Profile: American Association for Retired Personnel

AARP Vision

"A society in which everyone ages with dignity and purpose and in which AARP helps people fulfill their goals and dreams."

AARP Mission

"AARP is dedicated to enhancing quality of life for all as we age. We lead positive social change and deliver value to members through information, advocacy and service."

With over 39 million members, AARP is the leading nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for people age 50 and over in the United States.

The group is known for providing a host of services to this ever-growing segment of the population by:

• Informing members and the public on issues important to this age group
• Advocating on legislative, consumer and legal issues
• Promoting community service
• Offering a wide range of special products and services to members

Membership in AARP is open to any person age 50 or above. With 25 percent of the U.S. population in the 50+ category, nearly half of all people in this age bracket are AARP members. However, U.S. citizenship is not a requirement for membership; over 40,000 members live outside the United States. People also do not have to be retired to join. In fact, 44 percent of AARP members work part time or full time. For these reasons, AARP shortened its name in 1999 from the American Association of Retired Persons to just four letters: AARP. The median age of AARP members is 65, and slightly more than half of them are women.