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Women Over 55 Take Facebook by Storm

The number of US women over age 55 using Facebook grew by 175.3% since September 2008, making mature females one of the fastest growing demographic groups on the social network, according to usage statistics released by independent blog Inside Facebook.

The number of men over age 55 also grew dramatically during the same four-month period (up 137.8%), but women over 55 still outnumber men in this age group by almost two-to-one.

Key Facebook stats as of Feb. 1, 2009, from Inside Facebook:

• There are 45.3 million active US Facebook users.
• The number of Facebook users are growing in every age/gender demographic.
• Facebook use among women is growing faster than among men in nearly every age group.
• The fastest growing age group by total users is 26-34-year-olds; 45% of Facebook’s US audience is now 26 years old or older.

Older Users Fuel US Audience Growth

Facebook’s US audience has continued to grow in recent months, fueled primarily by those ages 26+, said Inside Facebook. In particular, the network has rapidly gained popularity in the US with people 45+, growing by more than 165% among both men and women in the last four months.

Women Outnumber Men

Overall, women (56.2%) on Facebook in the US outnumber men in every age group. This number is up from 54.3% late last year.

Nearly Half of Users over Age 26

Overall, 45% of Facebook’s 45.3 million active users in the US are now age 26 or older, and nearly a quarter are over age 35.

Teens now make up about 12% of the overall Facebook audience, according to Inside Facebook.  Facebook does not publish data on users under 13, because the terms of service require all users be at least 13 years old to join.