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.

The estimated median age gives an idea of the age distribution of the population in a given area. A greater median age would suggest that the area of interest has a relatively large number of older residents, while a lower median age suggests that the area has a relatively large number of younger residents.

Champaign County’s estimated median age has risen for over a decade, but has always stayed between 28 and 31. Year-to-year changes from 2017 to 2019 were statistically significant, but not from 2019 to 2023. The Champaign County estimated median age has been consistently younger than the estimated median ages of the United States and State of Illinois. Champaign County’s figure is likely impacted to some degree by the large student population associated with the University of Illinois.

The estimated median age does not provide a significant amount of detail, and it does not provide any information on why the estimated median age is what it is. However, when placed in the context of other pieces of data and other indicators, it is a valuable starting point in understanding county demographics.

Estimated median age data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 1-Year Estimates, which are released annually.

As with any datasets that are estimates rather than exact counts, it is important to take into account the margins of error (listed in the column beside each figure) when drawing conclusions from the data.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of providing the standard 1-year data products, the Census Bureau released experimental estimates from the 1-year data in 2020. This includes a limited number of data tables for the nation, states, and the District of Columbia. The Census Bureau states that the 2020 ACS 1-year experimental tables use an experimental estimation methodology and should not be compared with other ACS data. For these reasons, and because data is not available for Champaign County, no data for 2020 is included in this Indicator.

For interested data users, the 2020 ACS 1-Year Experimental data release includes a dataset on Median Age by Sex.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2023 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; (8 October 2024).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2022 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; (6 October 2023).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2021 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; (13 October 2022).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2019 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; (7 April 2021).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2018 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; (7 April 2021).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2017 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (13 September 2018).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2016 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (14 September 2017).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2015 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (19 September 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2013 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2012 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2009 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2008 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2007 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2006 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2005 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S0101; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).

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.

Measure reports the median age of the State of Iowa's population based data collected over a 60 month period. Data is from the American Community Survey, Five Year Estimates, Table B01002.

Graph and download economic data for Estimate, Median Age by Sex, Total Population (5-year estimate) in Effingham County, IL (B01002001E017049) from 2009 to 2023 about Effingham County, IL; age; IL; 5-year; median; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Estimate, Median Age by Sex, Total Population (5-year estimate) in New York County, NY (B01002001E036061) from 2009 to 2023 about New York County, NY; age; New York; NY; 5-year; median; and USA.

This dataset contains Iowa median age by sex and Hispanic or Latino origin for State of Iowa, individual Iowa counties, Iowa places and census tracts within Iowa. Data is from the American Community Survey, Five Year Estimates, Tables B01002H and B01002I. Sex includes the following: Male, Female and Both Hispanic includes, yes or no. Yes = Hispanic or Latino; No = White Alone, Not Hispanic or Latino

The projected median age of population in India, at national level, was expected to go up to more than 34 years by 2036 versus almost 25 years in 2011. At state level, Tamil Nadu reflected the highest projected median age with over 40 years in 2036 versus nearly 30 years in 2011.

The projected median age of population of a country is contingent upon several health metrics such as the fertility rate, birth rate, and mortality rate. For instance, if a country or state sees a lower fertility and mortality rate, the geriatric population is expected to increase proportionally.

The included data are from the Population By Gender & Age tables of the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey's (ACS) 5 year estimates by County. It includes data on the population's median age by Gender. For additional information about the data, visit https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets/acs-5year.html.

Graph and download economic data for Estimate, Median Age by Sex, Total Population (5-year estimate) in Arkansas County, AR (B01002001E005001) from 2009 to 2023 about Arkansas County, AR; age; AR; 5-year; median; and USA.

Median Age: The middle value of age for a total population, males, and females in an area.(B01002). County and State values are from the ACS 1 Year Survey.

Estimate, Median Age by Sex, Total Population (5-year estimate) in Arkansas County, AR was 41.00000 Years of Age in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Estimate, Median Age by Sex, Total Population (5-year estimate) in Arkansas County, AR reached a record high of 42.00000 in January of 2010 and a record low of 40.70000 in January of 2019. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Estimate, Median Age by Sex, Total Population (5-year estimate) in Arkansas County, AR - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

This statistic depicts the age distribution in the United States from 2014 to 2024. In 2024, about 17.32 percent of the U.S. population fell into the 0-14 year category, 64.75 percent into the 15-64 age group and 17.93 percent of the population were over 65 years of age. The increasing population of the United States The United States of America is one of the most populated countries in the world, trailing just behind China and India. A total population count of around 320 million inhabitants and a more-or-less steady population growth over the past decade indicate that the country has steadily improved its living conditions and standards for the population. Leading healthier lifestyles and improved living conditions have resulted in a steady increase of the life expectancy at birth in the United States. Life expectancies of men and women at birth in the United States were at a record high in 2012. Furthermore, a constant fertility rate in recent years and a decrease in the death rate and infant mortality, all due to the improved standard of living and health care conditions, have helped not only the American population to increase but as a result, the share of the population younger than 15 and older than 65 years has also increased in recent years, as can be seen above.

This line chart displays median age (year) by date using the aggregation average, weighted by population in the United States. The data is about countries per year.

The Average Age by State dataset provides the average age of Government life insurance policyholders in the administered programs in each state. The data is reported at the state level, plus insureds in Military America, Military Europe, Military Pacific, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

This dataset contains Iowa median age by sex for State of Iowa, individual Iowa counties, Iowa places and census tracts within Iowa. Data is from the American Community Survey, Five Year Estimates, Table B01002.

Sex includes the following: Male, Female and Both

Graph and download economic data for Estimate, Median Age by Sex, Total Population (5-year estimate) in Iowa County, IA (B01002001E019095) from 2009 to 2023 about Iowa County, IA; age; IA; 5-year; median; and USA.

While the average age of members of Congress in the United States has gradually risen in recent years, this number decreased slightly with the beginning of the 119th Congress in 2025. This Congress first convened on January 3rd, 2025, and will end on January 3, 2027. In this Congress, the average age in the House of Representatives was ** years, and the average age in the Senate was ** years.

The female median age in Mexico State was approximately ** years in 2020. In a steady upward trend, the median age rose by about **** years from 1995.

In 2024, Japan was estimated to have the highest median age of the G7 countries at **** years. Italy followed behind with **** years. On the other hand, the United States had the lowest at just ****. Germany had an increasing median age until 2016, before the curve started to flatten. This is because of the increased number of immigrants arriving in the country at the time, particularly in the aftermath of the Syrian Civil War.