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by Christine L. Himes

(April 2003) There were 35 million Americans age 65 or older counted in the 2000 Census. One quarter of these elderly Americans live in one of three states: California, Florida, and New York. Six other states — Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas — have more than 1 million elderly each and account for another one-quarter of Americans age 65 or older. These nine states are also the most populous, and include about one-half of the total U.S. population. Sparsely populated states such as Alaska, Wyoming, Vermont, and North Dakota have very small elderly populations — less than 100,000 each in 2000.

But the states with the most elderly do not necessarily have the oldest population age profiles. California is still a relatively young state even though it has the greatest number of elderly residents: Less than 11 percent of the state's total population was age 65 or older in 2000. In contrast, nearly 18 percent of Florida's population was age 65 or older, the highest proportion of any state (see table). The older population also exceeded 15 percent of the populations of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. While southern states are regarded as retirement magnets, states in the Northeast and Midwest have among the largest proportional share of the elderly.

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States Ranked by Percent of Population Age 65 or Older, 2000

Rank	State	Total resident population (thousands)	Population age 65+ (thousands)	Percent of population age 65+
1	Florida	15,982	2,808	17.6
2	Pennsylvania	12,281	1,919	15.6
3	West Virginia	1,808	277	15.3
4	Iowa	2,926	436	14.9
5	North Dakota	642	94	14.7
6	Rhode Island	1,048	152	14.5
7	Maine	1,275	183	14.4
8	South Dakota	755	108	14.3
9	Arkansas	2,673	374	14.0
10	Connecticut	3,406	470	13.8
11	Nebraska	1,711	232	13.6
12	Massachusetts	6,349	860	13.5
13	Missouri	5,595	755	13.5
14	Montana	902	121	13.4
15	Ohio	11,353	1,508	13.3
16	Hawaii	1,212	161	13.3
17	Kansas	2,688	356	13.3
18	New Jersey	8,414	1,113	13.2
19	Oklahoma	3,451	456	13.2
20	Wisconsin	5,364	703	13.1
21	Alabama	4,447	580	13.0
22	Arizona	5,131	668	13.0
23	Delaware	784	102	13.0
24	New York	18,976	2,448	12.9
25	Oregon	3,421	438	12.8
26	Vermont	609	78	12.7
27	Kentucky	4,042	505	12.5
28	Indiana	6,080	753	12.4
29	Tennessee	5,689	703	12.4
30	Michigan	9,938	1,219	12.3
31	District of Columbia	572	70	12.2
32	South Carolina	4,012	485	12.1
33	Minnesota	4,919	594	12.1
34	Illinois	12,419	1,500	12.1
35	Mississippi	2,845	344	12.1
36	North Carolina	8,049	969	12.0
37	New Hampshire	1,236	148	12.0
38	Wyoming	494	58	11.7
39	New Mexico	1,819	212	11.7
40	Louisiana	4,469	517	11.6
41	Maryland	5,296	599	11.3
42	Idaho	1,294	146	11.3
43	Washington	5,894	662	11.2
44	Virginia	7,079	792	11.2
45	Nevada	1,998	219	11.0
46	California	33,872	3,596	10.6
47	Texas	20,852	2,073	9.9
48	Colorado	4,301	416	9.7
49	Georgia	8,186	785	9.6
50	Utah	2,233	190	8.5
51	Alaska	627	36	5.7

Source: Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Demographic Profiles: Census 2000 (www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/demoprofile.htm, accessed Sept. 19, 2001).

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The differences in states' age profiles are determined primarily by fertility and migration — mortality is fairly uniform among states. States with relatively high fertility rates, such as Utah, tend to have a younger age profile: A smaller proportion of state residents are age 65 or older. Migration, both internal and international, has a large impact on the elderly population's distribution. States in the Midwest and Northeast have seen steady outflows of younger people looking for job opportunities. As these younger people move south and west, the older population is left to "age in place." California has been a traditional destination for state-to-state and international migrants, which has kept its population relatively young. States that have attracted older retirees, Florida in particular, have greater proportions of older residents.

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Christine L. Himes is associate professor of sociology and senior research analyst at the Center for Policy Research at Syracuse University.

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Excerpted from PRB's Population Bulletin "Elderly Americans" (PDF: 832KB) by Christine L. Himes.