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

Population / total
Total in 2000 / 30707
Total in 2006 (est.) / 32556
% Growth 2000-2006 / 6.02%
Ages 65 and over in 2000 / 4004
Ages 65 and over in 2006 / 4192
% 65 and over in 2006 / 12.88%
% Growth (65+) 2000-2006 / 4.7%
Population over 85 in 2006 / 598
Population est. 55-64 2006 / 2670
Spanish Speakers (65+) / 5
Speak little or no Engl. (65+) / 0

The population aged 65 years and older in Whitely County grew considerably during the period from 2000 to 2006, but not quite as fast as the total population of the county.

Income
% of ages 65+ living below poverty level / 6.2
% of total population below poverty level / 4.9
Ages 65+ living below 150% of poverty / 16.95
Labor force participation rate for ages 65+ / 17.81
Unemployment rate (%) among labor force participants ages 65+ / 0

The percentage of seniors that lives below the poverty level in Whitely County is larger than the percentage of the total population in the county, but smaller than the percentage of seniors across Indiana (7.7%) that lives below the poverty level. The labor-force participation rate among seniors in Whitely County is considerably higher than among seniors across Indiana (13.93%), while no seniors in the county are registered as unemployed, even though the overall unemployment rate in the state is 3.45%.

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

In Whitely 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+ / 2727
Number of 65+ householders / 2553
% 65+ householders who own (v. rent) / 87.62
% 65+ householders living in housing built before 1960 / 51.12
% 65+ householders who moved in before 1970 / 35.25
Number of 65+ females living alone / 882
Number of 65+ male living alone / 230
% of householders living alone / 43.56
% of 65+ householders who pay >35% of income for housing / 13.55

Thepercentage of senior householdersin Whitley County who live in older housing is somewhat larger thanthe percentage of senior householders who live in older housingacross Indiana(48.6%),butthepercentage of senior householdersin the county who have been living in the same home for over 30 years in the county is somewhat 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 / 70 / 1.85% (of sample)
Aged 65+ having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 30 / *42.86%
Aged 65+ live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 40 / *57.14%
Aged 55-64 who live with one or more own grandchildren / 70 / 2.63% (of sample)
Aged 55-64 having primary responsibility for grandchildren / 30 / *42.86%
Aged 55-64 live with, but not responsible for grandchildren / 50 / *71.43%

*Percent of total of those who live with one or more of their own grandchildren. Sample size for 65+ = 3780; sample size for ages 55-64 = 2660.

Most householders over 64 years old own their own homes as opposed to rent, while almost one third of all seniors live alone. The percentage of senior householdersin Whitley County who own their homeis larger than the percentageof senior householders who own their homeacross Indiana (82.13%). The percentage of householders aged 85 and olderin the county who own their homeis also larger than the corresponding percentageacross the state(70.94%). Whitley County also has a percentage of seniors who live alone that is smaller than the percentageof all seniors who live alone across Indiana (29.11%).

Disabilities among Non-institutionalized Population Aged 60+ / Total number
Sensory / 510
Physical / 1010
learning/remembering/concentrating / 315
Self-care disability / 255
Go-outside-home disability / 700
Employment disability / 55
Percent of ages 65+ with any disability / 39.5

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