In 2024, the median age in Maine, the nation’s oldest state, reached 44.9 years. The U.S. state with the lowest median age was Utah, at 32.1 years. Nationwide, the median age has been increasing in recent decades, marking the nation’s aging population.
The United States aging population
The post-war baby boom, marked by robust birth rates, gave way to lower fertility and mortality rates in subsequent decades. This has shifted the country’s demographic profile. The United States is not alone in this. Aging is now a global trend, reshaping economies and societies alike.
Retirement’s uncertain promise
Retirement once promised leisure after years of work and saving. That promise is looking less certain as fewer Americans now believe their savings will last them through retirement. Roughly 30 percent of retirees still work for pay, a proportion that has held steady even as optimism has faded.
An aging America will force policymakers and citizens alike to confront uncomfortable trade-offs between work, retirement, and the promise of security.