Here’s How Much Older California's Population Has Gotten

ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA — The United States population has gotten older with the median age in 2018 increasing by one year compared to 2010. One big reason for the increase is the baby boomers who have crossed the age of 65, according to new estimates released on Thursday by the United States Census Bureau.

According to the figures, the median age in 2018 was 38.2 but the pace of aging differed based on race and ethnicity. Just one state — North Dakota — saw a decline in the median age, where it went from 37 in 2010 to 35.2 in 2018.

Maine’s median age in 2018 was 44.9, the highest in the country. The state with the lowest median age in the country was Utah (31).

In California, the median age in 2018 was 36.8, an increase of 1.6 year(s) compared to 2010. Breaking it down by gender across the state, the median age for men in 2018 was 35.7 and for women it was 37.9, an increase of 1.7 and 1.6 years, respectively, compared to 2010.

“The nation is aging — more than 4 out of every 5 counties were older in 2018 than in 2010. This aging is driven in large part by baby boomers crossing over the 65-year-old mark. Now, half of the U.S. population is over the age of 38.2,” Luke Rogers, the chief of the Population Estimates Branch at the Census Bureau, said in a press release. “Along with this general aging trend, we also see variation among race and ethnicity groups both in growth patterns and aging.”

The Census Bureau previously reported that by 2030, all baby boomers will be over the age of 65 and nearly one out of every five residents will be of retirement age. The Census projects that the population will grow by an average of 2.3 million people per year until 2030 but that same year, growth will begin to slow.

International migration is expected to be the main driver of population growth beginning in 2030 and even though there will be more births than migration, the number of deaths will offset the effect births will have on increasing the population.

And according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of births in 2018 was two-percent lower than the previous year, continuing a declining trend and reaching a 32-year low.

Here’s how the median age changed across different race and ethnic groups:

White population: Median age increased by 1 year
Black population: Median age increased by 1.4 years
American Indian and Alaska Native population: Median age increased by 2.2 years
Asian population: Median age increased by 1.7 years
Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander population: Median age increased by 2.6 years
Hispanic population: Median age increased by 2.2 years

The Census Bureau notes that the figures for population change by race include those who identify as more than one race.