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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska.
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#50. Howard County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.3%
- Median age: 42.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.5 years old
- Total population: 6,428 people
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#49. Merrick County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.2%
- Median age: 43.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 42.9 years old
- Total population: 7,826 people
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#48. Nance County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.1%
- Median age: 45.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.4 years old
- Total population: 3,525 people
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#47. Cedar County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 25.4%
- Median age: 42.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 40.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.6 years old
- Total population: 8,483 people
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#46. Cuming County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.7%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.4%
- Median age: 40.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 40.6 years old
- Total population: 8,882 people
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#45. Hayes County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.7%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.3%
- Median age: 48.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 48.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.5 years old
- Total population: 889 people
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#44. Holt County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.6%
- Median age: 43.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 42 years old
--- Median age of females: 45 years old
- Total population: 10,123 people
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#43. Custer County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.1%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.9%
- Median age: 43.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.7 years old
- Total population: 10,788 people
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#42. Polk County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.2%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.7%
- Median age: 44.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.9 years old
- Total population: 5,208 people
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#41. Boone County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.5%
- Median age: 44.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.2 years old
- Total population: 5,228 people
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#40. Deuel County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.2%
- Median age: 50.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 50.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 50 years old
- Total population: 1,770 people
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#39. Webster County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.0%
- Median age: 45.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.3 years old
- Total population: 3,497 people
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#38. Grant County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.0%
- Median age: 37.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 37.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 42 years old
- Total population: 691 people
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#37. Loup County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.8%
- Median age: 44.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 35.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 49.3 years old
- Total population: 690 people
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#36. Fillmore County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.3%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.0%
- Median age: 46.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 48 years old
- Total population: 5,542 people
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#35. Perkins County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.8%
- Median age: 42.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 46 years old
- Total population: 2,889 people
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#34. Antelope County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.7%
- Median age: 44.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.9 years old
- Total population: 6,315 people
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#33. Keya Paha County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.7%
- Median age: 48.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 50.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.1 years old
- Total population: 875 people
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#32. Burt County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.3%
- Median age: 45.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.9 years old
- Total population: 6,503 people
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#31. Chase County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.2%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.8%
- Median age: 44.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.5 years old
- Total population: 3,707 people
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#30. Richardson County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.2%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.2%
- Median age: 47.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.9 years old
- Total population: 7,913 people
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#29. Jefferson County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.3%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.1%
- Median age: 47.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 48 years old
- Total population: 7,102 people
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#28. Rock County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.7%
- Median age: 41 years old
--- Median age of males: 38.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.1 years old
- Total population: 1,430 people
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#27. Knox County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.1%
- Median age: 45.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 43 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.5 years old
- Total population: 8,400 people
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#26. Furnas County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.1%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.2%
- Median age: 47.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 46.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.7 years old
- Total population: 4,712 people
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#25. Frontier County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.3%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.8%
- Median age: 44.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.1 years old
- Total population: 2,636 people
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#24. Hitchcock County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.3%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.3%
- Median age: 45.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.9 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.5 years old
- Total population: 2,788 people
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#23. Harlan County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.3%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.4%
- Median age: 46.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.8 years old
- Total population: 3,380 people
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#22. Thomas County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.5%
- Median age: 33.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 31.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 35.7 years old
- Total population: 586 people
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#21. Hooker County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.8%
- Median age: 46.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.8 years old
- Total population: 741 people
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#20. Kimball County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.0%
- Median age: 47.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 49.6 years old
- Total population: 3,576 people
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#19. Thayer County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.7%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.6%
- Median age: 46.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.8 years old
- Total population: 5,000 people
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#18. Greeley County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.7%
- Median age: 45.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.1 years old
- Total population: 2,361 people
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#17. Sheridan County
- Population aged 65 or older: 25.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.4%
- Median age: 46.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.5 years old
- Total population: 5,215 people
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#16. Valley County
- Population aged 65 or older: 26%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.8%
- Median age: 47 years old
--- Median age of males: 46.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.8 years old
- Total population: 4,100 people
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#15. Garfield County
- Population aged 65 or older: 26.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.7%
- Median age: 45.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 40 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.5 years old
- Total population: 2,081 people
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#14. Keith County
- Population aged 65 or older: 26.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.2%
- Median age: 49.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 47.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.1 years old
- Total population: 8,048 people
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#13. Nuckolls County
- Population aged 65 or older: 27%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.3%
- Median age: 49.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 46.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 51.9 years old
- Total population: 4,204 people
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#12. Banner County
- Population aged 65 or older: 27%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.8%
- Median age: 50.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 50.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.4 years old
- Total population: 645 people
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#11. Garden County
- Population aged 65 or older: 27.1%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.6%
- Median age: 49.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 49.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.9 years old
- Total population: 1,916 people
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#10. Franklin County
- Population aged 65 or older: 27.3%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.6%
- Median age: 50.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 49.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 52 years old
- Total population: 2,970 people
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#9. Brown County
- Population aged 65 or older: 27.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.8%
- Median age: 48.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 46 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.5 years old
- Total population: 2,887 people
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#8. Sherman County
- Population aged 65 or older: 27.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.2%
- Median age: 51.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 48.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 51.6 years old
- Total population: 3,015 people
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#7. Gosper County
- Population aged 65 or older: 28%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.6%
- Median age: 54 years old
--- Median age of males: 53.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 54.3 years old
- Total population: 2,001 people
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#6. Pawnee County
- Population aged 65 or older: 28.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.6%
- Median age: 49.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 47.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.6 years old
- Total population: 2,640 people
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#5. Arthur County
- Population aged 65 or older: 31%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 26.0%
- Median age: 48 years old
--- Median age of males: 47.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 50.7 years old
- Total population: 439 people
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#4. Blaine County
- Population aged 65 or older: 31.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.8%
- Median age: 57.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 59 years old
--- Median age of females: 57.1 years old
- Total population: 467 people
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#3. Wheeler County
- Population aged 65 or older: 31.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 13.2%
- Median age: 58.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 53.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 61.1 years old
- Total population: 689 people
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#2. Boyd County
- Population aged 65 or older: 33%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 17.7%
- Median age: 56.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 55.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 56.6 years old
- Total population: 1,882 people
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#1. McPherson County
- Population aged 65 or older: 33.1%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 11.7%
- Median age: 58.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 56.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 58.8 years old
- Total population: 420 people
