By Clyde Noel

Town Crier Correspondent

People 65 to 74 are doing much better today than in the past financially, and they are healthier. Those facts are taken from the Bureau of Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The federal government uses census numbers to allocate more than $100 billion in federal funds annually for community programs and services that include education programs, housing and community development and health-care services for the elderly.

A number of the programs critical to seniors rely on accurate census information. That information is used by state and county agencies to forecast eligibility for Social Security and Medicare. It is also used by planners to determine the number and locations of hospitals, health-service centers and retirement homes.

Census figures are used to help elderly persons with nutritionally sound meals through senior citizen distribution centers for meals-on-wheels programs.

The 2000 census determined that one of the reasons seniors were healthier was that they keep working beyond the age 62, the earliest social security is available.

Several years ago, retirement at age 65 meant a big drop in family income and a drastic change in lifestyle. Today’s retirees work, volunteer their time and keep busy.

A generation ago, one in four people 65 and older lived in poverty. Today, it’s less than one in 10. Average household income for ages 65 to 74 now tops $40,000 a year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median senior household income in 1999, was $27,300.

Seniors are more financially secure because more people choose to work after 65 and the value of their individual retirement accounts or 401(k) plans have increased greatly.

Three categories where senior households spend less than other households, are clothing, cars and entertainment.

Older households spend 29 percent less on apparel and 25 percent less on personal vehicles. Senior households spend almost nothing on sound equipment or accessories, video games or video rentals and many don’t accept the computer age.

Senior households spend 70 percent more than average on health-related products. They spend 104 percent more on prescription drugs and 50 percent more on medical-related products such as eyeglasses and hearing aids.

Senior households spend 12 percent less than all households on food eaten at home; but spend more than average on restaurant meals while traveling away from home.

Households in this age group spend 24 percent more than all households on hotel or motel rooms and 47 percent more on vacation homes.