The U.S. Census Bureau released a special report, “Centenarians: 2020,” which found that the number of people aged 100 or older in the United States increased by 50% between 2010 and 2020. In 2010, there were 53,364 centenarians; by 2020, this number had risen to 80,139.
Despite this growth, centenarians remain a small segment of the population, accounting for just two out of every 10,000 people in 2020. The report draws on data from the 2020 Census and examines characteristics such as age, sex, race and Hispanic origin, living arrangements, and geographic distribution.
Women continued to make up the majority of centenarians in 2020 at nearly four out of five (78.8%), though this was a slight decline from a decade earlier when women represented over eight out of ten (82.8%). During this period, the male centenarian population grew at a faster rate—an increase of 85.3% compared to a rise of 42.9% among females.
The racial composition also shifted somewhat over the decade. The share of White alone centenarians declined by about eight percentage points but remained high compared to younger age groups where diversity increased more rapidly. Notably, Black or African American alone centenarians decreased from representing 12.2% in 2010 to 10.3% in 2020.
Geographically, the Northeast had the highest proportion of centenarians among U.S. regions with approximately three per every ten thousand residents. Hawaii led all states with more than four centenarians per ten thousand people (4.44), followed closely by Puerto Rico (4.14). No state reported fewer than one centenarian per ten thousand residents; Utah had the lowest ratio at just above one (1.04), with Alaska slightly higher at 1.28.
Patterns in living arrangements showed significant differences between men and women who reached age one hundred or older. Female centenarians were much more likely than their male counterparts to live alone or reside in group quarters such as nursing homes—27.6% of female centenarians lived in nursing homes compared to only 14.2% for males.
Among male centenarians, about half lived with others in a household setting versus roughly one-third for females (49.7% vs. 33.8%). Combining those living alone or in group settings shows that two-thirds (66.2%) of female centenarians fell into these categories compared to half (50.3%) for males.
The report also highlighted differences based on race and ethnicity regarding living situations: Hispanic or Latino, Asian alone, and “All Other Races” were each notably more likely than other groups to live with others in a household—over sixty percent did so within each group—while White alone not Hispanic individuals were less likely to do so.
No additional news release accompanied this tip sheet report from the U.S Census Bureau.
