More Pennsylvanians are living past 100
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The number of centenarians — people aged 100 or older — in the U.S. grew by 50% from 2010 to 2020, per a new Census Bureau analysis.
Why it matters: The new deep dive offers a comprehensive look at one of America's fastest-growing demographics — who represent a triumph of modern medicine but have distinct care needs.
By the numbers: Pennsylvania had three centenarians for every 10,000 residents — the 11th highest rate in the nation.
- That's nearly 4,000 people aged 100 or older, marking a 57% increase since 2010.
The big picture: The 2020 Census counted about 80,100 centenarians nationwide, or 2.4 for every 10,000 U.S. residents.
Zoom out: Hawai'i (4.4), Rhode Island (4.0) and South Dakota (3.9) had the highest rates per populations.
Between the lines: A whopping 78.8% of U.S. centenarians are female, which tracks with the life expectancy gender gap.
- The 2020 cohort is slightly more racially diverse, with "white alone" members making up 74.6% of centenarians, down from 82.5% in 2010.
Caveats: Older people are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 — and these numbers don't reflect the full toll of the pandemic.
- The Census says efforts to gather reliable data on America's oldest residents are complicated by misreporting, data capture errors, and other challenges.
The bottom line: Our elders are hanging around longer than they used to.