As U.S. ages, programs will feel the heat

Rapid growth in the nation’s older population is likely to put huge pressure on the cost of government safety-net programs, even though immigrants are helping to increase the total of working-age people, a report said.

The Pew Hispanic Center found that the faster growth in the older population means costs will rise per worker for programs that help seniors and children under 17.

Taxes paid by workers help pay the costs of programs such as Social Security and Medicare, and programs for children. While immigration is padding the totals for the working-age population, aging baby boomers are outpacing other groups.

The Pew researchers project that by 2050, the nation’s population will total about 438 million, as long as today’s immigration, fertility and other population trends continue.

The report also found that immigration is the major factor in population growth, especially Latinos, who are projected to make up about 30% of the population by then.

The number of working-age adults -- ages 18 to 64 -- will rise from 186 million three years ago to 255 million in 2050.

But the nation’s population of seniors, those 65 and over, will more than double to 81 million by 2050, largely due to baby boomer retirements, according to the report by Jeffrey Passel and D’Vera Cohn. The last of the baby boom generation will reach 65 in 2029.