Executive Brief

Executive Brief Introduction National HighlightsFindingsHealth Outcomes Social and Economic Factors Physical Environment Clinical Care State RankingsAppendixMeasures Table Data Source Descriptions MethodologyState Summaries
US Summary
2024 Senior Report 2024 Senior Report – Executive Brief 2024 Senior Report – State Summaries 2024 Senior Report – Risk of Social Isolation County-Level Maps 2024 Senior Report – Measures Table 2024 Senior Report – Infographics 2024 Senior Report – Report Data (All States)
America’s older adults make progress in measures of social connectedness and access to clinical care but struggle with socioeconomic barriers 
The demographic profile of the United States is changing, with adults age 65 and older accounting for approximately 17.3% of the population — a share that continues to grow annually, totaling nearly 58 million individuals in 2022. Supporting the health of this growing population involves not only improving access to clinical care, but also important economic and social factors, such as social connectedness.
The America’s Health Rankings® 2024 Senior Report, now in its 12th year, examines 52 measures of health from 24 distinct data sources — presenting a comprehensive overview of the health and well-being of our nation’s older adults and how it has changed over time. Although disparities persist across states, the report reveals that high-speed internet access and the number of geriatric clinicians continued to increase nationwide. Additionally, between 2021 and 2022, the early death rate significantly declined; however, this rate is still higher than the pre-pandemic rate. Despite these improvements, several economic drivers of health posed significant hurdles for older adults, including rising rates of poverty, housing costs and food insecurity.
For the first time, the Senior Report also examines how the health of older adults varies by disability status, sexual orientation and veteran status. These data reveal pronounced disparities in behavioral health, particularly the prevalence of depression and frequent mental distress, among older adults with disabilities. The report also explores older adults’ social support in new ways, with new measures such as unpaid elder care.
Advancing the overall health of our nation and meeting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2030 targets — a set of data-driven national objectives to improve health and well-being — necessitates addressing the complex and changing needs of the growing older adult population. We encourage public health and community leaders to use the insights from this report to guide their innovative and holistic approaches to improving health.
Please view the comprehensive Senior Report and Appendix for more information on sources and methodology.
"Accurate and timely data help us understand the health of the nation and tailor community interventions that promote well-being and the ability to thrive among all Americans, especially our seniors. This Senior Report identifies strengths, tracks trends, and empowers communities to build environments and systems that embrace a culture of health and well-being."

– Rear Admiral Paul Reed, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Director, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Department of Health and Human Services
Improvements in Older Adults’ Internet Access, Risk Factors for Isolation; Many Receive Support from Unpaid Caregivers
High-speed internet access — which can provide an important virtual setting for family, social and health care connectedness, according to the National Council on Aging — rose to 84.8% of older adult households, an increase of nearly 2.3 million households between 2021 and 2022. This is a continued trend for this age group, as the percentage of households with adults age 65 and older that have a broadband internet subscription and a computer, smartphone or tablet has increased 19% nationwide since 2016.
Moreover, the prevalence of several risk factors for social isolation in older adults — including difficulty living independently; disability; being divorced, separated or widowed; and living alone — have significantly improved from the levels observed in 2011-2015. For example, in 2018-2022, independent living difficulty decreased 12% from 15.5% to 13.6% and disability decreased 8% from 36.0% to 33.3%. However, there were wide geographic disparities across these risk factors. For example, in 2018-2022, independent living difficulty was highest in Mississippi (16.7%) and lowest in Wyoming (9.6%), while living alone was highest in North Dakota (44.0%) compared with Hawaii (28.1%), the state with the lowest percentage of older adults living alone. Overall, risk of social isolation was highest in Mississippi and lowest in Utah.
In addition, many older adults are receiving support from unpaid caregivers in their lives. A new social support measure added to the Senior Report this year finds that 14.3% of individuals (age 15 and older), a total of 37.1 million people, provided unpaid care or assistance to an adult age 65 or older in 2021-2022. The well-being of older adults is connected to the health of the nation as a whole, and the impact on caregivers should be recognized. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), caregiving can have numerous impacts on an individual, including limiting one’s ability to work, socialize and maintain good health.
"The new caregiver data featured in this year's Senior Report represents a significant step forward in recognizing caregivers as essential contributors to the health and well-being of older Americans."

