New West Health Mosaic data tool maps the state of aging in America — showing who's ready and where we need to catch up.
A demographic shift unlike any in our history is unfolding across America. By 2034, adults 65 and older will outnumber children under 18 for the first time ever. This isn't just a statistical curiosity — it's a transformation that touches everything from healthcare to housing to workforce planning.
But are we ready?
West Health Mosaic’s new National Aging Readiness dashboard takes a hard look at this question. This first-of-its-kind tool provides a sobering assessment of how prepared, or unprepared, states and communities are for an aging America.
Beyond Numbers: Seeing the Whole Picture
The National Aging Readiness dashboard isn't just another aging data portal. What makes it revolutionary is how it connects previously siloed information to create a comprehensive picture of aging readiness.
Dr. Zia Agha, Chief Medical Officer of the Gary and Mary West Foundation and West Health Institute, explains the fundamental gap this tool addresses: "For years, we've been operating with a fragmented understanding of aging in America. Organizations collect excellent data on housing. Others focus on healthcare access. Still others track transportation or economic security. But the reality is that older adults don't experience aging as separate checkboxes — they navigate these interconnected challenges as a unified life experience," he says.
"The National Aging Readiness dashboard emerged from our recognition that without connecting these dots, and identifying the resulting insights, we simply couldn't address the fundamental question: is America truly prepared for this demographic transformation? Existing resources weren't giving us — or policymakers — the complete picture needed to make informed decisions about aging infrastructure and support systems."
Zia Agha, MD, Chief Medical Officer, West Health Institute
The dashboard brings ten key domains into a single view:
Policy activity
Demographics
Economic security
Healthcare access
Health status
Costs
Mental health
Caregiving
Dementia
Housing and transportation
Users can toggle between bird's-eye national trends and granular county-level details. They can filter data by age group, income level, race and ethnicity, or disability status — revealing patterns that might otherwise remain hidden.
Despite near-universal eligibility, almost half a million Americans over 65 navigate later life without any health insurance coverage.
Source: National Aging Readiness Dashboard
The Geographic Lottery of Aging
Perhaps the most striking revelation the dashboard shows: Where you live dramatically shapes how well you can age in America.
Some states have built robust networks of geriatric specialists, affordable housing options, and reliable transportation systems. Others lag far behind, creating what amounts to a geographic lottery for older Americans.
Housing jumps out as a particular pain point. The data shows 57% of older adult renters are "housing cost burdened," spending over 30% of their income on keeping a roof above their heads. For Black older adult renters, that burden climbs even higher.
Transportation is a lifeline to healthcare, food, and social connections, yet it varies dramatically across America. Over 20% of adults over 65 who live alone don't have access to a vehicle. That figure often spikes in rural areas, creating isolation and barriers to basic services.
Money Troubles
Financial vulnerability emerges as a troubling theme throughout the data. Nearly half of adults over 65 rely exclusively on Social Security without other retirement income. Healthcare costs eat up an unsustainable chunk of many seniors' incomes.
The dashboard reveals that older adults in some states spend almost twice as much of their income on healthcare as those in others, not because they're sicker, but because of systemic differences in pricing, coverage, and service delivery.
Healthcare costs skew dramatically toward later life. In 2020, older Americans (65+) consumed 37% of all personal healthcare dollars while representing just 17% of the population.
Source: National Aging Readiness Dashboard
Bright Spots and Success Stories
The dashboard isn't just about problems. It spotlights solutions, too.
One such highlight is the policy activity surrounding Multisector Plans for Aging (MPAs), which are state-level policy efforts to provide for the needs of older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers across programs, policies, and services. These plans create cross-sector roadmaps for building age-friendly communities.
The tool also showcases innovative transportation programs that work in rural areas, housing initiatives that help older adults modify their homes to age in place safely, and creative approaches to building caregiving capacity in underserved areas.
These success stories serve as practical models other communities can study and adapt as they prepare for an aging population.
A Tool for Action, Not Just Analysis
Mosaic’s National Aging Readiness dashboard stands out for a simple reason: It converts complex statistics into practical starting points for discussion and change.
Journalist can find a goldmine of authentic stories here. The visualization tools transform abstract numbers into shareable insights that connect community-level challenges to nationwide patterns. A reporter can quickly spot the outliers, both concerning gaps and promising successes, that deserve deeper investigation.
For policymakers, the dashboard provides a rapid assessment of specific areas where their state or region needs improvement. They can examine successful models from high-performing states and adapt those approaches to their own communities.
For researchers, the tool integrates previously disconnected datasets, helping identify relationships between factors affecting older adults' well-being that might otherwise remain hidden. The cross-sectional approach generates new hypotheses and research questions.
The dashboard paints a nuanced picture of aging in America beyond just medical metrics. Mental health data reveals that while older adults generally report higher life satisfaction than younger adults, nearly one in four feels socially isolated.
When examining the interconnected systems that affect aging, Dr. Agha notes several revelations that emerged from the comprehensive dataset: "What immediately struck me was how profoundly transportation intersects with virtually every other aspect of healthy aging. We knew it was important, but the data reveals it's actually a foundational determinant of whether older adults can access healthcare, maintain social connections, or remain economically secure," he observes.
"In counties with limited transportation options, we see corresponding spikes in social isolation, delayed medical care, and even higher rates of nursing home placement — often not because these individuals need that level of care, but because they simply can't navigate daily life independently without reliable transportation."
Zia Agha, MD, Chief Medical Officer, West Health Institute
Perhaps most revealing are the caregiving statistics. The dashboard shows critical shortages in the professional caregiving workforce at precisely the moment when demand is skyrocketing. Many older adults themselves are caregivers. Adults 65+ are about as likely as younger adults to provide care to a family member or friend with health problems.
The dementia metrics are particularly valuable, showing how cognitive difficulties increase with age from 9% among those 65+ to nearly 20% among those 80+. Most people with cognitive difficulties also struggle with activities like dressing, bathing, and running errands alone, which highlights risks for those living independently.
A Living Resource
Built on data from sources including the Census Bureau, CDC, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the dashboard will grow and evolve over time. West Health Mosaic plans regular updates with expanded metrics and enhanced functionality.
As America's population ages, the insights from this tool will only become more valuable. Communities that use it today to strengthen their aging infrastructure and optimize healthcare spending will be better positioned to support residents tomorrow.
Asked about the single most important insight for users to take from this resource, Dr. Agha is emphatic: "If there's just one takeaway from this dashboard, it's that aging readiness isn't about medical care alone — it's about creating communities where older adults can maintain their dignity, independence, and purpose," he says. "The data clearly shows that healthcare access, while critical, is just one piece of a much larger puzzle.
Communities that excel across multiple domains — from affordable housing to accessible transportation to social connection opportunities — show dramatically better health outcomes and quality of life measures for their older residents. This insight fundamentally challenges our typically medicalized view of aging and suggests that our most effective interventions may actually be community infrastructure investments that enable older adults to remain engaged, active participants in society."
The National Aging Readiness dashboard represents a significant step toward a future where all Americans, regardless of income or zip code, can age with dignity, independence, and security.
See Your Community
Explore how your state or community is preparing for an aging population — and what more can be done. Check out the National Aging Readiness Dashboard