Prime Working Age Population Data For U.S. Counties

From Governing

Those considered to be of prime working age are between the ages of 25 and 54.

In 2015, an estimated 128 million Americans fell into this age bracket. Over the past five years, Census estimates suggest many areas have experienced notable declines in the prime working age population even though overall numbers have increased slightly. In some places, aging of baby boomers accounts for the decline, while other regions are experiencing outmigration of their young and middle-aged adults.

See also Where the Working-Age Population Is Declining and Why It Matters

Time spent in leisure activities in 2014, by gender, age, and educational attainment

On an average day in 2014, nearly everyone age 15 and over (96 percent) engaged in some sort of leisure activity such as watching TV, socializing, or exercising. Among those who engaged in leisure activities, men spent more time in these activities (6.0 hours) than did women (5.2 hours).

Watching TV was the leisure activity that occupied the most time, accounting for more than half of leisure time, on average. Men spent 3 hours per day watching TV, while women spent 2.6 hours. Socializing, such as visiting with friends or attending or hosting social events, was the next most common leisure activity, accounting for 0.7 hours per day for both men and women.

On average, adults age 75 and over spent 8.0 hours per day engaged in leisure activities—more than any other age group; 35- to 44-year-olds spent 4.1 hours engaged in leisure and sports activities—less than other age groups.

More from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Marrying Older, But Sooner?

The age when Americans marry for the first time has risen to its highest point since the 1950s. Although true, there is more to the story. With life expectancy increasing, Americans today are actually marrying sooner in their lifetime, despite marrying at older ages.

Although it is common to use the 1950s as a comparison period, doing so exaggerates how much the age at marriage has really risen . Looking at trends since 1890 reveals a U-shaped curve in which the 1950s and 1960s stand out as the exception for marriage, not the norm (estimates for these two decades are not significantly different from one another).

By the end of the 19th century, men married for the first time at 26 years old, three years later than they did in the decade following the Second World War. By 1900 their age at marriage began falling, and it took a full century before returning to its 1890 level. For women, it took 90 years. The idea then that our great-great-grandparents married when they were little older than teenagers is little more than myth.

More from the US Census.

The Rising Age Gap in Economic Well-being

Source: Pew Research Center [PDF]

Households headed by older adults have made dramatic gains relative to those headed by younger adults in their economic well-being over the past quarter of a century, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of a wide array of government data. In 2009, households headed by adults ages 65 and older possessed 42% more median net worth (assets minus debt) than households headed by their same-aged counterparts had in 1984. During this same period, households headed by adults younger than 35 had 68% less wealth than households of their same-aged counterparts had.

How Does Age Affect Web Use?

From SiteJabber:
Sure e-commerce and social networking are growing at breakneck paces, but have you ever wondered how trends vary between age ranges? According to a recent study by Pew Internet, the differences may not be that dramatic in all cases. In fact, the biggest difference tends to be how the various age groups access the internet, with of course, millennials leading in mobile Internet usage. However, that is not to say that there weren’t number of interesting facts found within this study; in fact, there are.

Personal Health Care Spending Differs by Gender, Age

http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/early/2010/12/07/hlthaff.2010.0216.full Pronounced Gender And Age Differences Are Evident In Personal Health Care Spending Per Person

The research of Health Affairs found significant variations in per person spending by gender across age groups, health services, and types of payers. For example, in 2004 per capita health care spending for females was 32 percent more than for males. Per capita differences were most pronounced among the working-age population, largely because of spending for maternity care. Except for children, total spending for and by females was greater than that for and by males, for most services and payers. The gender difference in total spending was most pronounced in the elderly, as a result of the longer life expectancy of women.

Unprecedented Global Aging Examined in New Census Bureau Report

Report Commissioned by the National Institute on Aging

The average age of the world’s population is increasing at an unprecedented rate. The number of people worldwide 65 and older is estimated at 506 million as of midyear 2008; by 2040, that number will hit 1.3 billion. Thus, in just over 30 years, the proportion of older people will double from 7 percent to 14 percent of the total world population, according to a new report, An Aging World: 2008 (PDF: 11.6 MB).

The report examines the demographic and socioeconomic trends accompanying this phenomenon. It was commissioned by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health and produced by the U.S. Census Bureau.

“The world’s population of people over age 65 is growing rapidly, and with it will come a number of challenges and opportunities,” said NIA Director Dr. Richard J. Hodes. “NIA and our partners at the Census Bureau are committed to providing the best data possible so that we can better understand the course of population aging and its implications.”

An Aging World: 2008 examines nine international population trends identified in 2007 by the NIA and the U.S. Department of State (Why Population Aging Matters: A Global Perspective). The report also contains detailed information on life expectancy, health, disability, gender balance, marital status, living arrangements, education and literacy, labor force participation and retirement and pensions among older people around the world.

City Data

The Hill Library's weekly "Business Web Site of the Week" is City-Data.com.

"Enter a county, city, or zip code – or browse by state – to find pages and pages of information on U.S. places. Included are statistics on everything from age and income to ancestral heritage; from population change due to commuting to crime rates; from most common occupation to climate trends."

HOWEVER, it goes on to say, "The page just keeps scrolling, and the mind reels about where all this information comes from. Unfortunately, the site doesn’t make that clear. Because of this, please do attempt to verify any City Data you plan to use."

Estimates by Age

Lenny writes:

The Missouri Census Data Census has added data for 2006 to its Population Estimates by Age web application.

The raw data used in this application has been downloaded from the National Center for Health Statistics web site and added as enhanced SAS datasets to the archive. These datasets can be accessed via Uexplore/Dexter in the popests/nchsbri subdirectory.

Hispanics Subgroups Differ by Age

From Hispanic Business, July 2005:

Distinct age differences emerge among Hispanic subgroups. More than 20 percent of Cubans are 65 or older, while a scant 4 percent of Mexicans are in that age bracket. On the other hand, 37 percent of Mexicans and 31 percent of Puerto Ricans are younger than 18, compared with just 20 percent of Cubans.

Similarly, Mexicans have a lower median age of 24.7, while Cubans have a median age of 42.7, much higher than the median age of 35.9 of the total U.S. population.

The link will provide an opportunity to buy the full 110-page PDF for $185.