S ongquan D eng / Shutterstock .com - University of Nevada School ...

Population
The lack of social support from living alone is an
important issue for older Nevadans, particularly as
the number of older adults in the state increases.
In 2010, almost a quarter of Nevada’s older adult
population (74,441 people) lived alone. Of these,
48,788 (65.5%) lived in the Southern Urban/Metro
region, 15,573 (20.9%) lived in the Northern Urban/
Metro region, and 10,080 (13.5%) lived in the Rural/
Frontier region.
In all regions, females were more likely than were
males to live alone. The highest percent of females
living alone (65.3%) reside in the Northern Urban/
Metropolitan region, while 64% of females in the
Southern Urban/Metropolitan region live alone. In
the Rural/Frontier region, 56.4% of the females live
alone (see Figure P19).
36.0%
Fig. P19: Adults Age 65+ Living Alone: Gender by
Area
34.7%
43.6%
64.0%
65.3%
56.4%
23.7%
27.7%
Males Females % of Total
Southern Urban/Metro
Northern Urban/Metro
Rural/Frontier
24.5%
(American Community Survey, 5-Year Estimates-B09017, 2006-2010)
Marital Status & Grandparenting
14
Nationally, males 60 and older are more likely to
be married (73.8%) than are older females (47.8%).
Older adults in Nevada exhibit a similar pattern with
69.2% of older males married compared with 49.4%
of older females (see Figure P20).
Fig. P20: Comparison of Marital Status in Adults Age 60
and Older: Location by Sex
Never Married
73.8%
69.2%
47.8% 49.4%
34.0%
10.8% 16.0%
13.3%
10.2% 9.5%
5.2% 5.3% 5.0% 3.1%
Married
Divorced
Widowed
18.7%
Male U.S. Male Nevada Female U.S. Female Nevada
28.7%
(American Community Survey, 5-Year Estimates-B12002, 2006-2010)
Divorce is more prevalent in Nevada than in other
states. Sixteen percent of Nevada men 60 and older
are divorced, compared with 10.8% nationally. For
older Nevada women, the rate is 18.7%, compared
with 13.3% nationally. In both Nevada and the
United States as a whole, older women are much
more likely than older men to be widowed (see Table
P13).
The majority of older Nevadans are married (see
Figure P21). The highest marriage rate is in the Rural/
Frontier regions (62.8%); however, the proportions of
all marital statuses are similar across regions.
Fig. P21: Marital Status, Adults Age 60 and Older:
Location
Never Married
58.8%
56.6%
19.7% 19.5% 20.2%
17.0%
4.5% 3.7% 3.3%
62.8%
Southern Urban/Metro Northern Urban/Metro Rural/Frontier
Married
Divorced
Widowed
16.3% 17.6%
(American Community Survey, 5-Year Estimates-B12002, 2006-2010)
The 2010 Census estimated that 2.5 million
grandparents nationally are caring for more than
2.6 million children, and 7.8 million children live in
homes where grandparents also reside (AARP, 2012).
In Nevada, an estimated 42,103 children under age
18 are living with a grandparent (ACS, B10001, 206-
2010). Of those who live with their grandparents,
the overwhelming majority, 73.6%, or approximately
4,000 children, reside in the Southern Urban/
Metropolitan area, 16.3% (approximately 6,862)
reside in the Northern Urban/Metropolitan area, and
4.1%, or approximately 1,726, reside in the Rural/
Frontier area (see Figure P22).