Population Update, Report Number 1

How many persons of the ages 60 and over or 65 and over are living in South Dakota counties? How rapidly is this segment of our population growing? Answers to these questions are essential to planning efforts for the many federal, state, and local programs dealing with the unique needs of the elderly. The U.S. National Clearinghouse on Aging, in conjunction with the Bureau of the Census, has annually estimated the population of those 60 and over (60 +) and 65 and over (65 +) since 1974. In order to provide a better understanding of the Clearinghouse\u27s estimates for South Dakota\u27s counties, and to make this information available to more people, the Rural Sociology Department at South Dakota State University, Brookings, has prepared this Population Update bulletin. The U.S. 1970 Census showed South Dakota had 80,274 people 65 + years of age, which was 12.1 % of the state\u27s population. (Table 1). By 1975, the figure had jumped to 85,400 (12.5%), 5,000 more than in 1970. (See more in text