Earlier this year, a Census Bureau release noted that the median age in the US increased to 38 years in 2017, up almost a full year since 2010 (37.2 years). The release also revealed which states had the largest percentage of people ages 65 and up – with Florida (20.1%) and Maine (19.9%) leading the way.
On the other end of the spectrum, Utah (10.8%), Alaska (11.2%) and the District of Columbia (12.1%) had the smallest share of people ages 65 and up, with Utah also having the lowest median age (30.9) of all states.
That data is interesting and valuable for marketers in its own right. But what about smaller geographical areas – namely, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs)? We reached out to the Census Bureau to work with their FactFinder tool and determine which MSAs have the lowest – and highest – median ages.
Here are the results from the latest data available, 2016, at which time the median age for the country as a whole was 37.9.
MSAs With the Youngest Residents
Given that Utah is the state with the lowest median age overall, it may not be too surprising to see that a metro area from that state tops the list of those with the youngest median age.
In fact, Provo-Orem, in Utah, has the lowest resident median age, of just 24.5 years. That’s almost a full year younger than the metro with the next-youngest residents, Logan (Utah-Idaho), with its median resident age of 25.4 years.
Nine other metro areas joined those two as having median resident ages below 30. They were:
- Ames, Iowa: 25.8;
- Manhattan, Kansas: 26.3;
- Jacksonville, North Carolina: 26.4;
- College Station-Bryan, Texas: 26.8;
- Hinesville, Georgia: 28.1;
- Laredo, Texas: 28.3;
- McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas: 28.8;
- Lawrence, Kansas: 29.1; and
- Lafayette-West Lafayette, Indiana: 29.4.
Targeting Boomers and Seniors? Look Here.
With the exception of Hinesville, Georgia (#8), metro areas from states in the Eastern seaboard weren’t well represented among those with the lowest median ages. (Ithaca, New York was next at #15, with its median age of 30.3.)
But one state from the Eastern seaboard is certainly well represented on the list of metro areas with the oldest median ages. Guess which one?
You guessed right: Florida.
The Villages, Florida blows away the competition as having the residents with the oldest median age, clocking in at 66. That’s almost a full decade older than the next metro area on the list, Punta Gorda (also in Florida), with its median age of 57.7 years.
There were 7 other metro areas whose residents had median ages older than 50. They were:
- Homosassa Springs, Florida: 55.7;
- Sebring, Florida: 52.6;
- Prescott, Arizona: 51.9;
- Barnstable Town, Massachusetts: 51.8;
- Sebastian-Vero Beach, Florida: 51.4; and
- North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida: 51.1.
