Data Shows How Many Montana Seniors Live Alone

Evelyn Pyburn always has interesting info in the Hotsheet that comes out every Monday morning for the Big Sky Business Journal.

In this week's report, she shared several interesting stories about the CHS refinery turnaround bringing 3,000 workers to the Billings area. She also featured a report highlighting rich states/poor states that was produced by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). (Montana came in at 33rd by the way)

Another very interesting topic in this week's edition was the numbers of senior citizens living alone.

Big Sky Business Journal: In Billings, 24.5% of senior live alone, compared to an average of 27% of seniors nationally, according to Safe Step. Globally, living within an extended family household is the most common arrangement for seniors and older individuals. But in the US, older people are more likely to live alone or with a partner than with their own adult children, grandchildren, or other relatives. 27% of U.S. adults age 60 and older live alone. Comparatively, within 130 countries and territories, an average of only 16% of adults over 60 live alone.

Breaking down the data, which appears to come from a Pew Research Study, it shows what many Montanans would likely already have assumed- that a higher percentage of American seniors are more likely to live alone.

Why is that? I imagine the higher incomes in the United States are a factor. Seniors who have invested well, paid off their home, and saved for retirement I imagine are more likely to continue living independently.

It will also be interesting to see how these trends change or continue in the years ahead. After the COVID lockdowns and mandates, many seniors shied away from assisted living facilities. Will they now move back towards community living?

If you haven't signed up for the Big Sky Business Journal Hotsheet, you definitely should. There's always some interesting info.