or go down to the basement to wash their clothes? Are we building houses for yesterday or for tomorrow? Are the aging baby boomers going to want 3,500 to 5,000 square foot houses on five acre lots out in the country, a process which is contributing to our current suburban sprawl? Or are they going to want universal design houses on one floor totaling 1,500 to 2,000 square feet with high density, small yards located close to services and public transportation? Do we want all those baby boomers driving their SUV’s 30 miles to the grocery store in 20 years when they start entering their 80’s. Better yet, will they want that reality?
High rise apartment.
And, for the record, the large “baby boomlet or echo boom” of baby boomers having children just didn’t happen. The Non-Hispanic White population of baby boomers totaled 60,188,495 while the Non-Hispanic White “baby boomlet or echo boom”totals 49,228,079 persons, well below replacement levels. The population in their early 20’s ages 20 to 24, in the United States totals 18,964,001 compared to the population in their early 40’s, ages 40 to 44, which totals 22,441,863, or 3,477,862 larger. The Non-Hispanic White population in their early 20’s totals 11,594,742 compared to the population of Non-Hispanic Whites in their early 40’s which totals 16,135,362, or 4,540,620 larger. The minority population in the United States in their early 20’s is 20% larger than those in their 40’s and the Non-Hispanic White population in their early 20’s is 30% smaller than those in their early 40’s. New Rules for the Older and More Diverse Population
Empty playground.
According to the 2000 Census, 60 percent of United States households contain 1 or 2 persons and 1 in 4 households are one person households. One in ten households in the United States contain a person 65 or older living alone. While we continue building 3,500 to 5,000 square foot houses with the bedrooms on the second floor along with several full baths, and putting the washer and dryer in the basement, our household size is getting smaller and older with the significant growth in the United States population being ages 55 and over. Do we realize how many persons are going to be sleeping on their couches, in dirty clothes, and using chamber pots because they cannot go up stairs to the bedroom or bathroom Fall/Winter 2004
As we live longer, we will have to work longer and retool and re-educate ourselves over and over again, otherwise, we will likely run out of money before we run out of life. So for older workers and older students it will not just be driving to the grocery store or doctor’s office, but driving to work and education facilities for retraining as well. Long commutes out of step with trends Remember the growth in the United States population is now entirely Black, Asian and Hispanic. The Non-Hispanic population is in decline in real numbers not just percentages. Is suburban sprawl primarily a Non-Hispanic White reality driven by the large, but soon to decline, middle-age Non-Hispanic White baby boomer population? Is the market for large houses on large lots a fad about to go “South”? Remember that growing minority population tends to be much more urban, has lower income for housing and probably doesn’t see mowing a five acre lot as desirable. The United States is now entering the demographics of tomorrow. Will we rethink housing, transportation, employment, education and other societal issues based on the needs of an older Non-Hispanic White population and a younger growing minority population of Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics? These new realities requiring new rules are not good news or bad news, just different news. Remember, the difference between “perception” and “reality” is that “reality” changes. Ronald T. Crouch is Senior Researcher in the Kentucky State Data Center of the University of Louisville Urban Studies Institute.
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