Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is an important genetic trait associated with cardiovascular disease. While Lp(a) levels have been demonstrated to be approximately twice as high in black adults and children compared with whites, this relationship has not been assessed in the elderly. During the 1987 recall of the Charleston Heart Study cohort, plasma Lp(a) [mg/dl] was measured on 113 white men and 83 black men. The average age of those having Lp(a) measurements was 71 years (+/- 6) for white men and 72 years (+/- 9) for black men. The distribution of Lp(a) was skewed in both whites (mean = 14.8, median = 8.2 mg/dl) and blacks (mean = 18.1, median = 12.8 mg/dl). The skewed distribution in elderly black men was in contrast to the bell-shaped distribution commonly reported for younger blacks. The Charleston Heart Study data suggest a shift to lower values among elderly as compared to younger men, with the greatest shift occurring among the black men. For black men who have survived to the 7th, 8th, and 9th decades of life, Lp(a) levels appear to be approaching the lower levels of white men. Despite this shift in distribution among black men, there remained a statistically significant difference in Lp(a) between racial groups.