ABSTRACT
The U.S. population is aging rapidly over the last few decades. In this article, we measure well-being among older adults by estimating a well-being index based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau. We find that multidimensional well-being among older Americans improved over time. The percentage of older adults with the highest well-being index increased from 16% in 2014 to 22% in 2023. Compared with the rest of the population, the average well-being index among older adults was lower in value. Well-being index was higher among Asians and Whites and lower among Blacks, American Indians, and Hispanics. Inequality in well-being was of a much smaller magnitude than income inequality and it decreased over time.