The U.S. centenarian population, defined as individuals aged 100 and older, increased by 50% from 53,364 in 2010 to 80,139 in 2020, according to a special report released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite making up only two out of every 10,000 people in the country in 2020, this group experienced faster growth than other older adult age groups during the decade.
The report analyzes data from the 2020 Census and provides demographic details on centenarians, including age, sex, race and Hispanic origin, living arrangements, and geographic distribution. It also compares these characteristics with those of other older populations.
In terms of gender composition, women made up the majority of centenarians at 78.8% in 2020—a slight decrease from 82.8% in 2010. The male centenarian population grew significantly during this period by 85.3%, compared to a 42.9% increase for females.
Racial diversity among centenarians also increased slightly over the decade. The share of White alone centenarians declined by about eight percentage points—similar to trends seen among other older age groups but less pronounced than among those under age 65. Black or African American alone centenarians were an exception; their proportion decreased from 12.2% in 2010 to 10.3% in 2020.
Geographically, the Northeast region had the highest concentration of centenarians at approximately 3.19 per 10,000 people—above the national average of about 2.42 per 10,000 people. Hawaii led all states with more than four centenarians per every ten thousand residents (4.44), followed closely by Puerto Rico (4.14). No state reported fewer than one centenarian per ten thousand residents; Utah had the lowest proportion at just over one (1.04), while Alaska followed at about (1.28).
States with higher proportions of centenarians tended to mirror patterns found among those aged between eighty-five and ninety-nine years old—with concentrations in Midwest and Northeast states—but differed from patterns seen among adults aged sixty-five to eighty-four.
Regarding living arrangements, female centenarians were more likely than males to live alone or reside in group quarters such as nursing homes—66.2% compared with about half (50.3%) for males. Nearly half (49.7%) of male centenarians lived with others in a household setting compared with just over a third (33.8%) of females.
Among those living in nursing homes or similar group settings, women were about twice as likely as men: twenty-seven point six percent for females versus fourteen point two percent for males.
Living arrangement patterns also varied by race and ethnicity: Centenarians who identified as Hispanic or Latino, Asian alone, or “All Other Races” were much more likely to live with others—over sixty percent did so—while less than thirty-five percent of White alone non-Hispanic centenarians lived with others; Black or African American alone centenarians fell between these groups at around fifty percent.
The findings offer insight into how longevity is distributed across different demographics and regions within the United States.
