The aging of the Baby Boomers has no doubt been a driver for the chain drug store and pharmaceutical industries, especially since the generation had its first members turn 65 in 2011.
Yet some intriguing data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that the burgeoning ranks of senior citizens will leave their mark for quite some time.
The was 46.2 million, or 14.5% of the U.S. population, as of July 1, 2014, compared with 44.7 million in 2013, the Census Bureau reported.
Of note: The year 2033 is expected to mark the first time that the population of those 65 and older will outnumber people younger than 18 in the U.S.
is projected to more than double, rising to 98.2 million. That means almost one in four Americans would be 65 or older, and of that group 19.7 million would be age 85 or older, the Census Bureau said.
Other interesting numbers for the 65-and-older population: median household income of $36,895 (2014), median net worth of $170,516 (2011), 5.2 million full-time employed with earnings (2014), 62.4% access Internet via a high-speed connection (2013), and 79.3% own their homes (fourth-quarter 2015).
