It’s 1999—do you know where your boomers are? North Carolina officials can say yes, thanks to a recent profile of residents born between 1946 and 1964. The report gives policy-makers a heads-up on how to prepare for the boomer assault, while debunking some popular misconceptions about the soon-to-be-elderly.
For example, the report by the state’s Division of Aging notes that boomers generally are considered to be well-educated. North Carolina’s boomers stayed in school longer than their parents did, but by the time they were 25 to 34, fewer than half had a high school education. Their education "limits the occupational potential of the boomers and makes lifelong learning a necessity," notes a division report.
"We can’t wait until they’re of retirement age to provide them opportunities to learn new skills," says Dennis Streets, director of planning and information for the division.
Granted, some 36% of North Carolina’s community college population in 1996 was made up of boomers, but Mr. Streets worries that these are boomers who have had the learning bug all their lives, not folks stepping back after a 20-year hiatus.
North Carolina boomers in the profile lived up to the stereotype of being more affluent than their parents, but that is due in large part to the greater proportion of two-income families.
Physically, North Carolina boomers are a disaster. They exercise less than older state residents or boomers in other parts of the country. About 28% have no health insurance, leaving state officials to worry about these people’s health status when they hit retirement age.
The report also noted the "great diversity" of family arrangements of North Carolina boomers. They are less likely than their parents to be living in married head-of-household families or with parents, and more likely to be living alone, as single heads of households, or with a partner to whom they are not married.
North Carolina officials have good reason to worry about the impending boomer crunch. While those 65 and older accounted for 12.8% of the population in 1998, that proportion is expected to grow to 21.4% by 2025.
State officials are holding regional forums to explain the ramifications of the aging of the baby boomers to North Carolina’s residents, businesses, schools, and other institutions. The state is still in the "very early stages" of the process and hopes to expand its efforts with particular attention to financial issues such as pensions and the Social Security system, Mr. Streets says.
Contact Mr. Streets at (919) 733-3983.
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