It also found that by 2050 the ranks could reach almost 9 million.
The study found the numbers have tripled from 720,000 in 1980 to 1.9 million in 2010. Seventy-four percent of them are women, particularly white women who live alone or in nursing homes.
Experts say the older population is aging rapidly and people have to prepare for a higher probability of living to 90 and adapting their lifestyle and savings behavior to that fact.
