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BOOMERS ON THE RISE
By Mike Wood
Staff writer
Monday, June 10 (8:30 a.m.): Rossmoor’s largest age group – those from 75 to 84 years old – has grown even larger. That group comprises 42.5% of the population, as noted in 2023 Rossmoor demographics data compiled by Member Records that was recently released.
Call this the baby boom factor. Anyone who turned 75 in 2023 would have been born in 1948 – two years after the start of the post-World War II baby boom. The 75-to-84 age group numbered 4,206 last year out of a total populace of 9,905.
Just five years earlier, that same age group measured 35% but climbed to 39% in 2021 and 39.3% in 2022.
Considering that one of Rossmoor’s largest and most active clubs is Boomers Forever, the baby boom generation has already been making an impression here. GRF General Manager Jeff Matheson said he expects to see “continued growth and influence” from that generation.
A resident of The Waterford uses his walker to assist him as he and his caretaker walk around the south side of the Waterford. News photo by Dan Rosenstrauch
DEMOGRAPHICS:
65-74 is second biggest group
The average age in Rossmoor is 78 for the third consecutive year; prior to then, it was 77 for eight consecutive years.
Matheson finds it interesting how the average age has stayed fairly consistent.
“Many people observe that new residents seem younger,” Matheson said. “The average age may be a reflection that people are living longer in Rossmoor. They move in younger but stay longer, resulting in the average remaining the same.”
The 2023 Rossmoor Demographics report is posted at www.rossmoor.com by going to the What We Offer dropdown menu, and selecting Real Estate and Home Information, where it’s found on the left-hand sidebar. In addition to Rossmoor-wide data, there also are breakdowns by each Mutual and by each GRF district.
There’s value in looking at demographic trends both for the short and long term, Matheson said.
“For example, as we engage in the current food and beverage study, it is really important to look at demographics and trends to understand what current and future residents are accustomed to in terms of atmosphere, convenience, food selection, technology, etc.” he said. “As we plan future amenities such as the planned pickleball courts, it is valuable to understand the trends and what new residents will expect as a standard amenity.”
Another rise was in the next age group up – 85 to 94 – which measured 20.4%, nearly 2 percentage points more than in 2022. While that rose, the 65-to-74 group fell to 24.4%, a drop of 4.4 percentage points. The 55-to-64 group also fell slightly.
Looking at other data:
• The average age of those who moved into Rossmoor was 73; it was 81 for those moving out.
• Considerably fewer people moved out (648), compared with 836 the year before. The 2023 total for “move-ins” was 805.
• The average years lived in a manor was 9.63, up from 8.1.
• There were 418 Rossmoorians who were 95 or older living here in 2023, over 100 more than were in that age group in 2022.
• Looking at individual Mutuals, First Mutual has the youngest average at 76; oldest is Mutual 58 (The Waterford) at 86.
• While most manors either had one resident (52.2%) or two (43.9%), the number with three residents rose to 3.4%, or 221, up from 2.5% (165) the previous year.
• What’s relatively static is the overwhelming ratio of women (63.7%) to men (36.7%) in Rossmoor.
It takes significant work to compile the data package, said Matheson, who thanked the staff members who put it all together.
“It is a good marketing tool as prospective residents look to learn more about the community; this report can provide some good insights,” he said.