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 Kansas 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 Kansas.
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#50. Ottawa County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.5%
- Median age: 42.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 40.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.5 years old
- Total population: 5,776 people
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#49. Ellsworth County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.5%
- Median age: 43.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 39 years old
--- Median age of females: 49.2 years old
- Total population: 6,176 people
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#48. Allen County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.7%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.4%
- Median age: 42 years old
--- Median age of males: 37.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.1 years old
- Total population: 12,503 people
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#47. Norton County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.0%
- Median age: 41.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 39.9 years old
--- Median age of females: 47 years old
- Total population: 5,416 people
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#46. Logan County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.5%
- Median age: 39.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 37 years old
--- Median age of females: 41.4 years old
- Total population: 2,789 people
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#45. Stafford County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.2%
- Median age: 44.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 39.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.2 years old
- Total population: 4,125 people
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#44. Anderson County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.1%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 25.7%
- Median age: 39.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 37.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 42.4 years old
- Total population: 7,877 people
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#43. Cloud County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.1%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.1%
- Median age: 39.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 37.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 42.9 years old
- Total population: 8,831 people
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#42. Edwards County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.3%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.6%
- Median age: 44.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.3 years old
- Total population: 2,822 people
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#41. Lane County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.2%
- Median age: 44.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 43 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.6 years old
- Total population: 1,523 people
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#40. Coffey County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.1%
- Median age: 44.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.5 years old
- Total population: 8,218 people
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#39. Wilson County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.7%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.6%
- Median age: 43.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 47 years old
- Total population: 8,600 people
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#38. Barber County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.9%
- Median age: 43.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 39.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.1 years old
- Total population: 4,493 people
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#37. Kingman County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.3%
- Median age: 45.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 44 years old
--- Median age of females: 47 years old
- Total population: 7,173 people
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#36. Kiowa County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.0%
- Median age: 41.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 40.6 years old
- Total population: 2,483 people
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#35. Marshall County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.9%
- Median age: 42.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.1 years old
- Total population: 9,713 people
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#34. Pawnee County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.1%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 16.4%
- Median age: 46.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.9 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.8 years old
- Total population: 6,539 people
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#33. Linn County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.2%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.4%
- Median age: 44.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.4 years old
- Total population: 9,687 people
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#32. Hodgeman County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.3%
- Median age: 48.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 49.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.1 years old
- Total population: 1,872 people
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#31. Rooks County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.5%
- Median age: 44.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.3 years old
- Total population: 4,985 people
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#30. Harper County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.9%
- Median age: 42.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 38.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.7 years old
- Total population: 5,506 people
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#29. Wallace County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.3%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 25.1%
- Median age: 42 years old
--- Median age of males: 41 years old
--- Median age of females: 42.5 years old
- Total population: 1,583 people
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#28. Mitchell County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.3%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.4%
- Median age: 43.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 38.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.4 years old
- Total population: 6,053 people
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#27. Marion County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.3%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.2%
- Median age: 44.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.6 years old
- Total population: 11,865 people
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#26. Phillips County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.4%
- Median age: 44.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.8 years old
- Total population: 5,297 people
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#25. Clark County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.4%
- Median age: 47.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.9 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.2 years old
- Total population: 2,006 people
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#24. Sheridan County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.1%
- Median age: 43.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.8 years old
- Total population: 2,515 people
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#23. Lincoln County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.7%
- Median age: 45.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.7 years old
- Total population: 3,013 people
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#22. Russell County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.2%
- Median age: 45.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 43 years old
--- Median age of females: 49.3 years old
- Total population: 6,896 people
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#21. Ness County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.2%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.9%
- Median age: 49.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 48.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.3 years old
- Total population: 2,838 people
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#20. Chase County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.3%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.6%
- Median age: 45.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.1 years old
- Total population: 2,604 people
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#19. Morris County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.8%
- Median age: 46.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.9 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.4 years old
- Total population: 5,551 people
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#18. Clay County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.0%
- Median age: 44.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.5 years old
- Total population: 8,030 people
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#17. Washington County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.9%
- Median age: 45.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 44 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.7 years old
- Total population: 5,474 people
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#16. Osborne County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.0%
- Median age: 46.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.8 years old
- Total population: 3,494 people
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#15. Gove County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.3%
- Median age: 44.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.1 years old
- Total population: 2,650 people
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#14. Rush County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.4%
- Median age: 46.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 49.1 years old
- Total population: 2,953 people
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#13. Chautauqua County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.8%
- Median age: 47.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 49.7 years old
- Total population: 3,280 people
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#12. Greenwood County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.1%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.4%
- Median age: 48.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 46.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 49.6 years old
- Total population: 6,010 people
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#11. Woodson County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.2%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.3%
- Median age: 51 years old
--- Median age of males: 50 years old
--- Median age of females: 51.9 years old
- Total population: 3,117 people
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#10. Trego County
- Population aged 65 or older: 26.1%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.3%
- Median age: 47 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 51.5 years old
- Total population: 2,802 people
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#9. Cheyenne County
- Population aged 65 or older: 26.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.1%
- Median age: 46.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.1 years old
- Total population: 2,639 people
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#8. Rawlins County
- Population aged 65 or older: 26.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.2%
- Median age: 48 years old
--- Median age of males: 46 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.6 years old
- Total population: 2,490 people
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#7. Republic County
- Population aged 65 or older: 27.1%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.6%
- Median age: 49.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 46.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 52.4 years old
- Total population: 4,607 people
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#6. Graham County
- Population aged 65 or older: 27.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.9%
- Median age: 49.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 47.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.2 years old
- Total population: 2,464 people
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#5. Decatur County
- Population aged 65 or older: 27.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.4%
- Median age: 50.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 49.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 52.5 years old
- Total population: 2,826 people
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#4. Smith County
- Population aged 65 or older: 27.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.6%
- Median age: 51.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 51 years old
--- Median age of females: 52.1 years old
- Total population: 3,594 people
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#3. Comanche County
- Population aged 65 or older: 27.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.6%
- Median age: 50.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 57.1 years old
- Total population: 1,759 people
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#2. Elk County
- Population aged 65 or older: 28.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.9%
- Median age: 52.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 51.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 53.6 years old
- Total population: 2,502 people
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#1. Jewell County
- Population aged 65 or older: 30.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.3%
- Median age: 52.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 50.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 54.4 years old
- Total population: 2,854 people
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