St. Joseph County Demographic Report on the Population of Elders: Overview of Census 2000 Data

St. Joseph County Demographic Report on the Population of Elders: Overview of Census 2000 Data

Population / total
Total in 2000 / 265559
Total in 2006 (est.) / 266678
% Growth 2000-2006 / 0.42%
Ages 65 and over in 2000 / 36101
Ages 65 and over in 2006 / 34453
% 65 and over in 2006 / 12.92%
% Growth (65+) 2000-2006 / -4.6%
Population over 85 in 2006 / 5828
Population est. 55-64 2006 / 20450
Spanish Speakers (65+) / 289
Speak little or no Engl. (65+) / 121

In St. Joseph County the total population increased slightly during the period from 2000 to 2006, but the population ages 65 years and older decreased.

Income
% of ages 65+ living below poverty level / 7.1
% of total population below poverty level / 10.4
Ages 65+ living below 150% of poverty / 18.82
Labor force participation rate for ages 65+ / 15.46
Unemployment rate (%) among labor force participants ages 65+ / 4.04

The percentage of seniors in St. Joseph County that lives below the poverty level is smaller than the percentage of the total population of the county as well as the percentage of seniors across Indiana (7.7%) that lives below the poverty level. The labor-force participation rate among seniors in St. Joseph County is higher than among seniors across Indiana (13.93%), and unemployment among seniors in the county is higher than among seniors across the state (3.45%).

The proportion of females to males generally increases in older cohorts, but in St. Joseph County women outnumber men in all cohorts older than 19 years old.

In St. Joseph 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+ / 24766
Number of 65+ householders / 22994
% 65+ householders who own (v. rent) / 81.46
% 65+ householders living in housing built before 1960 / 62.21
% 65+ householders who moved in before 1970 / 45.79
Number of 65+ females living alone / 8391
Number of 65+ male living alone / 2432
% of householders living alone / 47.07
% of 65+ householders who pay >35% of income for housing / 17.87

The percentage of senior householders in St. Joseph 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 living in the same home for over 30 years is also considerably 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 / 910 / 2.72% (of sample)
Aged 65+ having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 290 / *31.87%
Aged 65+ live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 630 / *69.23%
Aged 55-64 who live with one or more own grandchildren / 1210 / 5.98% (of sample)
Aged 55-64 having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 630 / *52.07%
Aged 55-64 live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 580 / *47.93%

*Percent of total of those who live with one or more of their own grandchildren. Sample size for 65+ = 1830; sample size for ages 55-64 = 1410.

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 St. Joseph County who own their home is smaller 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 also smaller than the corresponding percentage across the state (70.94%). In addition, the percentage of seniors in St. Joseph County who live alone is slightly larger than the percentage of all seniors who live alone across Indiana (29.11%).

Disabilities among Non-institutionalized Population Aged 60+ / Total number
Sensory / 4905
Physical / 9320
learning/remembering/concentrating / 3275
Self-care disability / 2905
Go-outside-home disability / 6375
Employment disability / 415
Percent of ages 65+ with any disability / 43.1

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