Staten Island’s 65+ population balloons over last decade, and 3,000 more live in poverty, study says
“A report released Wednesday says New York’s older adult population is on the rise, and Staten Island has one of the fastest growing 65+ populations in the state. In the borough, the population over the age of 65 grew 34% from 2011 to 2021 — the highest rate in New York City and the second highest in the state — according to the report from the Center for an Urban Future titled ‘Keeping Pace with an Aging New York State.’ Produced with support from the AARP, researchers from the Center looked at the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey’s 2011 and 2021 one year estimates. The Center for an Urban Future’s analysis found that in addition to Staten Island’s rising older adult population, which made up about 13% of the local population in 2011 and 17% in 2021, those over the age of 65 increasingly face poverty. In 2011, about 8.6% of the Island’s 62,000 people over the age of 65 lived in poverty, but over the past 10 years, that number has ballooned to about 10.3% of its 83,000 seniors — an increase of about 3,000 people.”