In 2022, about 17.3 percent of the American population was 65 years old or over; an increase from the last few years and a figure which is expected to reach 22 percent by 2050. This is a significant increase from 1950, when only eight percent of the population was 65 or over.

A rapidly aging population

In recent years, the aging population of the United States has come into focus as a cause for concern, as the nature of work and retirement is expected to change in order to keep up. If a population is expected to live longer than the generations before, the economy will have to change as well in order to fulfill the needs of the citizens. In addition, the birth rate in the U.S. has been falling over the last 20 years, meaning that there are not as many young people to replace the individuals leaving the workforce.

The future population

It’s not only the American population that is aging -- the global population is, too. By 2025, the median age of the global workforce is expected to be 39.6 years, up from 33.8 years in 1990. Additionally, it is projected that there will be over three million people worldwide aged 100 years and over by 2050.

In 2021, there were 5,964,526 adults aged 65 and older living in California, the most out of all U.S. states, followed by Florida with almost 4.6 million adults aged 65 and older. Both California and Florida have some of the highest resident population figures in the United States.

In 2021, about 5.96 million people aged 65 years or older were living in California -- the most out of any state. In that same year, Florida, Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania rounded out the top five states with the most people aged 65 and over living there.

In 2022, the state with the highest median age of its population was Maine at 45.1 years. Utah had the lowest median age at 32.1 years. View the distribution of the U.S. population by ethnicity here.

Additional information on the aging population in the United States

High birth rates during the so-called baby boom years that followed World War II followed by lower fertility and morality rates have left the United States with a serious challenge in the 21st Century. However, the issue of an aging population is certainly not an issue unique to the United States. The age distribution of the global population shows that other parts of the world face a similar issue.

Within the United States, the uneven distribution of populations aged 65 years and over among states offers both major challenges and potential solutions. On the one hand, federal action over the issue may be contentious as other states are set to harbor the costs of elderly care in states such as California and Florida. That said, domestic migration from comparably younger states may help to fill gaps in the workforce left by retirees in others.

Nonetheless, aging population issues are set to gain further prominence in the political and economic decisions made by policymakers regardless of the eventual distribution of America’s elderly. Analysis of the financial concerns of Americans by age shows many young people still decades from retirement hold strong concern over their eventual financial position.

United States US: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data was reported at 16.925 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 16.550 % for 2016. United States US: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 14.035 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.925 % in 2017 and a record low of 10.023 % in 1960. United States US: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population 65 years of age or older as a percentage of the total female population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: Knowing how many girls, adolescents and women there are in a population helps a country in determining its provision of services.

Preparation of this data collection was funded by grant

90-A-1279 from the United States Department of Health and Human

Services, Administration on Aging. Estimates of the population of persons 60 years old and older were received from the Census Bureau in printed form and were made machine-readable by staff at ICPSR. Other variables contained in this dataset were merged from existing machine-readable census files. The data concerning racial composition of counties were taken from the CENSUS OF POPULATION AND HOUSING, 1980 [UNITED STATES]: P.L. 94-171 POPULATION COUNTS (ICPSR 7854). The figures concerning per capita income were taken from the Bureau of the Census, GENERAL REVENUE SHARING, 1978 POPULATION ESTIMATES (ICPSR 7840). Variables include Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) state and county codes, 1978 per capita income of county, and total population of county broken down by sex, race, and age (in four-year increments with a category for persons 75 years old and older).

United States US: Population: Female: Aged 65 and Above data was reported at 27,842,737.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 27,037,960.000 Person for 2016. United States US: Population: Female: Aged 65 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 18,235,236.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 27,842,737.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 9,137,507.000 Person in 1960. United States US: Population: Female: Aged 65 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population 65 years of age or older. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates using the World Bank's total population and age/sex distributions of the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Sum; Relevance to gender indicator: Knowing how many girls, adolescents and women there are in a population helps a country in determining its provision of services.

