Seniors — By the Numbers

Jan Plotczyk • February 6, 2024

How many seniors live on the Eastern Shore? Data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Maryland Department of Aging can answer that question.

Talbot, Worcester, and Kent counties (sometimes called the retirement meccas) have the highest percentages of seniors 65-84 in the state, all at about 25% of their total population. The eight counties with the highest percentages of this age group are all on the Eastern Shore and in western Maryland, the state’s rural areas. Fourteen percent of Maryland’s population is in this age group.

Talbot, Kent, and Worcester counties also have the highest percentages of seniors 85-99 on the Eastern Shore, each with 3% to 4% of total population. Again, the six counties with the highest percentages of this age group are on the Eastern Shore and in western Maryland. Less than 2% of Maryland’s population is 85-99.

As expected, not many people in Maryland make it to the 100+ years age group; in 2020, that number statewide was 1,542, with 116 on the Eastern Shore. Once again, the rural counties of the Eastern Shore and western Maryland lead the list of counties with the highest percentage of centenarians. In all Eastern Shore counties, less than 1% of total population is 100 years old or older, ranging from 0.01% (Queen Anne’s and Talbot) to 0.08% (Kent). Statewide, it’s 0.03% of the population.

A quarter to a third of all seniors over 65 in the counties of the Eastern Shore live alone, according to estimates from the American Community Survey, ranging from 32% in Somerset to 23% in Queen Anne’s.

Older people are more likely to live alone in the U.S. than elsewhere in the world. Nearly four in 10 older adults around the world live with extended family, but those in the U.S. rarely do, according to the Pew Research Center.

In 2017, Caroline, Dorchester, and Somerset counties all had 8% or more of their total older adult population residing in poverty, according to the Maryland Department of Aging.

About 75% of people 50 and older who were surveyed by AARP say they want to remain in their homes as they age.

The Maryland Department of Aging found that respondents to their aging needs assessment survey think the government should have a large role in supporting older adults and helping them to remain in their homes. This support should include funding programs; providing information; providing home delivered meals, educational classes, service coordination, and transportation; and advocating for the rights of older adults.

The number of older Eastern Shore residents is increasing. Individuals 85 and over are the fastest growing segment of the population.

By 2045, the 60+ population on the Eastern Shore is projected to increase by 28%, with the largest increase in Cecil County (43%) and the smallest in Somerset (8%).

The Maryland State Plan on Aging, 2022-2025, contains information on how the state plans to address the needs of the growing population of seniors. It makes interesting reading.

Jan Plotczyk spent 25 years as a survey and education statistician with the federal government, at the Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. She retired to Rock Hall.

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