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Retirement Redefined: Useful Links & Numbers

Retirement By The Numbers

The number of people 65 and older in the United States on July 1, 2009: 39.6 million

Projected population of people 65 and older in 2050: 88.5 million

Percentage that people 65 and older will comprise the American population in 2050: 20

Percentage lost in pension funds and retirement accounts in 2008: 10

Number of bankruptcies filed in 2010: 1.5 million

Percentage of people 65 or older who make up the workforce in 2011: 16

Number of people 65 and older who were in the labor force in 2009: 6.5 million

Number of people 65 and older projected to work in 2018: 11.1 million

Average age of retirement for men in 2011: 64

Average age of retirement for women in 2011: 62

Age workers should retire if they’re earning less than $72,500 a year: 72

Percentage change over the last decade in the number of multi-generational households in Nevada: 70

Percentage of people who live on Social Security alone: 34

Percentage of people 65 and older living below the poverty line in 2009: 8.9

Percentage of retirees age 65 and older who got 90 percent or more of their retirement income from Social Security in 2008: 34

Estimated number of centenarians in the United States in 2010: 71,991

Projected number of centenarians in the United States in 2050: 601,000

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Center for Retirement Research, Employee Benefit Research Institute, Retirement Reset Study

Links To Retirement Resources


  1. Resources on how to create directives for those who become seriously ill.
  2. California Partnership for Long-Term Care
  3. Arizona Long Term Care Systems Offices
  4. Texas Long-Term Care Resource Page
  5. Nevada Long-Term Care Ombudsman
  6. New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Care Services
  7. Census data about people over 65
  8. How to Retire on Social Security Alone
  9. Ten Reasons to Delay Retirement
  10. Study shows Americans have new retirement expectations
  11. Center for Retirement Research
  12. CNN’s Ultimate Guide to Retirement
  13. How the baby boom generation is revising its approach to careers, money and lifestyle after age 50.
  14. Retirement Planning Help
  15. AARP’s Advice and News for the Over 50 Crowd
Fronteras Desk senior editor Michel Marizco is an award-winning investigative reporter based in Flagstaff.