• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, March 6, 2008

According to a report from The Media Audit, adults who are nearing retirement are now one of the fastest growing demographics in the country. 17.9% of all U.S. adults are now retired, a figure that has increased by 6% in the last five years and will rapidly increase as Boomers exit the workforce over the next few decades.

Consumption habits of aging Americans are likely very different from those of their predecessors because they are living longer, achieving higher levels of education, are wealthier, and redefining what it means to be retired.

• 83% of the retired adults in the U.S now own their own home
• Thirty percent of retired adults have cash, stocks and CD's valued at more than $100,000, the highest figure ever reported
• 13.1% of new automobile purchasers are retired, compared to 11.1% five years ago. 8.3% of adults who have a car loan are retired, compared to 6.4% five years ago, an increase of nearly 30%
• 16% of adults who frequently stay in hotels are retired, compared to 14.7% five years ago, a jump of almost 10%
• Among frequent beer consumers, 13% are retired, compared to 11.3% five years ago
• Adults who are retired are 6% more likely than the average U.S. adult to frequently dine out at a full service restaurant and retirees now make up nearly 20% of all adults who frequently dine out.
• 14.3% adults who plan to take an ocean cruise in the next year are retired.

Nearly one in five adults who plan to have lasik eye surgery are retired, and are 5% more likely than the average adult to be planning a lasik eye surgery procedure.

The report further reveals that adults who are retired today compared to the average U.S. adult:

• Spend nearly 30% more time watching broadcast TV,
• 14% more time watching cable TV
• 25% more time reading a daily newspaper

Retired adults today spend only 89 minutes per day online, a figure that is 26% less than the average U.S. adult who spends 123 minutes per day online. The next generation of retirees, though, is expected to be more computer and internet friendly, since Baby Boomers between the ages of 45 and 64 spend a considerably higher amount of time online - 123 minutes per day.

The most affluent retirees can be found in larger markets such as Washington, D.C., where the average retired adult earns $64,000 in household income.

San Jose, California, Fort Myers- Naples, Florida, San Francisco, California and Long Island, New York, follow behind with household incomes of more than $50,000.

And, currently the top ranking retiree markets are:

• Ocala, Florida with the highest percentage of retired adults (36%)
• Fort Myers- Naples, Florida (34%)
• Daytona Beach, Florida (33%)
• West Palm Beach, Florida (31%)
• Melbourne-Titusville-Cocoa, Florida (29%)

For more information from the MediaAudit, please visit them here.