The U.S. Census Bureau has released a special report showing that the number of centenarians—people aged 100 or older—increased by 50% in the United States between 2010 and 2020. The centenarian population rose from 53,364 in 2010 to 80,139 in 2020, according to data from the 2020 Census.
Despite making up a small share of the overall population, with just two out of every 10,000 people being centenarians in 2020, this group grew at a faster rate than other age groups among older adults over the past decade.
The report presents information on age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, living arrangements, and geographic distribution for centenarians. It compares these characteristics with those of other older adults to highlight distinctions within the centenarian group.
Key findings indicate that women continue to make up most of the centenarian population. In 2020, women accounted for 78.8% of all centenarians—a slight decrease from 82.8% in 2010. The male centenarian population increased by 85.3% during this period, while female centenarians increased by 42.9%.
Racial diversity among centenarians also increased slightly between 2010 and 2020. The proportion of White alone individuals declined by about eight percentage points among centenarians but remained less diverse compared to Americans under age 65 who saw a decline of about twelve percentage points in their White alone share during the same period. Notably, Black or African American alone centenarians decreased from 12.2% in 2010 to 10.3% in 2020.
Geographically, the Northeast region had the highest concentration of centenarians at just over three per ten thousand people (3.19), while Hawaii was notable as the only state with more than four per ten thousand (4.44). Puerto Rico also exceeded four per ten thousand (4.14). No state had fewer than one per ten thousand; Utah had the lowest proportion at just over one (1.04), followed closely by Alaska at (1.28).
Patterns show that states with higher proportions of centenarians tended to be concentrated in the Midwest and Northeast—similar to trends seen among those aged eighty-five to ninety-nine—but differing from patterns for those aged sixty-five to eighty-four.
In terms of living arrangements in 2020, female centenarians were more likely than males to live alone or reside in group settings such as nursing homes: “About half (49.7%) of male centenarians lived with others in a household, while only about a third (33.8%) of female centenarians lived with others in a household.” The report also notes: “Among centenarians, 27.6% of females were living in a nursing home, while only 14.2% of males were living in a nursing home.”
When combining these figures: “about two-thirds (66.2%) of centenarian females were living alone or in a group living situation,” compared to about half (50.3%) for males.
The study found that racial and ethnic diversity was greatest among those “living with others in a household.” Hispanic or Latino, Asian alone, and “All Other Races” groups each had over sixty percent living with others; White alone not Hispanic groups were much less likely at under thirty-five percent; Black or African American alone fell near fifty percent.
There is no associated news release for this report; it is distributed as an informational tip sheet only.
