Wells County Demographic Report on the Population of Elders: An Overview of
Census 2000 Data
Income
% of ages 65+ living below poverty level
6.9
% of total population below poverty level
5.9
Ages 65+ living below 150% of poverty
20.19
Labor force participation rate for ages 65+
13.84
Unemployment rate (%) among labor force
0
participants ages 65+
The percentage of seniors that lives below the
poverty level in Wells County is larger than the
percentage of the total population in the county, but
smaller than the percentage across Indiana (7.7%)
that lives below the poverty level. The labor-force
participation rate among seniors in Wells County is
nearly the same as the rate across Indiana (13.93%),
but none of those participants are registered as
unemployed, though the unemployment rate in
Indiana is 3.45%
Wells County Age Distribution
total number
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
age cohort
males
females
The proportion of females to males generally
increases in older cohorts.
Income Distribution for the Population 65 and
over
794
800
655
Wells County
700
600
500
400
300
200
Total Number
Population
total
Total in 2000
27600
Total in 2006 (est.)
28199
% Growth 2000-2006
2.17%
Ages 65 and over in 2000
3891
Ages 65 and over in 2006
4160
% 65 and over in 2006
14.75%
% Growth (65+) 2000-2006
6.9%
Population over 85 in 2006
711
Population est. 55-64 2006
2460
Spanish Speakers (65+)
22
Speak little or no Engl. (65+)
7
The population in Wells County increased modestly
during the period from 2000 to 2006, but the
population aged 65 years and older increased at
over three times that rate during the same period.
100
390
434
350
300
180
115
64 59
55 39 40 30
34
0
In Wells County, the largest frequency of seniors falls
into the income category from $5,000 and $9,999, as
in most counties in Indiana. *Note that income
categories for this graph are larger for those making
more than $54,999.
Wells County Demographic Report on the Population of Elders: An Overview of
Census 2000 Data
2533
2406
84.33
49.46
40.11
836
223
44.01
10.43
In Wells County the percentage of senior
householders who live in older housing is slightly
larger than the percentage of senior householders
who live in older housing across Indiana (48.6%),
while the percentage of senior householders who
have been living in the same home for over 30 years
in the county is also slightly larger than the
corresponding percentage across Indiana (37.8%).
Grandparents as Caregivers for
Grandchildren 18 Years Old and Younger
Tot.
60
Wells County Housing
Characteristics for Seniors 65+
%
1.69% (of
sample)
*0%
Aged 65+ who live with one or
more own grandchildren
Aged 65+ having primary
0
responsibility for grandchildren
Aged 65+ live with, but not
60
*100%
responsible for grandchildren
Aged 55-64 who live with one
40
1.63% (of
or more own grandchildren
sample)
Aged 55-64 having primary
20
*50%
responsibility for grandchildren
Aged 55-64 live with, but not
10
*25%
responsible for grandchildren
*Percent of total of those who live with two or more of their own
grandchildren. Sample size for 65+ = 3540; sample size for ages
55-64 = 2450.
This information is provided by the Center on Aging and Community at the
Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, with funding from the US
Administration on Aging, Grant # 90AM3026. For downloadable formats,
visit the link at: http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/cac/.
Or contact: Philip B. Stafford, Ph.D. at 812-855-2163, staffor@indiana.edu
All data was assembled by Frank Marshalek (fmarshal@indiana.edu) using
Census data from Summary Files 1, 2 and 3 and “Special Tabulations for
the Aging (www.census.gov), and from census data assembled by the AOA
(http://www.data.aoa.gov).
Percent
Housing
Households with 1 or more 65+
Number of 65+ householders
% 65+ householders who own (v. rent)
% 65+ householders living in housing
built before 1960
% 65+ householders who moved in
before 1970
Number of 65+ females living alone
Number of 65+ males living alone
% of householders living alone
% of 65+ who pay >35% of income for
housing
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
84.33
67.9
49.46
40.11
44.01
27.22
15.67
10.43
Most householders over 64 years old own their own
homes as opposed to rent, while almost one third of
all seniors live alone. The percentage of senior
householders who own their homes in Wells County
is higher than the corresponding percentage across
Indiana (82.13%). However, the percentage of those
householders aged 85 and older in the county who
are homeowners is slightly smaller than the
corresponding percentage across Indiana (70.94%).
Wells County also has a percentage of seniors who
live alone that is lower than the percentage of all
seniors who live alone across Indiana (29.11%).
Disabilities among Noninstitutionalized Population Aged
60+ (categories are not mutually
exclusive)
Sensory
Physical
learning/remembering/concentrating
Self-care disability
Go-outside-home disability
Employment disability
Total
number
530
885
205
230
560
40
*Categories are not mutually exclusive. (Source: US Census
Summary File 3)