The United States Is an Aging Nation

America's Population is Old, But We're Not the Oldest

Japan has the largest share (28.5 percent) of older residents. In 2020, the United States ranked 34th among its peer nations with 16.8 percent of residents being age 65 or older. ^{Learn More}

**Florida Is Not the Oldest State**

In 2020, Maine had the highest share (21.8 percent) of people age 65 or older, followed by Florida (21.2 percent) and Vermont (20.6 percent). ^{Learn More}

According to the U.S. Census Bureau

In 2020, the United States population was older and had fewer children under age 5 than in 2010 or 2000. ^{Learn More}
In fact, the nation's population age 65-plus grew nearly five times faster than the total population between 1920 and 2020. ^{Learn More}

In 2020, 1 in 6 people in the U.S. were 65 or older. (In 1920, the ratio was 1 in 20 people.) ^{Learn More}
In 2020, the 65 to 74 age group represented more than half of the 65-plus population. The population of people age 95 or older increased from about 425,000 in 2010 to 631,000 in 2020. ^{Learn More}
By 2030, 1 in 5 people in the United States — or 20 percent of the nation's population — will be age 65 or older. ^{Learn More}
By 2034, people age 65 or over will outnumber children age 17 or younger. ^{Learn More}

1. The National Median Age: 38.8

A graphic showing the median age by county in the U.S. as of July 2021

2021 Population Estimates, released June 30, 2022

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2. Older Adults Will Soon Outnumber Children

2017 National Population Projections, updated October 8, 2019

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3. Data About the 65+ Population Shows ...

Five color-coded images of the United States map with information about the age 65 or older population of the United States

The Population 65 Years and Older: 2021, released December 20, 2022

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4. Data About the 55+ Population Shows ...

Graphic showing the household composition of childless adults and biological parents age 55 and older

2018 Survey of Income and Program Participation. Childless adults are those who reported having zero biological children. "Child present" includes step or adopted children of childless adults, and biological, step or adopted children of biological parents

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