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

Population / total
Total in 2000 / 14048
Total in 2006 (est.) / 13603
% Growth 2000-2006 / -3.16%
Ages 65 and over in 2000 / 2169
Ages 65 and over in 2006 / 2197
% 65 and over in 2006 / 16.15%
% Growth (65+) 2000-2006 / 1.29%
Population over 85 in 2006 / 313
Population est. 55-64 2006 / 1495
Spanish Speakers (65+) / 7
Speak little or no Engl. (65+) / 0

The population of seniors ages 65 and over in Blackford County increased slightly in the periodfrom 2000 to 2006, though the total population decreased.

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

Income / %
% of ages 65+ living below poverty level / 8.6
% of total population below poverty level / 8.7
Ages 65+ living below 150% of poverty / 20.63
Labor force participation rate for ages 65+ / 15.62
Unemployment rate (%) among labor force participants ages 65+ / 1.18

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

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

In Blackford County the largest frequency of seniors falls in 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+ / 1530
Number of 65+ householders / 1463
% 65+ householders who own (v. rent) / 84.01
% 65+ householders living in housing built before 1960 / 63.57
% 65+ householders who moved in before 1970 / 44.43
Number of 65+ females living alone / 546
Number of 65+ male living alone / 138
% of householders living alone / 46.75
% of 65+ householders who pay >35% of income for housing / 15.11

The percentage of senior householders in Blackford County who live in older housing is much largerthan the percentage of senior householders who live in older housing across Indiana (48.6%),and the percentage of senior householders in the county who havebeen 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 / 10 / 0.48% (of sample)
Aged 65+ having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 0 / *0%
Aged 65+ live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 0 / *0%
Aged 55-64 who live with one or more own grandchildren / 70 / 4.79% (of sample)
Aged 55-64 having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 40 / *57.14%
Aged 55-64 live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 30 / *42.86%

*Percent of total of those who live with one or more of their own grandchildren. Sample size for 65+ = 2070; sample size for ages 55-64 = 1460.

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 Blackford County who own their home is larger than the percentage of senior householders who own their home across Indiana (82.13%). In addition, the percentage of householders aged 85 and older in the county who own their home is much larger than the corresponding percentage across Indiana (70.94%). The percentage of seniors in Blackford County who live alone is larger than the percentage of all seniors who live alone across Indiana (29.11%).

Disabilities among Non-institutionalized Population Aged 60+ / Total number
Sensory / 285
Physical / 550
learning/remembering/concentrating / 120
Self-care disability / 110
Go-outside-home disability / 285
Employment disability / 14
Percent of ages 65+ with any disability / 39.0

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