OBJECTIVES: To describe trends and predictive factors in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among Medicare beneficiaries METHODS: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted using data from the 2003 and 2005 Medicare Current Beneficiary Surveys (MCBS) when CRC specific questionnaire items were included. Bivariate and multivariate analyses between types of CRC screening tests and independent variables (i.e., socio-demographics, cancer history, and other cancer screening, were evaluated using chi square and logistic regression tests at an alpha of 0.05. All analyses were conducted using Stata 10.1 statistical software. RESULTS: A total of 31,772 Medicare beneficiaries participated in the MCBS in 2003 and 2005. Of this overall population, our study population included 26,561 (83.6%) community dwelling persons aged 50 years and older. The majority of them were white and a slightly higher proportion were female (56.2%). The overall prevalence of self-reported life-time screening for CRC was 68.0 % in 2003 and 70.8% in 2005. Bivariate analysis indicated a strong relationship between age, race, ethnicity and CRC screening. Multivariate logistic regression showed that being female (OR: 1.24 ; 95% CI 1.14-1.34), having previous history of cancer and participating in other cancer screening was associated with a higher likelihood of CRC screening. Beneficiaries of Other races excluding Blacks and those with additional Medicaid or no supplemental insurance were less likely to be associated with any CRC screening (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, slightly less than 7/10 Medicare beneficiaries in the community reported participating in CRC screening. These findings suggest that the current screening rate is still less than optimal. Gender and racial disparities observed indicate a need to increase awareness of the importance of screening in this population.