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Age 2000 |
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Geographic
Distribution of People in Three Broad Age Categories
Additional
Questions on Age
About
Census 2000
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In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau counted 281.4 million people in
the United States.1 Of this number;
- 72.3 million, or 26 percent of the U.S. population were under
age 18;
- 174.1 million, or 62 percent, were age 18 to 64; and
- 35.0 million, or 12 percent, were age 65 and over.
The age groups under 18 years, 18 to 64 years, and 65 years and
over experienced similar growth rates over the past decade - 13.7
percent, 13.2 percent, and 12.0 percent, respectively. Median age
increased from 32.9 in 1990 to 35.3 in 2000, reflecting a change
in age distribution toward the older ages within the age range
18 to 64.2
This report, part of a series that analyzes population and housing
data collected from Census 2000, provides a portrait of the age
structure of people in the United States. It highlights information
about various age groups in the country as a whole, the four regions,
states, counties, and places with populations of 100,000 or more.
It also includes comparisons with data from the 1990 census.3
A question on age has been asked since the first census of the
population in 1790. The Census 2000 age data were derived from
a two-part question that was asked of all people. The first part
asked for the age of the person, and the second part asked for
the date of birth.
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The Census 2000 age question added month and day of birth.
The Census 2000 age question differs slightly from the 1990 question. In the
1990 census, the question asked for a respondent's age and year of
birth. In contrast, the Census 2000 age question asked respondents to report
their age and date of birth, which included month, day,
and year of birth.
Figure 1 below is a snapshot of the population in 1990 and 2000.
It presents age information in 5-year age groups by sex.
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![Chart of population by age and sex, 1990 and 2000](IMAGES/age_fig2.gif)
Figure 1. Population by
age and sex: 1990 and 2000.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1; 1990 Census
Population |
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In 2000, the largest
5-year age group was 35-to-39 year olds with 22.7 million people,
representing 8.1 percent of the total population. The second largest
5-year age group was 40-to-44 year olds with 22.4 million people,
representing 8.0 percent of the population. The relatively large
number in these two age groups is represented in Figure 1 by a
bulge in the age distribution. People in these two age groups were
primarily born during the post-World War II "Baby Boom" (those
born from 1946 through 1964). In Census 2000, the baby-boom cohort
was age 36 to 54 and represented 28 percent of the total U.S. population. |
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The 50-to-54-year age group experienced the largest percentage
growth.4
Of the 5-year age groups, 50-to-54 year olds experienced the
largest percentage growth in population over the past decade,
55 percent (see Figure 2 and Table 1). The second fastest-growing
group was the age group 45 to 49, which experienced a ![Chart of percent change by age, 1990 to 2000](IMAGES/age_fig3.gif)
Figure 2. Percent Change
by Age: 1990 to 2000.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File
1; 1990 Census of Population45-percent
increase. The baby-boom cohort entered these two age groups during
the past decade. The third fastest-growing group in the past decade was 90-to-94
year olds, which increased by 45 percent.
Some of the younger age groups also grew. The 10-to-14-year group
gained almost 20 percent, while 5-to-9 year olds and 15-to-19 year
olds each increased by almost 14 percent.
Four age groups shown in the figure and table declined over the past
decade: 25-to-29 year olds (9-percent decrease), 30-to-34 year olds
(6-percent decrease), 65-to-69 year olds (6-percent decrease), and
20 to-24 year olds (0.3-percent decrease). The number of people in
the younger age groups, especially those age 25 to 34, fell as the
baby-boom cohort aged into older age groups. The decline in 65-to-69
year olds is associated with a relatively low number of births during
the early 1930s. |
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![Table, population change by age, 1990 to 2000](IMAGES/age_tbl1.gif)
Table 1.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1; 1990 Census
of Population, General Population Characteristics, United States (1990
CP-1-1) |
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There were more older women than older men.
In general, the ratio of the male population to the female population
declined with age. That is, the female population exceeded the
male population at older ages, but the reverse was true at younger
ages. In 2000, there were 20.6 million women aged 65 and over compared
with only 14.4 million men. In contrast, there were 37.1 million
males under 18 while there were 35.2 million females. The balance
shifted toward more women at age 36.5
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The median age for people of Two or more races was nearly
13 years younger than the median age for people of one race.