– Jason Resendez, President and CEO, National Alliance for Caregiving
Geriatric Clinicians Increased an Additional 4% Since 2022
Nationwide, the number of geriatric clinicians — family medicine and internal medicine geriatricians and nurse practitioners — increased 4%, from 36.4 to 38.0 clinicians per 100,000 adults age 65 and older, between September 2022 and September 2023. This measure has continued to increase since the Senior Report started tracking it in 2018. The number of geriatric clinicians increased in 25 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) by 4% or more, led by 11% in Tennessee (29.0 to 32.3), 10% in Oregon (27.7 to 30.4), Nevada (33.6 to 36.9) and Kentucky (25.1 to 27.5), and 9% in Missouri (36.5 to 39.8) and Delaware (30.7 to 33.5). Research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests that geriatricians more effectively and efficiently meet the health needs of older adults.
While this represents a bright spot in access to primary and preventive care, not all communities experienced this success equally — and according to the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, the need for more geriatricians is increasing as the baby boomer population will all reach age 65 by 2030. In September 2023, the number of geriatric clinicians was highest in the District of Columbia (97.4 providers per 100,000 adults age 65 and older) and Rhode Island (68.3) and lowest in South Dakota (17.7).
Several Economic Measures of Health Worsened
Between 2021 and 2022, the percentage of adults age 65 and older who lived below the poverty level increased 6%, from 10.3% to 10.9% — an increase of almost 553,000 older adults. This represents a 16% increase since 2019, bringing the nation further from the Healthy People 2030 target to reduce the proportion of all people living in poverty to 8.0%.
There were large disparities in the poverty rate by race/ethnicity and geography. In 2022, poverty was highest among American Indian/Alaska Native older adults (19.8%) while white older adults had the lowest rate of poverty (8.8%). At the same time, poverty was 2.1 times higher in the District of Columbia (15.9%), and 2.0 times higher in Louisiana (14.8%), the locations with the highest rates, than in Utah (7.5%), the state with the lowest rate.
As poverty increased, so did other economic measures that impact access to health care and older adults’ overall health, like housing cost burden and food insecurity. Between 2021 and 2022, housing cost burden — the percentage of older adult households for which housing costs were 30% or more of household income — rose 3% nationally, which translates to more than 741,000 additional older adults struggling with high housing costs. Additionally, between 2020 and 2021, food insecurity increased 8% from 11.9% to 12.9%. This is the first rise in food insecurity among older adults since it peaked in 2014 at 15.8%.
"Tools like America's Health Rankings that measure health and its many drivers help us understand where our services are needed most."

– Bethsy Morales-Reid, Vice President for Program Strategy and Impact, Hispanic Federation
More Older Adults Reported Depression and Frequent Mental Distress
Between 2021 and 2022, depression increased 6% from 14.6% to 15.5% of adults age 65 and older. Additionally, frequent mental distress — the percentage of adults age 65 and older who reported their mental health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days — increased 11%, from 8.5% to 9.4%. Depression and frequent mental distress affected more than 9.3 and 5.5 million older adults, respectively, in 2022.
There were large disparities by disability status in both depression and frequent mental distress. Depression was highest among older adults who have difficulty with cognition (44.3%), while older adults without a disability had the lowest rate of depression (9.5%). Similarly, frequent mental distress was highest among older adults who have difficulty with cognition (33.2%) compared with older adults without a disability (4.3%), the group with the lowest rate.
Early Death Rate Decreased Among Older Adults
Early deaths — the number of deaths per 100,000 adults age 65-74 — fell 8%, which translates into nearly 55,700 fewer early deaths in 2022 compared to 2021. While an improvement, the early death rate is still higher than the pre-pandemic rate. All racial/ethnic groups experienced significant decreases in early death between 2021 and 2022, including: 20% among Hispanic (1,894 to 1,523), 16% among American Indian/Alaska Native (2,613 to 2,198), 13% among Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (2,666 to 2,323), 11% among Asian (1,082 to 963) and 10% among Black (3,100 to 2,791) older adults.
Drug Deaths Continued to Rise, With Large Disparities Across Demographic Groups
While early deaths declined overall, drug deaths increased 51%, from 7.6 to 11.5 deaths per 100,000 adults age 65 and older, between 2017-2019 and 2020-2022 — about 7,500 more deaths than in 2017-2019. In 2020-2022, this rate was highest amongst Black older adults (30.8 deaths per 100,000 adults age 65 and older), while Asian older adults had the lowest rate of drug death (2.6). 
Nationally, the drug death rate among older adults is lower than the rate among adults ages 25-64. In all 50 states, the drug death rate among older adults met the Healthy People 2030 target to reduce overdose deaths to 20.7 per 100,000 population. However, rates are trending in the wrong direction in most states: Drug deaths among older adults increased in 34 states and the District of Columbia between 2017-2019 and 2020-2022, with D.C. having the highest rate in the nation at 89.4 deaths per 100,000 adults age 65 and older. 
Collaborating to Address Older Americans’ Complex Health Needs
This report details areas of progress and challenges in the health of our nation’s older adults, ranging from access to clinical care and underlying social drivers of health to disparities in behavioral health outcomes. Understanding the health of the increasingly large and diverse population of older adults presents a unique opportunity to embrace creative, holistic, collaborative and community-based solutions that improve their health and well-being — and thus, the overall health of our nation.
America’s older adults make progress in measures of social connectedness and access to clinical care but struggle with socioeconomic barriers

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