This layer shows demographic context for senior well-being work. This is shown by tract, county, and state boundaries. This service is updated annually to contain the most currently released American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data, and contains estimates and margins of error. There are also additional calculated attributes related to this topic, which can be mapped or used within analysis. The layer is symbolized to show the percentage of population aged 65 and up (senior population). To see the full list of attributes available in this service, go to the "Data" tab, and choose "Fields" at the top right. Current Vintage: 2018-2022ACS Table(s): B01001, B09021, B17020, B18101, B23027, B25072, B25093, B27010, B28005, C27001B-IData downloaded from: Census Bureau's API for American Community Survey Date of API call: December 7, 2023The United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS):About the SurveyGeography & ACSTechnical DocumentationNews & UpdatesThis ready-to-use layer can be used within ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, its configurable apps, dashboards, Story Maps, custom apps, and mobile apps. Data can also be exported for offline workflows. For more information about ACS layers, visit the FAQ. Please cite the Census and ACS when using this data.Data Note from the Census:Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. The degree of uncertainty for an estimate arising from sampling variability is represented through the use of a margin of error. The value shown here is the 90 percent margin of error. The margin of error can be interpreted as providing a 90 percent probability that the interval defined by the estimate minus the margin of error and the estimate plus the margin of error (the lower and upper confidence bounds) contains the true value. In addition to sampling variability, the ACS estimates are subject to nonsampling error (for a discussion of nonsampling variability, see Accuracy of the Data). The effect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables.Data Processing Notes:This layer is updated automatically when the most current vintage of ACS data is released each year, usually in December. The layer always contains the latest available ACS 5-year estimates. It is updated annually within days of the Census Bureau's release schedule. Click here to learn more about ACS data releases.Boundaries come from the US Census TIGER geodatabases, specifically, the National Sub-State Geography Database (named tlgdb_(year)_a_us_substategeo.gdb). Boundaries are updated at the same time as the data updates (annually), and the boundary vintage appropriately matches the data vintage as specified by the Census. These are Census boundaries with water and/or coastlines erased for cartographic and mapping purposes. For census tracts, the water cutouts are derived from a subset of the 2020 Areal Hydrography boundaries offered by TIGER. Water bodies and rivers which are 50 million square meters or larger (mid to large sized water bodies) are erased from the tract level boundaries, as well as additional important features. For state and county boundaries, the water and coastlines are derived from the coastlines of the 2022 500k TIGER Cartographic Boundary Shapefiles. These are erased to more accurately portray the coastlines and Great Lakes. The original AWATER and ALAND fields are still available as attributes within the data table (units are square meters). The States layer contains 52 records - all US states, Washington D.C., and Puerto RicoCensus tracts with no population that occur in areas of water, such as oceans, are removed from this data service (Census Tracts beginning with 99).Percentages and derived counts, and associated margins of error, are calculated values (that can be identified by the "_calc_" stub in the field name), and abide by the specifications defined by the American Community Survey.Field alias names were created based on the Table Shells file available from the American Community Survey Summary File Documentation page.Negative values (e.g., -4444...) have been set to null, with the exception of -5555... which has been set to zero. These negative values exist in the raw API data to indicate the following situations:The margin of error column indicates that either no sample observations or too few sample observations were available to compute a standard error and thus the margin of error. A statistical test is not appropriate.Either no sample observations or too few sample observations were available to compute an estimate, or a ratio of medians cannot be calculated because one or both of the median estimates falls in the lowest interval or upper interval of an open-ended distribution.The median falls in the lowest interval of an open-ended distribution, or in the upper interval of an open-ended distribution. A statistical test is not appropriate.The estimate is controlled. A statistical test for sampling variability is not appropriate.The data for this geographic area cannot be displayed because the number of sample cases is too small.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the United States population by age cohorts (Children: Under 18 years; Working population: 18-64 years; Senior population: 65 years or more). It lists the population in each age cohort group along with its percentage relative to the total population of United States. The dataset can be utilized to understand the population distribution across children, working population and senior population for dependency ratio, housing requirements, ageing, migration patterns etc.

Key observations

The largest age group was 18 to 64 years with a poulation of 202.77 million (61% of the total population). Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.

