Older people living alone may face increased risk of physical dangers and mental health issues and may need more supports. Living alone can also be tied to overall social isolation, which is a risk factor for poor health..

In 2017-21, 47% of people in Brookline ages 65 and older lived alone. That's about 3,500 people. Brookline's rate is lower than Cambridge at 50%, but higher than Arlington (44%), Everett (35%), Newton (32%) and the state (39%).

Brookline's rate increased by 2 percentage points from 2012-16, while rates in comparison localities declined or stayed the same in the same time period. The rate in Newton declined the most (down 5 percentage points) while the rate in Everett has not changed.

The multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined 5 years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. However, because the information came from a survey, the samples responding to the survey were not always large enough to produce reliable results, especially in small geographic areas. CGR has noted on data tables the estimates with relatively large margins of error. Estimates with three asterisks have the largest margins, plus or minus 50% or more of the estimate. Two asterisks mean plus or minus 35%-50%, and one asterisk means plus or minus 20%-35%. For all estimates, the confidence level is 90%, meaning there is 90% probability the true value (if the whole population were surveyed) would be within the margin of error (or confidence interval). The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are released annually in December.