New census data reveals that the median age of the US population has gotten older over the last 20 years, with fewer children under 5 and more aging adults, CNN reported.
According to data from the 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics released last Thursday, baby boomers and millennials continued to age from 2000 to 2020 while fewer children were born between 2010 and 2020.
The median age went from 35.2 years old in 2000 to 37.2 years in 2010. By 2020, the median age rose to 38.8 years.
Maine recorded the oldest median age in 2020, 45.1 years, while Utah recorded the youngest median age, 31.3 years.
Over the last century, from 1920 to 2020, the number of adults 65 and older increased five times faster than the total population. By 2020, that age group accounted for 16.8 percent of the total population.
An older population is of great concern as it indicates that the United States is not replacing its existing demographic.
In short, not enough babies are being born.
Additionally, public health experts warn that an older population will increase the demand for healthcare and nursing care in communities.
Despite the increased median age in the United States, the country remains younger than many developed countries worldwide.
Japan has the highest percentage of the population that is 65 and older, 28.5 percent. That is followed by Italy where 22.6 percent of the population is 65 and older. Greece comes in third with 22.4 percent.
In a video released by the Census Bureau last Thursday, Census Academy program lead Mary Leisenring said the US median age increased due to a decrease in births and an “increase in the older population between 2010 and 2020.”
According to Leisenring, the youngest group in the US is the “multiracial population.” Among the approximately 9 million people who identified themselves as multiracial in the 2010 census, the median age was only 19.9 years. By 2020, the multiracial population increased to nearly 34 million with a median age of 29.5.
