Aging America-County by County

The Pew Research Center released a map showing the aging of America by county.  Where do the oldest Americans live? provides a map of the U.S. that shows the percentage of a county’s population 65 and older. As the website explains, due to the aging of the Boomers and increased longevity, 

more counties across America are graying. A new Pew Research Center analysis of the Census Bureau’s 2014 population estimates finds that 97% of counties saw an increase in their 65-and-older population since 2010.

On average, a U.S. county’s 65-and-older population grew by 12.4% from 2010 to 2014. (Our analysis of population change over time included only counties or county equivalents with a population of 1,000 or more adults ages 65 and older in 2014.)

And yes, Florida is still one of the “grayest” states, with 3 Florida counties ranking in the top 4 of the grayest counties.  The report notes as well that some states are getting “younger” with

 a tiny share of counties (3%) saw a drop in the 65-and-older demographic since 2010. Oklahoma’s small Alfalfa County, on the Kansas border, had the highest rate of decrease in the 65-and-older population, at 9.5%…  North Dakota …  had two counties, Williams and Wells, rank among the top five for rate of decrease of adults 65 and older. Three counties experienced no change since 2010… Alaska is the “youngest” state based on its share that is 65 and older (9.4%). Fully 26 of 29 Alaska counties have percentages of people 65 and older that fall below the U.S. average.