Article

Geographic Distribution of People in Three Broad Age Categories
Additional Questions on Age
About Census 2000

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.

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.

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
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.

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

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).

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.

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.

West Virginia had the highest median age.

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.

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).

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.

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).

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.