Older Adults Outnumber Children In 11 States As Us Population Ages

Young Americans are deciding to have fewer children than previous generations — or none at all — and it’s causing the overall population to age.

New population estimates published this week by the U.S. Census Bureau put the trend in blunt terms, as the number of people in older age brackets are increasing rapidly, while younger age brackets aren’t growing at all — or even shrinking.

Consider the numbers. Between 2020 and 2024, the population of people in their 30s rose by 4.5%, and people in their 40s grew by 4.1%. That’s higher than the population of the nation as a whole, which went up 2.6%.

But the older age brackets increased dramatically. People in their 60s increased by 4.5% between 2020 and 2024. People in their 70s rose by a whopping 15.3%, and people 80 and older grew 12.4%.

At the same time, the number of children 9 years old and younger dropped by 2.1%, while 10 to 19 year olds (0.1%) and people in their 20s (1.3%) barely grew.

As a result, older people also make up a larger share of the overall population. Those 60 years old and older made up 22.8% of the population in 2020. That number is now 24.3%.

Other stats the Census pulled out hammer this trend home. Children are now outnumbered by older adults in 11 states and almost half of all U.S. counties. 

In 2020 it was just three states — Maine, Vermont and Florida. The list now includes Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia.

“Children still outnumber older adults in the United States, despite a decline in births this decade,” said Lauren Bowers, chief of the Census Bureau’s population estimates branch, in a statement. “However, the gap is narrowing as baby boomers continue to age into their retirement years. In fact, the number of states and counties where older adults outnumber children is on the rise, especially in sparsely populated areas.”