A map of the youngest and oldest states in the country shows that Utah has the youngest population.
The demographic map, created by Newsweek using data from the US Census Bureau, shows that Utah residents have a median age of 32.1, which is younger than the median age of any other state in the U.S. Union.
Although Utah is the youngest state, a recent report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah found that the age of the state’s population is gradually increasing due to declining fertility rates and an aging population. adult population, trends that are also observed at the national level.
Texas, the second-youngest state, has a median age of 35.6 and 13.4 percent of its population is 65 or older. Alaska is the third youngest state, with a median age of 35.9 years.
With a median age of 45.1 years, Maine is the oldest state in the country, Census Bureau data shows.
Utah’s youth can be explained by the state’s high birth rate. Mormons make up 42 percent of Utah’s population, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Religion and Demography, and areas with high concentrations of Latter-day Saints historically have higher birth rates and larger household sizes. .
However, the data also shows that over the past 40 years, the percentage of state residents over the age of 65 has grown by a significant margin. In 1980, less than 8 percent of Utah residents were over 65 years old. By 2020, that figure had risen to nearly 12 percent. By 2060, Utah’s retirement-age population is expected to be more than 20 percent, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute reported.
A population map shows that Utah has the youngest population in the US. A recent report has found that the age of the state’s population is gradually increasing. A population map shows that Utah has the youngest population in the US. A recent report has found that the age of the state’s population is gradually increasing. Newsweek/US Census Bureau
In Maine, more than 22 percent of the population is 65 or older. Fewer jobs, lower wages and a lack of affordable housing mean young people are looking for opportunities in other parts of the country.
Over the past 20 years, the number of Mainers in the workforce has increased by 6 percent, which is significantly below the national workforce growth of 20 percent, according to a 2023 report from the Center for Maine Economic Policy. The Maine Department of Labor estimates that over the next decade, the state’s workforce will decline by tens of thousands of people compared to pre-pandemic levels.
In general, northwestern states have the oldest populations, Census Bureau data show. Neighboring New Hampshire has an average age of 43.3 years. Vermont, the third-oldest state, has a median age of 43.2 years and 21.6 percent of its population is 65 or older.
Do you have a tip for a science story Newsweek should cover? Do you have any questions about population data? Let us know at science@newsweek.com.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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