ANALYSIS
The country is aging! There are more adults over 65 than children in 11 states
The proportion of the population aged 65 and older increased steadily from 12.4% in 2004 to 18.0% in 2024, and the proportion of children decreased from 25.0% to 21.5%.
A nursing home in Florida in file image.
The data is concerning. From 2023 to 2024, the population aged 65 and older grew by 3.1%, reaching 61.2 million, while the population under 18 decreased by 0.2%, falling to 73.1 million. According to projections from the Census Bureau this trend is expected to continue.
According to estimates from Vintage Population 2024 published just days ago, the trend over the past two decades has been consistent. The share of the population aged 65 and older has steadily increased, rising from 12.4% in 2004 to 18.0% in 2024. Meanwhile, the proportion of children has declined, falling from 25.0% to 21.5%.
From 2020 to 2024 the older population grew by 13%
The ongoing growth of the older population, combined with consistent annual declines in those under 18, has reduced the gap between these two age groups—from approximately 20 million in 2020 to under 12 million in 2024.
Over the same time period, the elderly population grew by 13%, significantly outpacing the 1.4% growth in working-age adults (ages 18 to 64), while the number of children declined by 1.7%.
"In the United States, the number of children continues to outpace that of older adults, despite the decline in births this decade."
The same expert noted that despite this, action will still be needed, as "the gap is narrowing as baby boomers approach retirement age." Bowers also said that the number of states and counties where the number of older adults outnumber children is increasing, "especially in sparsely populated areas."
More older adults than children in metropolitan areas and counties
According to the Census document, in 2020 there were only three states where older adults outnumbered children: Maine, Vermont, and Florida. By 2024, this number had increased to 11, incorporating Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia.
Similarly, between 2020 and 2024, the number of metropolitan areas in the country with more older adults than children increased from 58 to 112. This represents nearly 30% of the 387 U.S. metropolitan areas.
The files highlight that last year, three metropolitan areas with at least one million inhabitants had, for the first time, more older people than younger people.
The same was true for the nation's counties: in 2020 31.3% (or 983) of the 3,144 counties had more older adults than children. This figure increased to nearly 45% (1,411 counties) in 2024.
Other disturbing facts from the age and sex statistics
- In 2024, the median age in the U.S. reached a new record high of 39.1 years, 0.1 years older than in 2023 and 0.6 years older than the 38.5 in 2020. By region, the West and South of the country had the lowest median ages in 2024.
- Maine's population in 2024 was the oldest, with a median age of 44.8 years; Utah's was the youngest (32.4).
- Women outnumbered men by 3.4 million, representing 50.5% of the U.S. population in 2024.
Society
The Hispanic powerhouse, increasingly conscious of its ‘size, power and influence’
Santiago Ospital
Are Latinos and Asians making a difference in the aging curve?
The same document from the Census Bureau further states that the Asian and Latino communities are driving population growth in the country, while the white population is aging at a faster rate.
Between 2023 and 2024, the population of Asian origin increased by more than 898,000 people, 4.2 % compared to the previous period and was the fastest growing group, followed by Latinos, who increased by more than 1.9 million people (2.9 %) and already make up 20% of the entire U.S. population.
In contrast, the white population decreased by 0.1 %.
The driving force for these figures is marked by increased immigration which "accounted for most of the growth in 38 states," according to an analysis by the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based research center.
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