What People Who Live to 100 Have in Common
U.S. residents in several states live considerably longer than the rest of the country.
By
Emily Brandon, Staff Writer Jan. 7, 2013, at 9:30 a.m.
(iStockPhoto)
A growing number of Americans are living to age 100.
Nationwide, the centenarian population has grown 65.8 percent over the
past three decades, from 32,194 people who were age 100 or older in 1980
to 53,364 centenarians in 2010, according to new Census Bureau data. In
contrast, the total population has increased 36.3 percent over the same
time period.
Centenarians in the United States are considerably
different from the overall population. Here's a look at some of the
characteristics of people who live to age 100:
[In Pictures: States Where People Live the Longest.]
Female gender. It is overwhelmingly
women who live to age 100. In 2010, 82.8 percent of centenarians were
female. For every 100 females age 100 or older, there are only 20.7
males the same age. Females also make up 61.9 percent of those in their
80s and 72.2 percent of people in their 90s. "We know that women are
more social than men. Other studies have found that staying socially
connected predicts greater life expectancy," says Gary Small, a
professor on aging and director of the UCLA Longevity Center in Los
Angeles, who is not affiliated with the Census Bureau report. "If you
are social, it may reduce stress levels because you can talk about your
feelings and things that stress you out and it seems to help many
people. If you need a ride to the doctor or you fall, they can take you
to the hospital or help you find the best doctor."
Less diversity. Centenarians are
considerably less diverse than the overall U.S. population. In 2010,
some 82.5 percent of centenarians were white, versus 72.4 percent of the
total population. Black or African Americans were unique in that their
proportion of the centenarian population (12.2 percent) is about the
same as their percentage of the total population (12.6 percent). Asians
made up 2.5 percent of the centenarian population, while they make up
4.8 percent of the total population. And Hispanics represent 5.8 percent
of centenarians, but 16.3 percent of the population.
Living with others. Just over a third of
both female and male centenarians lived alone in their own home in
2010, but the majority of the oldest citizens live with others. "As
people get older, things in life happen—like you might become a widow or
you might have a disability, and because of those circumstances, living
arrangements often change," says Amy Symens Smith, chief of the age and
special populations branch at the Census Bureau. Centenarian females
(35.2 percent) were more likely to live in a nursing home than males the
same age (18.2 percent). Centenarian males are the most likely to be
living with others in a household (43.5 percent), compared to just 28.5
percent of centenarian females.
[Read: How to Finance Life Until 100.]
City living. A large majority of the
oldest U.S. citizens live in urban areas. "As age increases, the
percentage living in urban areas also increases," says Smith. Some 85.7
percent of centenarians lived in urban areas in 2010, compared with 84.2
percent of those in their 90s, 81.5 percent of those in their 80s, and
76.6 percent of those in their 70s. "Living in the city, you have a lot
more mental stimulation and the symphony and better doctors and
hospitals and more social networking," says Small. "There are more
resources, and there is better transportation."
Located in the Northeast or Midwest.
States with the largest populations generally have the most
centenarians. California has the largest number of centenarians (5,921),
followed by New York (4,605), Florida (4,090), and Texas (2,917).
Alaska has the fewest residents age 100 and older (40). Wyoming (72),
Vermont (133), and Delaware (146) are also among the states with the
fewest centenarians.
The Northeast and Midwest have proportions of
centenarians that are higher than the national average of 1.73 per
10,000 people, while the West and South have below-average proportions
of centenarians. "There's a lot of stuff going on in local areas,
including access to medical care, diet, exercise, the culture,
risk-taking, and more smoking," says Linda Waite, a sociology professor
and director of the Center on Aging at the University of Chicago.
"People in the Northeast tend to be more highly educated, and education
is associated with a longer life expectancy." North Dakota is the only
state with more than 3 centenarians for every 10,000 people in the
state. Other states where centenarians make up a relatively large
portion of the population include South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska.
Three western states have less than one centenarian for every 10,000
people: Alaska, Utah, and Nevada.
[Read: How to Live to 100.]
The proportion of centenarians in the United States is
smaller than that of many other developed countries. For example, for
every 10,000 people, there are 1.92 centenarians in Sweden, 1.95 in the
United Kingdom, and 2.70 in France. And Japan has 3.43 centenarians per
10,000 people, beating even our longest-lived state, North Dakota.
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