According to data released on Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. population is aging at a steady pace, suggesting that the long-term trend of Americans having fewer children shows no signs of slowing. The number of adults 65 and older rose 3.1 percent to 61.2 million from 2023 to 2024, while the number of children under 18 declined slightly by 0.2 percent to 73.1 million. The share of older Americans has grown from 12.4 percent in 2004 to 18.0 percent in 2024, while the share of children has declined from 25.0 percent to 21.5 percent. The gap between the two groups has narrowed from over 20 million in 2020 to just under 12 million in 2024. The trend is especially evident in rural areas. Eleven states now have more older adults than children, up from just three in 2020. Iowa is not among those 11 states. However, nearly 45 percent of U.S. counties and 112 metro areas now have more seniors than youth. A link to the U.S. Census Bureau’s report is included below.
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