Figure 3 shows age information by race using two ways to summarize
race data. In Census 2000, individuals could report more than one
race. For a detailed discussion on race reporting, see the Census
2000 Brief, Overview of Race and Hispanic
Origin.6 People
who responded to the question on race by indicating only one race
are referred to as the race alone population, or the group
who reported only one race. For example, respondents who
marked only the White category on the census questionnaire would
be included in the White alone population. Six categories
make up the population reporting only one race: White alone,
Black or African American alone, American Indian and
Alaska Native alone, Asian alone, Native Hawaiian
and Other Pacific Islander alone, and Some other race alone.7
Individuals who chose more than one of the six race categories
are referred to as the race in combination population,
or as the group who reported Two or more races. For example, respondents
who reported they were "White and Black
or African American" or "White and Asian and American
Indian and Alaska Native"8 would be included
in the in combination population of each race.9
In 2000, median age varied significantly by race. People who reported
Two or more races had a significantly younger median age (22.7)
than the population reporting one race (35.6). The difference between
the races with the youngest and oldest median ages was about 13
years. Of those respondents reporting only one race, individuals
who reported Some other race had the youngest median age (24.6),
which reflects the fact that 97 percent of people choosing this
race were Hispanic10 and people reporting Hispanic
origin, who may be of any race, had a relatively young median age.
The next youngest group was Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (27.5),
followed by American Indian and Alaska Native alone (28.0),
Black or African American alone (30.2), Asian alone (32.7),
and White alone (37.7).
Across all races, people who reported more than one race tended to
be younger than those who reported only one race. Figure 3 shows
that 42 percent of people who reported Two or more races were under
age 18 compared with 25 percent of people who reported one race. |
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![Chart of percent of population by selected age groups, race, and Hispanic or Latino Origin, 2000](IMAGES/age_fig4.gif)
Figure 3. Percent of population
by selected age groups, race, and Hispanic or Latino Origin: 2000.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1 |
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Geographic Distribution of People in Three Broad
Age Categories |
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Median age was highest in the Northeast and lowest in
the West.
In 2000, the Northeast had the highest median age (36.8)
followed by the Midwest (35.6), and the South (35.3) as shown in
Table 2 (click here
to view Table 2) .11 The
West had the youngest median age, 33.8. This ranking reflects the
relative proportions of population in the broad age groups for each
region. The Northeast had the largest proportion of people age 65
and over, while it had the smallest proportion of people under age
18. The West had the opposite situation. More specifically, the 65-and
over population made up 14 percent of the population in the Northeast,
13 percent in the Midwest, 12 percent in the South, and 11 percent
in the West. In contrast, children made up 27 percent of the population
in the West followed by 26 percent in both the Midwest and South.
The Northeast had 24 percent. All four regions had roughly the same
proportion of people age 18 to 64 (61 or 62 percent). |
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The West had the highest growth rates in all three age
groups.
Growth rates for each age group varied significantly
by region (see Figure 4). For children, the growth rate in the
West (21 percent) was more than three times that in the Midwest
and more than twice that in the Northeast.
For the population age 18 to 64, the growth rates in the South
and West (18 percent and 19 percent, respectively) were more than
four times that in the Northeast for the same age group and more
than twice that in the Midwest in this age group.
For the population 65 years and over, the growth rate in the South
(16 percent) was nearly three times the growth rate in the Northeast.
And the growth rate in the West (20 percent) was more than three
times that of both the Northeast and the Midwest for this age group. |
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![Chart of percent change in population by selected age groups and regions, 1990 to 2000](IMAGES/age_fig5.gif)
Figure 4. Percent change
in population by selected age groups and regions: 1990 to 2000.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1; 1990
Census of Population |
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In the Northeast
and West, the population under age 18 grew the fastest; in the Midwest and
South, the 18-to-64-year age group grew the fastest.
A comparison of growth rates for each age group within each region
showed differences. In the Northeast and West, the population under
18 grew the fastest of the three age groups. More specifically,
the population under 18 years in the Northeast grew at a rate of
10 percent, compared with the lower growth rates of 5 percent for
those 65 years and over and 4 percent for those 18 to 64. In the
West, the population under 18 years old also grew the fastest of
the three age groups between 1990 and 2000, although the other
two groups grew quickly as well.
