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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina.
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#50. Yadkin County
- Population aged 65 or older: 19.7%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.9%
- Median age: 44.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.9 years old
- Total population: 37,589 people
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#49. Jackson County
- Population aged 65 or older: 19.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 16.7%
- Median age: 38.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 37.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 39.6 years old
- Total population: 43,435 people
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#48. Columbus County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.0%
- Median age: 41.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 40.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.6 years old
- Total population: 55,659 people
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#47. Buncombe County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.5%
- Median age: 42.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 40.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.8 years old
- Total population: 259,576 people
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#46. Burke County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.1%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.7%
- Median age: 44.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.5 years old
- Total population: 90,148 people
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#45. Caldwell County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.1%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.3%
- Median age: 45.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.4 years old
- Total population: 82,056 people
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#44. Hertford County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.2%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.8%
- Median age: 42.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 40.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.7 years old
- Total population: 23,752 people
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#43. Alexander County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.2%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.2%
- Median age: 43.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.9 years old
- Total population: 37,271 people
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#42. Surry County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.2%
- Median age: 44 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.3 years old
- Total population: 71,904 people
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#41. Rockingham County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.3%
- Median age: 45 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.1 years old
- Total population: 91,051 people
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#40. Montgomery County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.8%
- Median age: 43.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.7 years old
- Total population: 27,223 people
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#39. McDowell County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.0%
- Median age: 44.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.6 years old
- Total population: 45,402 people
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#38. Gates County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.2%
- Median age: 47.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 47.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.8 years old
- Total population: 11,519 people
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#37. Stokes County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.8%
- Median age: 46.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 46.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.3 years old
- Total population: 45,688 people
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#36. Davie County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.7%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.2%
- Median age: 45.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.9 years old
- Total population: 42,543 people
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#35. Halifax County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.4%
- Median age: 43.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.6 years old
- Total population: 50,678 people
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#34. Dare County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.8%
- Median age: 47.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.9 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.8 years old
- Total population: 36,698 people
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#33. Wilkes County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.4%
- Median age: 45.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 44 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.3 years old
- Total population: 68,341 people
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#32. Rutherford County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.5%
- Median age: 45.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.6 years old
- Total population: 66,741 people
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#31. Caswell County
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#30. Bladen County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.6%
- Median age: 44.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.1 years old
- Total population: 33,209 people
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#29. Avery County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.1%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 14.4%
- Median age: 45.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.3 years old
- Total population: 17,510 people
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#28. Madison County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.3%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 17.9%
- Median age: 44.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.9 years old
- Total population: 21,608 people
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#27. Tyrrell County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 13.5%
- Median age: 46.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 52 years old
- Total population: 3,978 people
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#26. Bertie County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 17.0%
- Median age: 46.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.7 years old
- Total population: 19,081 people
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#25. Martin County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.4%
- Median age: 46.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.2 years old
- Total population: 22,644 people
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#24. Jones County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.3%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.7%
- Median age: 48.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.7 years old
- Total population: 9,453 people
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#23. Graham County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.0%
- Median age: 46.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 47.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.7 years old
- Total population: 8,501 people
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#22. Beaufort County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.7%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.1%
- Median age: 46.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.7 years old
- Total population: 47,160 people
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#21. Moore County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.1%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.3%
- Median age: 44.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.3 years old
- Total population: 99,263 people
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#20. Chatham County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.1%
- Median age: 47.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 46.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.3 years old
- Total population: 72,853 people
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#19. Washington County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.1%
- Median age: 46.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 49.8 years old
- Total population: 11,788 people
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#18. Haywood County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.7%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.1%
- Median age: 47.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 49.3 years old
- Total population: 61,862 people
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#17. Chowan County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.0%
- Median age: 46.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 49.7 years old
- Total population: 13,995 people
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#16. Mitchell County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.3%
- Median age: 47.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 49.7 years old
- Total population: 14,959 people
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#15. Carteret County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 17.5%
- Median age: 49.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 47.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.8 years old
- Total population: 69,301 people
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#14. Warren County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.1%
- Median age: 48.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.8 years old
- Total population: 19,746 people
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#13. Ashe County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 17.6%
- Median age: 48.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 47.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.4 years old
- Total population: 27,009 people
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#12. Yancey County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.7%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.4%
- Median age: 47.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 46 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.1 years old
- Total population: 17,870 people
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#11. Henderson County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.0%
- Median age: 47.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 46.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.8 years old
- Total population: 116,298 people
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#10. Northampton County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 17.5%
- Median age: 49.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 47.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 52.7 years old
- Total population: 19,672 people
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#9. Alleghany County
- Population aged 65 or older: 27.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 17.2%
- Median age: 50.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 49.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 51.3 years old
- Total population: 11,085 people
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#8. Perquimans County
- Population aged 65 or older: 27.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.9%
- Median age: 50.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 49.9 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.7 years old
- Total population: 13,513 people
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#7. Macon County
- Population aged 65 or older: 28.7%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 17.9%
- Median age: 50.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 48.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 52.3 years old
- Total population: 35,172 people
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#6. Cherokee County
- Population aged 65 or older: 29.7%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 16.3%
- Median age: 52.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 50.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 53.8 years old
- Total population: 28,413 people
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#5. Pamlico County
- Population aged 65 or older: 30%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 15.0%
- Median age: 54 years old
--- Median age of males: 50.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 55.9 years old
- Total population: 12,673 people
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#4. Transylvania County
- Population aged 65 or older: 30.2%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 15.7%
- Median age: 51.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 49.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 53.3 years old
- Total population: 34,039 people
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#3. Clay County
- Population aged 65 or older: 31%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 16.7%
- Median age: 53.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 53.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 53.9 years old
- Total population: 11,150 people
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#2. Polk County
- Population aged 65 or older: 31%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 16.2%
- Median age: 53.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 52.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 55 years old
- Total population: 20,682 people
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#1. Brunswick County
