America's 'Longevity Belt'
A Census Bureau report released Wednesday finds that the nation's centenarian population is overwhelmingly female, and their numbers doubled in this decade.
Women living in the Midwest have the best chance of living to 100, the report suggests.
"More than anything else, the reason I have survived to this age is a moderate way of life," said 103-year-old Ella May Stumpe. She grew up in North Dakota, which had the 11th highest percentage of centenarians in the nation, according to the census statistics, compiled in 1990. She now lives in Frederick, Md.
- For details of the census report, see America's Longevity Belt.
- To learn what the authors of Living To 100 found in researching their book, see How To Live To Be 100.
- To meet centenarian Caroline Peery, see One Centenarian's Life
Mrs. Stumpe, who changed her diet to non-acidic foods after suffering an ulcer at age 30, offers advice for those yearning to live long: "I do not go for the modern teen-age diet of hamburgers and pizza and stuff like that," she says.
The Census Bureau reported that its analysis of 1990 data found that four out of five U.S. centenarians are women. Iowa had the highest percentage of residents age 100 or older, a tiny .0261 percent of the state's total population, closely followed by South Dakota at .0256 percent.
Three other Midwest states, Nebraska, Kansas and Minnesota, also finished in the top 10. The others in the top 10 were Connecticut, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana and the District of Columbia.
The 1990 Census counted 37,306 people aged 100 or over, but bureau analysts believe that inaccurate birth and death records inflated that number and that the figure was actually closer to 28,000, the report said.
"A lot of people don't know how old they are and if you don't have a record and you're old you may want to be 100-plus. It's kind of a magical age," said Victoria Velkoff, co-author of the report.
Nonetheless, the bureau estimates there are now nearly 70,000 people age 100 or older, almost double the 1990 total.
California, New York and Florida had the most residents past the century mark. But when measured as a percentage of population, these big states trailed those in the Midwest.
Dr. Tom Perls, a principal investigator for the New England Centenarian Study that researches aging, said genetics probably is the primary reason for the regional cluster of centenarians frequently referred to as the "longevity belt." It stretches from Minnesota to Nova Scotia, he said.
"There were genes passed down through the generations that have inhabited these regions that are probably excellent for getting to extreme old age. That's what we call a 'founde effect'," Perls said.
Florida, with the largest senior population, ranked just 23rd in the percentage of centenarians in its population. The Census Bureau suggests that's because the healthier "young old" may be flocking to Florida while the "older old" return to their home states for family care, the report said.
Alaska ranked last for centenarians both as a percentage and for total numbers. The report also echoes findings that women outnumber men among the very old.
Women age more slowly than men, Perls said, and among women, the onset of cancer, stroke and Alzheimer's may be delayed by 10 years. Elderly women also survive illness and chronic conditions like heart disease more often than men, he added.