Age cohorts:

• Under 18 years
• 18 to 64 years
• 65 years and over

Variables / Data Columns

• Age Group: This column displays the age cohort for the United States population analysis. Total expected values are 3 groups ( Children, Working Population and Senior Population).
• Population: The population for the age cohort in United States is shown in the following column.
• Percent of Total Population: The population as a percent of total population of the United States is shown in the following column.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for United States Population by Age. You can refer the same here

In 2023, the median age of the population of the United States was 39.2 years. While this may seem quite young, the median age in 1960 was even younger, at 29.5 years. The aging population in the United States means that society is going to have to find a way to adapt to the larger numbers of older people. Everything from Social Security to employment to the age of retirement will have to change if the population is expected to age more while having fewer children. The world is getting older It’s not only the United States that is facing this particular demographic dilemma. In 1950, the global median age was 23.6 years. This number is projected to increase to 41.9 years by the year 2100. This means that not only the U.S., but the rest of the world will also have to find ways to adapt to the aging population.

This is a special extract of the 2000 Census 5-Percent Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) created by the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA). The file combines the individual 5-percent state files for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico as released by the United States Census Bureau into a single analysis file. The file contains information on all households that contain at least one person aged 65 years or more in residence as of the 2000 Census enumeration. The file contains individual records on all persons aged 65 and older living in households as well as individual records for all other members residing in each of these households. Consequently, this file can be used to examine both the characteristics of the elderly in the United States as well as the characteristics of individuals who co-reside with persons aged 65 and older as of the year 2000. All household variables from the household-specific "Household record" of the 2000 PUMS are appended to the end of each individual level record. This file is not a special product of the Census Bureau and is not a resample of the PUMS data specific to the elderly population. While it is comparable to the 1990 release CENSUS OF POPULATION AND HOUSING, 1990: [UNITED STATES]: PUBLIC USE MICRODATA SAMPLE: 3-PERCENT ELDERLY SAMPLE (ICPSR 6219), the sampling procedures and weights for the 2000 file reflect the methodology that applies to the 5-percent PUMS release CENSUS OF POPULATION AND HOUSING, 2000 [UNITED STATES]: PUBLIC USE MICRODATA SAMPLE: 5-PERCENT SAMPLE (ICPSR 13568). Person variables cover age, sex, relationship to householder, educational attainment, school enrollment, race, Hispanic origin, ancestry, language spoken at home, citizenship, place of birth, year of immigration, place of residence in 1985, marital status, number of children ever born, military service, mobility and personal care limitation, work limitation status, employment status, occupation, industry, class of worker, hours worked last week, weeks worked in 1989, usual hours worked per week, temporary absence from work, place of work, time of departure for work, travel time to work, means of transportation to work, total earnings, total income, wages and salary income, farm and nonfarm self-employment income, Social Security income, public assistance income, retirement income, and rent, dividends, and net rental income. Housing variables include area type, state and area of residence, farm/nonfarm status, type of structure, year structure was built, vacancy and boarded-up status, number of rooms and bedrooms, presence or absence of a telephone, presence or absence of complete kitchen and plumbing facilities, type of sewage facilities, type of water source, type of heating fuel used, property value, tenure, year moved into house/apartment, type of household/family, type of group quarters, household language, number of persons in the household, number of persons and workers in the family, status of mortgage, second mortgage, and home equity loan, number of vehicles available, household income, sales of agricultural products, payments for rent, mortgage and property tax, condominium fees, mobile home costs, and cost of electricity, water, heating fuel, and flood/fire/hazard insurance.

For more than three decades UCSUR has documented the status of older adults in the County along multiple life domains. Every decade we issue a comprehensive report on aging in Allegheny County and this report represents our most recent effort. It documents important shifts in the demographic profile of the population in the last three decades, characterizes the current status of the elderly in multiple life domains, and looks ahead to the future of aging in the County. This report is unique in that we examine not only those aged 65 and older, but also the next generation old persons, the Baby Boomers. Collaborators on this project include the Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging, the United Way of Allegheny County, and the Aging Institute of UPMC Senior Services and the University of Pittsburgh. The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive analysis of aging in Allegheny County. To this end, we integrate survey data collected from a representative sample of older county residents with secondary data available from Federal, State, and County agencies to characterize older individuals on multiple dimensions, including demographic change and population projections, income, work and retirement, neighborhoods and housing, health, senior service use, transportation, volunteering, happiness and life satisfaction, among others. Since baby boomers represent the future of aging in the County we include data for those aged 55-64 as well as those aged 65 and older.

