{"id":281501,"date":"2025-12-04T09:52:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T14:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=short-read&p=281501"},"modified":"2025-12-04T09:52:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T14:52:16","slug":"a-smaller-share-of-older-us-adults-live-alone-today-than-in-1990","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/12\/04\/a-smaller-share-of-older-us-adults-live-alone-today-than-in-1990\/","title":{"rendered":"A smaller share of older U.S. adults live alone today than in 1990"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Senior
(Dobrila Vignjevic\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Older Americans who live alone tend to fare worse than those who don\u2019t live alone on a variety of measures \u2013 from emotional and physical wellbeing<\/a> to material hardship<\/a> to overall longevity<\/a>. They also tend to be less socially engaged and have a lower self-reported quality of life<\/a> than those living with a spouse or partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A new Pew Research Center analysis finds that 26% of U.S. adults ages 65 and older lived alone in 2023,<\/strong> the most recent year with available data. That\u2019s down from 29% in 1990.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, a record high 54% of Americans ages 65 and older lived with a spouse in 2023.<\/strong> Another 9% were unmarried and living with one or more of their children, while 8% were unmarried and living with others. A relatively small share (3%) lived in a nursing home or other group quarters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are six important trends in the living arrangements of older Americans, based on our analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About this research<\/summary>\n

This Pew Research Center analysis updates important trends in the living arrangements of older Americans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did we do this?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Pew Research Center<\/a> conducts high-quality research to inform the public, journalists and decision-makers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This analysis is part of a longstanding research program on the living arrangements of Americans, including studies of young adults<\/a>, older Americans<\/a> and multigenerational living<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did we do this?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This analysis uses data from the decennial census and the American Community Survey<\/a> (ACS). The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of more than 3 million addresses. Collected by the U.S. Census Bureau since 2001, it covers the topics previously included in the long form of the decennial census. The ACS estimates the size and characteristics of the nation\u2019s resident population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The microdata files used for this analysis were provided by the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series<\/a> (IPUMS) from the University of Minnesota. IPUMS standardizes variable names and coding across years as much as possible, making it easier to analyze the data over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2020 ACS data is not used in this analysis because of data quality issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Group quarters<\/a> are residences where people live or stay in a group living arrangement that are owned or managed by entities or organizations providing housing and\/or services for the residents. Prominent examples are college dormitories, military barracks and nursing homes. Assisted-living facilities<\/a> are considered community-based settings. They do not provide the level of skilled nursing services offered in nursing homes and generally are not considered group quarters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A multigenerational family household<\/a> is one that includes two or more adult generations, or one that includes grandparents and grandchildren.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

The decline in the share of older U.S. adults living alone since 1990 is entirely due to a decrease among older women.<\/strong> As of 2023, 31% of women ages 65 and older lived alone, down from 38% in 1990. In contrast, men in this age group have become more likely<\/em> to live alone: 19% did so in 2023, up from 15% in 1990.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The likelihood of older adults living alone varies across demographic groups. <\/strong>Older women are far more likely than older men to live alone (31% vs. 19%), as are adults ages 85 and older compared with those ages 65 to 84 (38% vs. 24%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to race and ethnicity, older Black adults (32%) are more likely than those who are White (27%), Hispanic (19%) or Asian (14%) to live alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are differences by nativity, too. U.S.-born older adults are more likely than foreign-born older adults to live alone (27% vs. 17%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Older adults who live alone are more likely to be in poverty.<\/strong> One-in-five older adults who lived alone in 2023 were in poverty, compared with 6% of older adults who did not live alone.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The government\u2019s official poverty measure<\/a> varies depending on family size and composition. In 2024, a person age 65 or older who lived alone was in poverty if their income was less than $15,045<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across gender and age groups, older adults who live alone are more likely than those who don\u2019t live alone to be in poverty. Among adults ages 65 to 84, for example, both women and men who live alone are more likely than those who don\u2019t live alone to be in poverty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A record share of older adults are married and living with a spouse. <\/strong>The 54% of older adults who live with a spouse is the highest figure in Census Bureau data dating back to 1900.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Over the past 30 years, this trend has moved in opposite directions for women and men. Women ages 65 and older are more <\/em>likely to live with a spouse now than in 1990, while men are less <\/em>likely to do so. This is primarily because women and men are living longer, and because women are much less likely to be widowed now than in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Older adults are less likely to be living in a nursing home or other group quarters than in the past. <\/strong>Some 3% of adults ages 65 and older were living in this type of setting in 2023, down from 6% in 1990.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decrease has been particularly striking among those ages 85 and older. As of 2023, 12% of women ages 85 and older were living in a nursing home or other group quarters, down from 27% in 1990. And 7% of men in this age group were living in group quarters in 2023, down from 17% in 1990.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2020 U.S. census shows that a broad majority of the adults ages 65 and older who live in group quarters (77%) are in skilled nursing facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The share of older adults in a multigenerational household has risen since 1990.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As of 2023, 22% of adults ages 65 and older lived in a multigenerational family household, up from 17% in 1990. The share of older adults living in this type of household fell steadily throughout the 1900s and reached a low point in 1990.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, multigenerational living has grown among all older adults including men and women. But this is especially true for those ages 85 and older: 25% lived in a multigenerational household in 2023, up from 18% in 1990.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Older Americans in this type of living arrangement tend to be unmarried. A 55% majority of those ages 65 and older who live in multigenerational households do not live with a spouse, as of 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And older adults in multigenerational households are less likely than those in other households to be in poverty. This is particularly the case for adults ages 85 and older. Among this group, 7% of those in multigenerational households were living in poverty in 2023, compared with 16% of those in other households.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: Senior Demographer Jeffrey Passel contributed to this analysis.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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