New data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates about 15 percent of Iowans are over the age of 65. Nearly 458,000 of the people who were living in Iowa in 2011 were over the age of 65 according to this new Census report.
That group collected more than half a billion dollars in Social Security benefits in 2011. A majority — 57 percent — were women. Nearly 30 percent of all elderly Iowans were living alone.
Four other states have a higher percentage of elderly residents. The Census Bureau also found three-quarters of Iowans over the age of 65 were born here.
Wahpeton, a town to just the west of West Lake Okoboji that has a population of about 350, has the highest percentage of elderly residents of any Iowa city. Nearly 45 percent of Wahpeton’s population is over the age of 64.