live in older housing is much larger than the percentage senior householders who live in older housing across Indiana (48.6%), but the percentage of senior householdersin the county who have been living in the same household for over thirty years is slightly smaller 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 / 60 / 1.61% (of sample)
Aged 65+ having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 10 / *16.67%
Aged 65+ live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 50 / *83.33%
Aged 55-64 who live with one or more own grandchildren / 160 / 6.4% (of sample)
Aged 55-64 having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 90 / *56.25%
Aged 55-64 live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 70 / *43.75%

*Percent of total of those who live with one or more of their own grandchildren. Sample size for 65+ = 3730; sample size for ages 55-64 = 2500.

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 inFayette County who own their home is somewhat smaller than the percentage of senior householders who own their home across Indiana (82.13%), but the percentage of householders ages 85 years and older in the county who own their home is slightly larger than the corresponding percentage across the state (70.94%). Finally, the percentage of seniors in Fayette County who live alone is larger than the percentage of all seniors who live alone across Indiana (29.11%).

Disabilities among Non-institutionalized Population Ages 60+ / Total number
Sensory / 645
Physical / 1290
learning/remembering/concentrating / 470
Self-care disability / 415
Go-outside-home disability / 830
Employment disability / 130
Percent of ages 65+ with any disability / 47.8

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