Drexel University s
Pennsylvania: Retooling for Geographic, Racial and Ethnic Growth .
Executive Summary
Pennsylvania is growing older and very quickly. The Commonwealth faces an unprecedented demographic shift similar to the super aging of our country and that of the world. Of its 12,801,989 residents, 40% are 50 years of age and older and 18.7% are over the age of 65. The Commonwealth is ranked eighth in the
USA in terms of the percent of its population who are 65 and older and the number of older adults is expected to exponentially increase as 79% of the population is greater than 18 years of age. This dramatic demographic trend has significant impact for all aspects of society, including ensuring healthy aging for all its residents.