Older Adults Outnumber Children In Nearly Half Of U.S. Counties

The U.S. population is rapidly aging—and the shift is accelerating outside metro areas. New data from the Census Bureau shows adults age 65 and older now outnumber children in 11 states—up from just three states four years ago. 

The number and percentage of counties with a higher population of older adults than children increased from 31.3% of the 3,144 counties in 2020 to nearly 45% of counties in 2024. In both years, most of these counties with more older adults than children had small populations and were located outside of metro and micro areas. . . .