A new Census Bureau report—Older Adults Outnumber Children In 11 States, Nearly Half Of Counties—should have every executive thinking. Older adults now outnumber children in 11 states—up from just three states in 2020. Nearly half of all counties across the country are now home to more adults 65 and older than kids under the age of 18. The share of older adults in the population has risen from 12.4% in 2004 to 18% in 2024, while the share of children has dropped from 25% to 21.5%.

The problem with demographic changes is that they are gradual and don’t make headlines like wars or stock market blips. They quietly reshape everything from politics to labor markets and housing. Like tectonic plates,…