The Elderly and Children

Almost one Cincinnatian in five is over 60

Two thirds of neighborhoods with more than 20 percent elderly are in SES III and IV

The trend toward an increasingly greater proportion of our population being elderly will continue at least in a metropolitan context.

In 1990, nearly one half of the Cincinnati children were growing up in single parent families... Nearly one third grew up in neighborhoods with concentrations of poverty...

In 2000, there were seven neighborhoods which had over 1,000 children.

Chapter 7

THE ELDERLY AND CHILDREN

The elderly can be looked at as a distinct subgroup of our population that has needs which often cut across lines of race and social class. Most elderly people in an industrial society face the problem of how to spend their time in a constructive, fulfilling way. When poverty and its accompanying lack of personal and neighborhood resources compound this crisis, life can become difficult indeed. In this chapter we will consider the aged population as a specific target group which should be taken into account in the planning of services. Further research is needed to identify the subgroups of this population whose needs are the most critical⁽¹⁾. The main purpose here is to detail the geographic distribution of the population over 60 years of age.

Almost one Cincinnatian in five is over 60.

During the 70s, the elderly population declined at a dramatically slower rate (9 percent) than the overall population (15 percent). This trend toward an aging Cincinnati population reversed during the 1980s and the numbers for 1970 - 2000 show the city population declining by 26.9% and elderly population declining by 35 percent (Table 2d). The percentage of the population that is elderly declined from 42 to 35 in SES I and II, the two lower SES quartiles, between 1970 and 2000. In SES I only 15 percent of the population was over 60 in 2000. Sixty percent of the elderly lived in SES III and IV in 2000. Table 7a presents the percentage of seniors of the total population of each quartile. Comparing 1970 and 2000's percentages show that the most notable change is the increase in elderly percentage in SES III, the upper middle quartile.

Table 7a

Trends in the Population Over 60 Years of Age

Social Area	Number of Persons 60 Years of Age and Older				Pct of Total Population 60 Yrs of Age and Older
	1970	1980	1990	2000	1970	1980	1990	2000

Quartile I	13,346	10,432	11,082	8,043	16%	14%	17%	15%
Quartile II	20,686	15,186	16,829	10,508	26%	21%	26%	20%
Quartile III	15,930	19,200	18,743	16,997	20%	27%	29%	32%
Quartile IV	31,075	27,212	18,674	17,323	38%	38%	29%	33%
Total	81,037	72,030	65,328	52,871	100%	100%	100%	100%

(Click to enlarge)

Table 7b

Cincinnati Neighborhoods' Changes in the Senior Population, 1970-1990

Neighborhood	Percent of Population 60 Years and Older				Percent Change				Number of Persons 60 Years and Older
	1970	1980	1990	2000	70-80	80-90	90-00	70-00	2000
QUARTILE 1
Fay Apartments	8%	5%	6%	6%	-39%	15%	0%	-30%	131
N. Fairmount - English Woods	11%	13%	10%	8%	19%	-17%	-2%	-20%	382
S. Cumminsville-Millvale	12%	13%	12%	11%	9%	-2%	-2%	-8%	412
Over-The-Rhine	20%	19%	11%	7%	-5%	-42%	-4%	-63%	561
Winton Hills	8%	13%	6%	9%	64%	-49%	3%	21%	495
Lower Price Hill	12%	13%	10%	8%	9%	-25%	-2%	-37%	90
Camp Washington	15%	15%	14%	8%	1%	-8%	-6%	-45%	130
West End	18%	17%	15%	15%	-4%	-11%	0%	-17%	1,182
S. Fairmount	21%	19%	13%	12%	-9%	-32%	-1%	-42%	407
Avondale	17%	22%	22%	19%	27%	3%	-4%	8%	3,021
Walnut Hills	24%	23%	21%	19%	-2%	-11%	-2%	-20%	1,449
Linwood	---	17%	22%	12%	---	24%	-9%	---	131

QUARTILE 2
Sedamsville -Riverside	14%	16%	20%	21%	18%	25%	1%	53%	446
East Price Hill	17%	15%	14%	11%	-12%	-7%	-3%	-34%	2,032
Evanston	14%	22%	24%	19%	53%	12%	-6%	32%	1,508
Corryville	17%	14%	14%	10%	-22%	3%	-4%	-45%	369
East End	13%	15%	16%	14%	14%	3%	-1%	7%	234
Mt. Auburn	12%	14%	13%	11%	22%	-7%	-2%	-8%	683
Bond Hill	22%	17%	20%	22%	-19%	15%	2%	1%	518
Northside	20%	19%	17%	13%	-5%	-13%	-4%	-37%	1,187
Winton Place	14%	15%	14%	8%	5%	-7%	-5%	-39%	203
Carthage	21%	23%	21%	17%	11%	-11%	-3%	-17%	419
Mt. Airy	12%	12%	13%	14%	2%	9%	0%	15%	1,238
Fairview - Clifton Heights	19%	15%	9%	6%	-21%	-40%	-2%	-65%

Avondale