The fastest growing age group in both the Midwest and South was
18-to-64 year olds. In the Midwest, this age group grew 9 percent,
a slightly higher growth rate than for the other two broad age
groups, each with 7 percent. In the South, the age group 18 to
64 also grew the fastest of the three age groups, 18 percent during
the decade. Both the population under age 18 and the population
age 65 and over increased at a slightly lower rate of 16 percent. |
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West Virginia had the highest median
age.
![United States map showing median age, 2000](IMAGES/age_fig6.gif)
Figure 5. United States
map showing median age - 2000.
National Atlas of the United States®The
Northeast was the only region where all states had median ages
above the national level. In contrast, the West was the only
region where states with median ages below the U.S. median outnumbered
states with older median ages (see Figure 5).
The states with the highest median ages were West Virginia (38.9),
Florida (38.7), Maine (38.6), and Pennsylvania (38.0). Utah had
the youngest population and was the only state with a median age
below 30 years (27.1). Other states with low median ages were Texas
(32.3) and Alaska (32.4) as shown in Table
2.
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Florida had the highest proportion 65
years and over.
The proportion 65 years and over ranged from a low of 6
percent in Alaska to 18 percent in Florida.12 In addition
to Alaska, states that had a relatively low percentage of older
adults were Utah (9 percent) and Georgia, Colorado, and Texas (each
10 percent). States along with Florida that had a relatively high
percentage of older adults were Pennsylvania (16 percent) and West
Virginia, Iowa, North Dakota, and Rhode Island (each 15 percent).
In 14 states, the older population13 grew by
more than 20 percent relative to the U.S. rate of 12 percent. Nevada
had the highest growth rate for this age group (72 percent).14 Alaska
also experienced a large percentage increase (60 percent). Only
the District of Columbia experienced a decline in the number of
older adults (10-percent decrease).
The District of Columbia still had the largest proportion of people
age 18 to 64 (67.7 percent), although this proportion was even higher
in 1990 (67.9 percent). The proportion of people in this age group
ranged from 59 percent to 65 percent across states. The states with
the highest proportions (64 or 65 percent) were Colorado, Virginia,
Georgia, Alaska, and North Carolina. The states with the lowest
proportions (59 or 60 percent) were South Dakota, Utah, Florida,
Iowa, and Nebraska. |
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The number
of children grew by more than 25 percent in five states; five
states experienced a percentage decline.
In five states, the population under 18 years grew by more than
25 percent, much higher than the U.S. increase of 14 percent. Those
five states were Nevada (72 percent), Arizona (39 percent), Colorado
(28 percent), Florida (27 percent), and Georgia (26 percent).
Five states and the District of Columbia experienced a decline
in the population under age 18 between 1990 and 2000 - West Virginia
(9-percent decrease), North Dakota (8-percent decrease), Wyoming
(5-percent decrease), Maine (3-percent decrease), and Louisiana
(1-percent decrease). The District of Columbia experienced a decrease
of 2 percent.
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Counties with low median ages were mostly in the southern
and western portions of the country.
Median age varied
among counties in the United States. Figure 5 shows median
age for the country's 3,141 counties and equivalent areas.
There were 734 counties with median age 40.0 and over and 131
counties with median age under 30.0. The areas with median
age generally at the U.S. median or younger were in the southwest
border region. In contrast, two bands of counties had older
median ages - in the interior Northeast and Appalachia, and
across the Great Plains states from the Mexican border to the
Canadian border. |
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The Midwest had the
highest percentage of counties with older median ages.
In terms of proportion, the Midwest had the largest percentage
of its counties with median ages 40.0 and over (31 percent), followed
by the West (29 percent), Northeast (19 percent), and South (17
percent). In contrast, the West had the largest proportion of counties
with median ages less than 30.0 (10 percent), followed by the Midwest
(4 percent), the South (3 percent), and the Northeast (1 percent).
There were three counties with 100,000 or more population where
median ages were very high (50.0 and over). All of them - Charlotte
County (54.3), Citrus County (52.6), and Sarasota County (50.5) - were
in Florida.
