A quarter of US residents will be over age 65 by 2060

ORLANDO, Florida— By 2060, almost a quarter of all U.S. residents will be over age 65, and life expectancy will reach an all-time high of 85 years, according to two new reports from the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday.

The growth in life expectancy in the U.S. over the next four decades is expected to be slower than it was in the four previous decades.

Between 1970 and 2015, life expectancy rose by almost 8 years, but it’s only predicted to rise about 6 years between 2017 and 2060. That’s because in the latter half of the 20th century, there were increases in vaccinations, decreases in infectious diseases and cardiovascular deaths, the promotion of exercise and anti-smoking campaigns.

Looking forward, “the prevalence of preventable health risks — such as smoking, obesity, and, more recently, opioid-related overdoses — hinders overall population health and contributes to slowed gains in life expectancy,” according to the report which uses the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 National Population Projections.

Although women are still projected to live longer than men by 2060, as they do now, life expectancy is expected to grow larger for men than woman. While all racial and ethnic groups are expected to have gains in life expectancy, the biggest ones are projected to be for black men, American Indian men and Alaska native men, according to the report.