Women still live longer, but men are closing the gap

By M. Alex Johnson, msnbc.com

Men are catching up with women in the longevity sweepstakes, according to a new analysis of census data, which show that the U.S. is the oldest it's ever been.

The population of Americans ages 65 and older increased by 15.1 percent from 2000 to 2010, far outpacing population growth as a whole, at 9.7 percent, according to the data, which were released this week.

One of every 7.6 Americans, or 13 percent, is now in that group, the highest ratio the census has recorded since it began collecting age data in 1790.

While men and women alike are living longer, men are closing the gap in the historical lead women have had. Twenty years ago, there were 83 men for every 100 women ages 65 and older; now there are 90.5 men.

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