Counties with the most seniors in New York
Seniors will comprise more than 20% of U.S. residents in 2030, up from 15% in 2020. By 2034, older adults will outnumber children, according to Census Bureau projections.
Across the U.S., 52 million Americans are 65 years or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and a quarter of them live in just three states: California, Florida, and Texas. By comparison, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming, and Alaska each have fewer than 150,000 senior residents. The size of a state's senior population means a lot in terms of demand for resources like health care, affordable housing, assisted living, in-home and nursing care, and support services, and the quality and availability of those resources help determine where seniors migrate.
With baby boomers moving into old age, fewer babies being born, and longer life expectancies, the senior population of America is on a spectacular rise. The lengthening of the U.S. life expectancy has been particularly dramatic, rising to nearly 79 years from 68 years in 1950.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most seniors in New York using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percentage of residents 65 years or older according to 2020 5-year estimates.
Keep reading to find out which counties have the most seniors in New York.
#50. Clinton County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.0%
- Median age: 40.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 39.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 41.4 years old
- Total population: 80,320 people
#49. Suffolk County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.2%
- Median age: 41.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 40.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.3 years old
- Total population: 1,481,364 people
#48. Rensselaer County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.5%
- Median age: 39.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 38.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 41.6 years old
- Total population: 159,013 people
#47. Onondaga County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.3%
- Median age: 39.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 37.9 years old
--- Median age of females: 40.5 years old
- Total population: 461,591 people
#46. Franklin County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.3%
- Median age: 40.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 38.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.2 years old
- Total population: 50,389 people
#45. Westchester County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.0%
- Median age: 41.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 39.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 42.8 years old
- Total population: 968,738 people
#44. Schenectady County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.6%
- Median age: 39.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 38.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 40.8 years old
- Total population: 155,086 people
#43. Monroe County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.8%
- Median age: 39 years old
--- Median age of males: 37.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 40.9 years old
- Total population: 743,084 people
#42. St. Lawrence County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.1%
- Median age: 39 years old
--- Median age of males: 37 years old
--- Median age of females: 41.4 years old
- Total population: 108,352 people
#41. Putnam County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.8%
- Median age: 44.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.5 years old
- Total population: 98,714 people
#40. Dutchess County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.9%
- Median age: 42.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.8 years old
- Total population: 293,524 people
#39. Nassau County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.6%
- Median age: 41.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 40.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.5 years old
- Total population: 1,355,683 people
#38. Orleans County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.3%
- Median age: 43.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.6 years old
- Total population: 40,624 people
#37. Livingston County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 17.7%
- Median age: 41.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 40.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 42.6 years old
- Total population: 63,218 people
#36. Erie County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.3%
- Median age: 40.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 38.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 42 years old
- Total population: 918,873 people
#35. Saratoga County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.0%
- Median age: 42.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.3 years old
- Total population: 229,313 people
#34. Wyoming County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.0%
- Median age: 42.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.5 years old
- Total population: 40,027 people
#33. Madison County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.2%
- Median age: 42.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.3 years old
- Total population: 70,990 people
#32. Montgomery County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.9%
- Median age: 40.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 39.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 42.6 years old
- Total population: 49,294 people
#31. Oneida County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.2%
- Median age: 40.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 39.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 42.8 years old
- Total population: 229,074 people
#30. Lewis County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.9%
- Median age: 42.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 42.2 years old
- Total population: 26,456 people
#29. Genesee County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.3%
- Median age: 43 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.7 years old
- Total population: 57,554 people
#28. Allegany County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.9%
- Median age: 39.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 38.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 40.2 years old
- Total population: 46,304 people
#27. Wayne County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.4%
- Median age: 43.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 45 years old
- Total population: 90,103 people
#26. Chemung County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.4%
- Median age: 41.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 39.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.3 years old
- Total population: 84,115 people
#25. Sullivan County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.3%
- Median age: 42.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 42 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.7 years old
- Total population: 75,329 people
#24. Cayuga County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.7%
- Median age: 43.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.2 years old
- Total population: 76,958 people
#23. Broome County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.4%
- Median age: 39.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 37.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 41.6 years old
- Total population: 192,042 people
#22. Niagara County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.0%
- Median age: 43.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.8 years old
- Total population: 210,145 people
#21. Seneca County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.0%
- Median age: 41.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 39.9 years old
--- Median age of females: 45 years old
- Total population: 34,295 people
#20. Cattaraugus County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.2%
- Median age: 42.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 41 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.5 years old
- Total population: 76,750 people
#19. Steuben County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.6%
- Median age: 42.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.2 years old
- Total population: 95,843 people
#18. Washington County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.8%
- Median age: 44.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.7 years old
- Total population: 61,304 people
#17. Fulton County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.2%
- Median age: 44.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.3 years old
- Total population: 53,452 people
#16. Ulster County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 17.7%
- Median age: 44.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.6 years old
- Total population: 178,371 people
#15. Ontario County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.1%
- Median age: 43.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.4 years old
- Total population: 109,774 people
#14. Chautauqua County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.4%
- Median age: 42.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.2 years old
- Total population: 127,584 people
#13. Tioga County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.8%
- Median age: 44.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.8 years old
- Total population: 48,431 people
#12. Chenango County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.7%
- Median age: 44.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 46 years old
- Total population: 47,527 people
#11. Herkimer County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.6%
- Median age: 44.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.4 years old
- Total population: 61,738 people
#10. Yates County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.5%
- Median age: 40.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 40.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 40.9 years old
- Total population: 24,981 people
#9. Otsego County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 15.9%
- Median age: 42 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 43 years old
- Total population: 59,593 people
#8. Schuyler County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.1%
- Median age: 46.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.9 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.8 years old
- Total population: 17,845 people
#7. Schoharie County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 17.7%
- Median age: 45.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.4 years old
- Total population: 31,189 people
#6. Greene County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 16.5%
- Median age: 46.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 49.2 years old
- Total population: 47,335 people
#5. Warren County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.1%
- Median age: 46.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.4 years old
- Total population: 64,187 people
#4. Essex County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 16.1%
- Median age: 48.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 51 years old
- Total population: 37,281 people
#3. Columbia County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 17.3%
- Median age: 48.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 47.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 49.4 years old
- Total population: 60,016 people
#2. Delaware County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 16.7%
- Median age: 48.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 47.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 49.2 years old
- Total population: 44,676 people
#1. Hamilton County
- Population aged 18 and younger: 13.5%
- Median age: 55.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 54.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 57.1 years old
- Total population: 4,454 people