The U.S. population is getting older fast and many Americans are unsure what aging will look like for them, a new national survey shows.

The share of U.S. adults ages 65 and older has jumped from 12.4% in 2004 to 18% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 

That rise is driven in part by longer life expectancy, fewer births and the aging of the Baby Boomer generation.

Against that backdrop, researchers at Pew Research surveyed 8,750 U.S. adults in early September to learn how people feel about growing older and what they think they can do to improve their health, finances and quality of life as they age.

Nearly half of adults 65+ (49%) say they are aging extremely or very well. In contrast, only 30% of adults under 65 believe they will age that well themselves.

Money plays a major role in how positive people feel about aging:

About 61% of older adults in the highest income group say they are aging very well compared with 51% in the middle-income group and 39% of those with lower incomes.

Further, older adults with higher incomes were also more likely to report excellent physical and mental health, stay socially active and take part in hobbies or civic groups.

Among adults under 65 who think about their later years, 67% say they feel worried, while 51% say they feel excited.

Top concerns include future health problems, not having enough money and becoming a burden to their family.

More than 4 in 10 adults under 65 (45%) say they are not confident they will have enough savings to retire.

Some think they may never be able to retire at all, researchers found.

Most Americans say people have at least some control over:

• Physical health (67%)

• Mobility (60%)

But fewer believe they can control:

• Mental sharpness (47%)

• How old they look (38%)

When asked how long they want to live, 76% of Americans said at least age 80, and 29% said they hope to reach 100. 

On average, adults said they would like to live to age 91.

Less than half of U.S. adults say they have done or would consider doing something to look younger, such as:

• Taking anti-aging supplements (56%)

• Coloring their hair to cover gray (52%)

What's more, women were much more likely than men to say they would consider cosmetic procedures, such as Botox (33% versus 13%) or plastic surgery (26% versus 10%).