In contrast, four counties with 100,000 or more population had
median ages below 26.0: Utah County, Utah (23.3); Brazos County,
Texas (23.6); Onslow County, North Carolina (25.0); and Clarke
County, Georgia (25.4).
In four states, all the counties in the state had median ages at
or above the national median of 35.3. Those states were: Connecticut,
Maine, Rhode Island, and Hawaii. There were no states where all
the counties had median ages less than the national median. Utah
came closest with 86 percent of its counties having median ages below
the national median. |
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Additional Questions on Age |
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Which states had the highest concentration of baby boomers?
Earlier
in this report, the baby-boom cohort (people ages 36 to 54 in 2000)
was shown to make up a large share of the total U.S. population.
In 2000, the proportion of baby boomers in the states ranged from
23 percent to 32 percent. The states where baby boomers made up
30 percent or more of their populations were Alaska (32 percent),
New Hampshire (31 percent), Vermont (31 percent), and Maine (30
percent). In contrast, Utah (23 percent) was the only state where
baby boomers constituted less than 25 percent. |
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How many school-age children were there in 2000?
In
2000, there were 53.1 million elementary- and high school-age children
(5-to-17 year olds), 73 percent of the population under age 18.
There were 7.8 million preschool- age children (3-to-4 year olds).
Infants and toddlers (0-to-2 year olds) represented 16 percent
of the population under age 18. |
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About Census 2000 |
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Why did Census 2000 ask the question on age?
The Census Bureau collects age data to support two basic
activities:
- Legislative redistricting and
- Allocating funds from federal programs to targeted age groups.
For example, age data are used in calculating the proportion of
school-age children in poverty for each school district for allocating
federal funds to assist educationally disadvantaged children. The
Department of Veterans Affairs uses age data to develop state projections
on the need for hospitals, nursing homes, cemeteries, and other
services for veterans.
Communities can use census age data to aid them in making informed
decisions about how to meet the needs of their older and their younger
citizens. Researchers can use these data in their research on school-age
children and many other age-related topics. Business owners can use
these data in planning a new business around the needs of a certain
age group in the community. |
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Endnotes
1 The text
of this report discusses data for the United States, including
the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data for the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico are shown in Table
2 and
Figure 6.
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2 Median age splits the population into halves. One-half of the
population is older than the median age and the other half is younger.
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3 1990 populations shown in this report were originally
published in 1990 census reports and do not include subsequent revisions
resulting from boundary or other changes.
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4 The changes in age structure between 1990 and 2000 may reflect
changes in census coverage, as well as births, deaths, and net
immigration.
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5 For more Census 2000 information about the male and
female populations, see Smith, Denise I. and Reneé E. Spraggins,
2001, Gender:
2000, Census 2000 Brief, C2KBR/01-9, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington,
DC
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6 Grieco, Elizabeth M. and Rachel C. Cassidy, 2001, Overview
of Race and Hispanic Origin, Census 2000 Brief, C2KBR/01-1, U.S.
Census Bureau, Washington, DC
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7 Some other race is not a standard Office of Management and Budget
race category.
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8 The race in combination categories are denoted by quotations
around the combinations with the conjunction and in bold and italicized
print to indicate the separate race groups that comprise the combination.
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9 See Grieco, Elizabeth M. and Rachel C. Cassidy, 2001, Overview
of Race and Hispanic Origin, Census 2000 Brief, C2KBR/01-1, U.S.
Census Bureau, Washington, DC
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10 Ibid.
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11 The Northeast region includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
and Vermont. The Midwest includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South
Dakota, and Wisconsin. The South includes Alabama, Arkansas,
Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. The West includes
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada,
New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
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12 For more Census 2000 information about the population 65 years
and over, see Hetzel, Lisa and Annetta Smith, 2001, The
65 Years and Over Population: 2000, Census 2000 Brief, C2KBR/01-10,
U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC
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13 For this report, the older population is defined as people
65 years and over.
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14 Nevada had the highest growth rate for all three age groups.
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Adapted from U.S.
Census Bureau, Age:
2000, by
Julie Meyer, Census 2000 Brief Series. |
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