More Americans live past age 90

The number of Americans at least 90 years old has tripled in recent decades, according to a government analysis released Thursday, a major shift in population that has implications for social policy, especially regarding housing and health care.

The population of people in that age group has grown since the 1980 census to 1.9 million, according to the report released by the Census Bureau and supported by the National Institute on Aging. Further, it could quadruple in the next four decades, the report notes.

That means that, by midcentury, 20 percent of the total population of the United States will be a person at least 65 and one in 10 of those people will be at least 90.

Individuals within this aging population will likely have at least one disability, will live alone or will live in a nursing home. They’re also more likely to be female, because women live longer than men, and will likely be significantly poor.

People are living longer for a variety of reasons – with better and more available medical care and improved nutrition topping the list.

As the population lives longer, its need for services grows. Getting that help, however, could be a problem for an increasingly poor population, especially in tough economic times with the government reconsidering entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare.