Characteristics of the Elderly in Montgomery County - Persons Aged 65+ (1997)

There Are Comparatively Few Hispanics Among the County's Elderly Population
Hispanic Origin	Age 65+	All County Residents
Yes	3.3%	8.6%
No	96.7%	91.4%

Montgomery County's Elderly Are Well-Educated
Educational Attainment	Age 65+	All County Residents Age 25+
Less Than High School Graduate	17.6%	8.4%
High School Graduate	39.5%	32.4%
College Graduate	21.5%	28.6%
Graduate Degree	21.4%	30.6%

The Distribution of Educational Attainment Reflects the Increasing Availability of College During This Century
Educational Attainment	Age 65-74	Age 75-84	Age 85+
Less Than High School Graduate	15.1%	18.0%	29.8%
High School Graduate	36.4%	43.8%	42.7%
College Graduate	22.4%	21.9%	14.7%
Graduate Degree	26.0%	16.2%	12.8%

The Foreign Born Are a Smaller Percentage of Elderly Households Than All Households
Foreign Born Head or Spouse	Age 65+	All County Residents
Yes	16.2%	26.2%
No	83.8%	73.8%

Women Constitute the Majority of Montgomery County's Population, Especially After Age 85
Age	Percent Female
65-74	56.3%
75-84	58.6%
85+	68.0%
All 65 Years and Older	58.3%
All Residents	53.2%

As Expected, Employment Declines With Age
Age	Percent Employed Full- or Part-Time
65-74	25.4%
75-84	8.6%
85+	9.1%
All Elderly	18.2%
All Residents*	73.2%
*All residents aged 16 and older.

Married Couple Households Decrease, One Person Households Increase As the Age of the Household Head Increases
Age	Married Couple*	One-Person	Other
65-74	58.8%	29.5%	11.7%
75-84	43.7%	46.5%	9.8%
85+	27.0%	64.3%	8.7%
All Elderly	49.8%	39.5%	10.7%
All Residents	63.6%	22.3%	14.1%
*Households may or may not include other persons.

Households With the Oldest Heads Move Most (Address in April 1989)
Age	Same Address	Other Montgomery County	Elsewhere in State or Region	Outside State or Region
65-74	86.3%	7.6%	3.1%	2.9%
75-84	83.7%	6.8%	4.9%	4.6%
85+	78.6%	12.3%	2.4%	6.6%
All Elderly	84.5%	7.9%	3.8%	4.0%

Among Older Households, Renters Move More Than Owners
	Same Address	Other Montgomery County	Other State or Region	Outside State or Region
Owners	90.6%	4.9%	2.4%	2.1%
Renters	59.0%	19.9%	9.5%	11.7%

Household Income Declines Substantially With Increasing Age
Age	1996 Median Household Income
65-74	$55,144
75-84	$46,628
85+	$33,475
All Elderly Households	$50,526
All County Households	$65,840

Older Renters Have Markedly Lower Incomes Than Older Owners
Tenure	Median Household Income*
Owner	$54,493
Renter	$27,042
* 1996 household income, age 65+

Renter's Housing Cost Burden Increases With Age*
Age	Less Than 20%	20-30%	30-50%	50%+
65-74	37.2%	22.4%	22.5%	18.0%
75-84	28.7%	25.3%	28.3%	17.7%
85+	27.5%	22.1%	27.8%	22.7%
All age 65+ renters	29.4%	24.8%	26.9%	20.9%
* This chart shows housing cost as a percentage of income. Less than 25 to 30 percent is desirable. The inclusion of meals in the housing costs can make higher percentages acceptable.

Household Size Declines With Age
Age	Average Household Size
65-74	1.99
75-84	1.67
85+	1.45
All age 65+	1.81
All Households	2.64

More Than 60 Percent of Households With Heads Aged 85+ Live in Apartments
Age	Single-Family Detached	Townhouse	Garden Apartment	High-Rise Apartment
65-74	66.6%	10.6%	11.5%	11.3%
75-84	52.3%	6.6%	15.4%	25.7%
85+	33.1%	5.6%	20.4%	40.9%
All Elderly	57.8%	8.6%	13.9%	19.7%
All Households	52.0%	17.3%	20.9%	9.8%

Computer Ownership Declines Steeply With Increasing Age
Age	Own One or More Computers
65-74	47.5%
75-84	23.6%
85+	13.7%
All 65 Years and Older	35.5%
All Households	67.6%

Car Ownership Decreases as the Head of Household Ages
Age	No Car Reported	One Car	Two or More
65-74	4.4%	37.8%	57.8%
75-84	10.4%	56.7%	32.8%
85+	34.4%	53.2%	12.4%
All Elderly	9.5%	46.1%	44.4%
All Households	4.5%	32.6%	62.9%

Monthly Housing Costs Are Higher for Older Renters Than for Older Homeowners
	Owner	Renter
Age 65+	$642	$713
All Households	$1,254	$804

The Percent of Residents Aged 65+ Is Highest in the Down-County Planning Areas Along MD355
	All Persons Aged 65+
Bethesda-Chevy Chase	19.4%
North Bethesda	15.6%
Rockville	13.1%
Gaithersburg	7.0%
Germantown	2.9%
Clarksburg	9.7%

The Need for Day Care Rises With Age
Age	Percent Receiving Day Care	Percent Needing Paid Day Care
65-74	0.8%	0.6%
75-84	1.4%	1.2%
85+	7.3%	3.1%
All Elderly	1.7%	1.1%

Significant Care Needs Emerge After Age 75
	65-74	75-84	85+	Total
Needs personal care	0.8%	3.0%	9.7%	2.5%
Needs transportation	3.0%	7.3%	17.1%	6.0%
Uses wheelchair/walker	2.0%	7.0%	17.4%	5.3%

Younger Prospective Retirees Are Most Likely To Plan to Move Away From the County
Age	Remain in County	Plan to Move	Percent of All Households
50-54	61.1%	38.9%	24.2%
55-59	66.1%	33.9%	37.1%
60-64	77.0%	23.0%	41.2%
65-69	85.1%	14.9%	23.7%
70-74	93.4%	6.6%	15.4%

Return to Age of Population Index

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