By 2050, 1 In 5 Viejitos Will Be Latino

A report released recently by the Census Bureau, “The Older Population in the United States: 2010 to 2050,” finds that by 2050, at least 20% of the senior population will be Latino, up 7% from 2010. Think about that for a second: not only are Latino children the majority of school children in many places, but in 40 years Latinos will be a huge part of the senior population, too.

Basically, it means Latinos will be a super important constituency from the womb to the tomb (as my developmental psychology professor used to say).

Here’s a snippet from the report:

In terms of race, the share of the population that is White alone is projected to decrease by about 10 percentage points among those 65 years and over and by about 9 percentage points among those 85 years and over between 2010 and 2050. Meanwhile, all other race groups are projected to see an increase in their shares of these populations…

The proportion of the older population that is Hispanic is projected to increase quickly over the next four decades. In 2050, 20 percent of the population aged 65 and over is projected to be Hispanic, up from 7 percent in 2010. The proportion of the oldest-old population that is Hispanic is also projected to increase by about 10 percentage points between 2010 and 2050.

In 2050, the non-Hispanic population aged 65 and older is projected to reach 71 million, up from 37.4 million in 2010, almost doubling. In comparison, the Hispanic population aged 65 years and older is projected to grow from 2.9 million to 17.5 million, a more than sixfold increase. The 85 years and over population is projected to be 15 percent Hispanic in 2050, up from 5 percent in 2010.

If you want more detailed information and fancy graphs, read the rest of the report here.

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD