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U.S. Retirement Magnets


By: Ameristat
November 2001

 

The proportion of older people in the population varies among states. Florida—a longtime retirement magnet—has the highest proportion of people ages 65 and older (18 percent). Five of the top seven counties in the United States, ranked by percentage of people ages 65 and older, are located in Florida. Florida’s Charlotte County, 35 percent of whose population is in the 65-and-over group, has a median age of 54 years and can be considered the "oldest" place in the United States.*

Outside of Florida, new retirement magnets are emerging. Destinations gaining in popularity include Llano County, Texas; Lancaster County, Virginia; Curry County, Oregon; and Sierra County, New Mexico. This list will grow in future years, as baby boomers reach retirement age and seek new places to live. The increasing number of older people who belong to racial and ethnic minorities, particularly Hispanics, will also have a major impact on the spatial distribution of the older population.

The proportion age 65 and older is not only affected by the number of older people moving to a state, but also by the number of younger people moving elsewhere. Several states in the Midwest and Northeast—including Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Iowa, and North Dakota—have relatively large numbers of older people because of the out-migration of younger adults. The states with the smallest proportions of people over age 65 are Alaska (6 percent) and Utah (9 percent).

* Note: Kalawao County, Hawaii has a higher median age (58.6), but is not comparable to most other counties because fewer than 50 people live there.

 

Distribution of the U.S. Population Ages 65 and Over, by County, 2000

Source: United States Census Bureau, Census 2000.

 

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