New Census Data Shows the Country's Age

Christopher Ingraham breaks down recent data from the U.S. Census that shows which counties are getting younger and which are getting older.

1 minute read

July 4, 2014, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Ingraham established the national context for the data: "America grew a little bit older in the past year: Our national median age rose by one-10th of a year, from 37.5 to 37.6 years, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau."

Here are some of the highlights of the findings, broken down to the state and county level:

"Many of the nation's youngest counties are in the Southwest; Utah, Southern California, and parts of Texas and Arizona stand out as places where the median age is in the low 30s. Utah in particular has long held the title as the nation's youngest state."

"On the other hand, three of the nation's 10 oldest counties are in Florida. But in addition to being a retiree haven, the state is home to youthful urban areas like Miami, as well as a large immigrant population. These factors bring Florida's median age below that of the three oldest states in the nation -- Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, all in northern New England." 

"Looking at the change in median age since 2012…four of the 10 counties showing the largest decrease in age are in the Dakotas."

Tuesday, July 1, 2014 in The Washington Post - Wonkblog

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