People in different subgroups age at different rates. Surveys containing biomarkers can be used to assess these subgroup differences. We illustrate this using hand-grip strength to produce an easily interpretable, physical-based measure that allows us to compare characteristic-based ages across educational subgroups in the United States. Hand-grip strength has been shown to be a good predictor of future mortality and morbidity, and therefore a useful indicator of population aging. Data from the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS) were used. Two education subgroups were distinguished, those with less than a high school diploma and those with more education. Regressions on hand-grip strength were run for each sex and race using age and education, their interactions and other covariates as independent variables. Ages of identical mean hand-grip strength across education groups were compared for people in the age range 60 to 80. The hand-grip strength of 65 year old white males with less education was the equivalent to that of 69.6 (68.2, 70.9) year old white men with more education, indicating that the more educated men had aged more slowly. This is a constant characteristic age, as defined in the Sanderson and Scherbov article “The characteristics approach to the measurement of population aging” published 2013 in Population and Development Review. Sixty-five year old white females with less education had the same average hand-grip strength as 69.4 (68.2, 70.7) year old white women with more education. African-American women at ages 60 and 65 with more education also aged more slowly than their less educated counterparts. African American men with more education aged at about the same rate as those with less education. This paper expands the toolkit of those interested in population aging by showing how survey data can be used to measure the differential extent of aging across subpopulations.

United States US: Population: as % of Total: Aged 15-64 data was reported at 65.674 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 65.940 % for 2016. United States US: Population: as % of Total: Aged 15-64 data is updated yearly, averaging 65.683 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 66.916 % in 2009 and a record low of 59.988 % in 1962. United States US: Population: as % of Total: Aged 15-64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Total population between the ages 15 to 64 as a percentage of the total population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average;

Active Population: Aged 55-64: All for the United States was 27353630.00000 Persons in February of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Active Population: Aged 55-64: All for the United States reached a record high of 27768960.00000 in September of 2019 and a record low of 11126960.00000 in November of 1974. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Active Population: Aged 55-64: All for the United States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

This is an extract of the decennial Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) released by the Bureau of the Census. Because the complete PUMS files contain several hundred thousand records, ICPSR has constructed this subset to allow for easier and less costly analysis. The collection of data at ten year increments allows the user to follow various age cohorts through the life-cycle. Data include information on the household and its occupants such as size and value of dwelling, utility costs, number of people in the household, and their relationship to the respondent. More detailed information was collected on the respondent, the head of household, and the spouse, if present. Variables include education, marital status, occupation and income.

Monaco Population: Total: Aged 65 and Above data was reported at 12,991.000 Person in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 13,099.000 Person for 2022. Monaco Population: Total: Aged 65 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 6,664.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13,236.000 Person in 2020 and a record low of 4,122.000 Person in 1960. Monaco Population: Total: Aged 65 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Monaco – Table MC.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Total population 65 years of age or older. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.;World Bank staff estimates using the World Bank's total population and age/sex distributions of the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2022 Revision.;Sum;

This statistic presents the percentage of population aged 65 and over in the United States in 2019, distinguished by state. In 2019, about 21 percent of Florida's population was aged 65 and over. The national share stood at 16.5 percent.

United States US: Population: Female: Aged 0-14 data was reported at 30,114,840.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 30,081,369.000 Person for 2016. United States US: Population: Female: Aged 0-14 data is updated yearly, averaging 28,315,572.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 30,484,502.000 Person in 2010 and a record low of 24,746,954.000 Person in 1982. United States US: Population: Female: Aged 0-14 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population between the ages 0 to 14. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates using the World Bank's total population and age/sex distributions of the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Sum; Relevance to gender indicator: Knowing how many girls, adolescents and women there are in a population helps a country in determining its provision of services.

Working Age Population: Aged 15-64: All for the United States was 205254833.33333 Persons in January of 2021, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Working Age Population: Aged 15-64: All for the United States reached a record high of 206507750.00000 in January of 2018 and a record low of 101908250.00000 in January of 1960. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Working Age Population: Aged 15-64: All for the United States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.