The U.S. centenarian population, defined as individuals aged 100 or older, grew by 50% between 2010 and 2020, according to a special report released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The number of centenarians increased from 53,364 in 2010 to 80,139 in 2020. Despite this growth, centenarians made up only about two out of every 10,000 people in the United States.
The report examines demographic details such as age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, living arrangements, and geographic distribution based on data from the 2020 Census. It compares these characteristics with those of other older age groups to highlight how centenarians differ.
In terms of gender distribution in 2020, women made up a significant majority at nearly 79%, although this was a slight decrease from nearly 83% in 2010. The male centenarian population saw an increase of over 85%, compared to about a 43% rise for female centenarians during the same period.
Racial diversity among centenarians also increased slightly between the two censuses. There was an approximate eight percentage-point decline in the share of White alone centenarians—a change similar to that seen among other older adults but less than that observed among people under age 65. The proportion of Black or African American alone centenarians decreased from just over twelve percent to just above ten percent between the two census years.
Regionally, the Northeast had the highest concentration of centenarians at more than three per ten thousand residents. Hawaii stood out as the only state with more than four per ten thousand (4.44), joined by Puerto Rico at just over four (4.14). No state had fewer than one per ten thousand; Utah and Alaska were closest to this mark.
States with higher proportions of centenarians generally matched patterns seen for those aged eighty-five to ninety-nine—primarily concentrated in Midwest and Northeast states—but differed from patterns for younger seniors ages sixty-five to eighty-four.
Living arrangements also varied notably by gender and race or ethnicity among those aged one hundred or older. Female centenarians were much more likely than males to live alone without family members present: about one-third lived with others while half of male centenarians did so. Women were twice as likely as men to reside in group quarters such as nursing homes—nearly twenty-eight percent compared with just over fourteen percent for men.
Overall, about two-thirds of female centenarians either lived alone or in group settings versus half for their male counterparts.
There were differences along racial and ethnic lines regarding living situations as well: Hispanic or Latino, Asian alone, and “All Other Races” groups were most likely (over sixty percent) to live with others within households; White alone not Hispanic individuals were least likely (less than thirty-five percent); Black or African American alone fell midway with around half living with others.
