America Is Aging and Growing More Diverse, Census Data Shows

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau found the American population is growing older as baby boomers approach retirement age and natural birth rates drop, reports NextGov . "More than four out of every five counties were older in 2018 than in 2010," said the Census Bureau's Luke Rogers. "This aging is driven in large part by baby boomers crossing over the 65-year-old mark." The median U.S. age increased to 38.2 years, up from 37.2 years in 2010. Nationally, women are slightly older than men, with a median age of 39.5 years versus 36.9 years. The portion of the 65-and-over population grew from 12.8 percent in 2010 to 16 percent in 2018, with that demographic increasing by 30.2 percent since 2010 — compared to a 1.1 percent shrinkage in the under-18 population. "Even though we've become so attuned to widening geographic gaps in economics and politics, nearly all of the country faces similar demographic trends," said Indeed chief economist Jed Kolko.