The Mobile50™ Facts and Figures, February 2016

1. THE MOBILE50™
FACTS & FIGURES
FEBRUARY 2016

2. THE MOBILE50™ ARE TECH SAVVY,
NOT TECH CHALLENGED
• They are the second heaviest users of the Internet with 78% spending an average of nearly
20 hours a week online
• 82% belong to at least once social networking site
• Nearly 60% are on Facebook - more than 50% spend more than 11 hours per week on
Facebook versus 41% of Millennials
• Nearly 65% have a smart phone – 20% report using their phones to look for local deals while
out shopping
• 55% report using social media on their phones; 31% use their phones to watch video, 21% to
listen to music or podcasts
• They account for 40% of customers paying for wireless service
• They outspend all other age groups online by an estimated $400 billion a year

3. MARKET SIZE AND ANTICIPATED GROWTH
• There are approximately 77 million people aged
51 to 69 in the U.S.
• 50% of the U.S. population will be over the age
of 50 by 2017
• The 50+ segment will expand more than 34%
by 2030 from its current
100 million consumers
• By 2050, there will be 161 million 50+
consumers - a 63% increase over 2010

4. ECONOMIC IMPACT
• People who are 50+ account for $7.1 trillion in U.S. economic activity, providing employment
for nearly 100 million Americans
• Those 100 million jobs generate $4.5 trillion in wages and salaries, almost $1 trillion in
federal taxes and $750 billion in state and local taxes
• Spending by Americans over 50 accounts for nearly half of federal tax revenue and more
than half of state and local tax revenue
• In 2010, The Mobile50™ earned $2.4 trillion in annual income, which represents 42% of all
after-tax income in the U.S.
• Over the next 20 years, spending by those 50+ is expected to increase by 58% to $4.74
trillion; spending by Americans aged 25-50 will grow by only 24%
• Globally, the spending power of consumers age 60 and older will hit $15 trillion by 2020, up
from $8 trillion in 2010

5. ECONOMIC POWER
• People 50+ control almost 80% of U.S. aggregate net worth
• They control 80% of all money in savings and loan associations
• They control 70% of the disposable income in the U.S.
• They will inherit $15 trillion in the next 20 years
• The average wealth of households headed by people over 50 is nearly $765,000 - for those
aged 25 – 50 it’s $225,000

6. ECONOMIC ENGINES
• People in their 50’s and 60’s start businesses at nearly twice the rate of those in their 20’s
• They started 14% of new business in 1996, 23% of new businesses in 2011, and 24% of new
businesses in 2013
• Adults 50+ are responsible for 80% of all luxury travel spending
• They purchase more than 40% of all Apple products
• 33% of all tablets are owned by people 50+, as are 23% of all iPads and 30% of all Kindle Fires
• The peak age of vehicle buyers shifted upward to 55-to-64 from 35-to-44 in 2011
• People over 50 dominate spending in 119 of 123 consumer packaged goods segments, as well
as all health care categories
• On average, people ages 50+ spend $7 billion per year online

7. EISENHOWER AGENCY
In compiling these facts, Eisenhower reviewed the research
from numerous organizations and published studies
including the following:
• AARP
• BoomAgers
• Creating Results
Strategic Marketing
• eMarketer
• Forbes Insights 2015
• Hanover Research
• Hawthorne Media
• Hubspot
• Oxford Economics
• Pew Research Center
• Zillner