Illustration of various elderly people in a town square, each doing a different activity, such as walking, riding bikes, walking dogs, in wheelchairs.

Aging In America

Longer Lifespans

What the data say about America's growing population of older adults

By Brian W. Simpson • Illustration by Dung Hoang

Surging numbers of seniors are already causing tectonic shifts in American society. In the coming years, those changes—from the economy and the workplace to health care and beyond—will become more consequential. Is America’s future gray or silver? It depends on how quickly science and society can adapt.