Data / Rankings / Population aged 65 and over / US states

US states by share of population aged 65 and over

Maine had the highest share of population aged 65 and over of 51 states in 2021, at 22.4%. Utah had the lowest, at 12%. The median was 17.6% and the figure for the United States was 17.3%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest22.4Maine
Lowest12Utah
Median17.651 states
United States17.3History

All states, 2021

CSVChart (SVG)

MaineMaine: 22.4 %22.4FloridaFlorida: 21.6 %21.6VermontVermont: 21.4 %21.4West VirginiaWest Virginia: 20.9 %20.9MontanaMontana: 20.3 %20.3DelawareDelaware: 20.3 %20.3HawaiiHawaii: 20.3 %20.3New HampshireNew Hampshire: 20.1 %20.1PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 19.5 %19.5South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 19.4 %19.4OregonOregon: 19.4 %19.4ArizonaArizona: 19.1 %19.1New MexicoNew Mexico: 19.1 %19.1Rhode IslandRhode Island: 18.8 %18.8WisconsinWisconsin: 18.6 %18.6MichiganMichigan: 18.5 %18.5IowaIowa: 18.4 %18.4WyomingWyoming: 18.4 %18.4OhioOhio: 18.4 %18.4ConnecticutConnecticut: 18.4 %18.4MassachusettsMassachusetts: 18 %18South DakotaSouth Dakota: 18 %18MissouriMissouri: 17.9 %17.9AlabamaAlabama: 17.9 %17.9ArkansasArkansas: 17.8 %17.8MississippiMississippi: 17.6 %17.6North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 17.5 %17.5New YorkNew York: 17.5 %17.5KentuckyKentucky: 17.5 %17.5TennesseeTennessee: 17.4 %17.4IdahoIdaho: 17.2 %17.2MinnesotaMinnesota: 17.2 %17.2KansasKansas: 17.2 %17.2LouisianaLouisiana: 16.9 %16.9IllinoisIllinois: 16.9 %16.9New JerseyNew Jersey: 16.9 %16.9IndianaIndiana: 16.9 %16.9WashingtonWashington: 16.8 %16.8NebraskaNebraska: 16.8 %16.8NevadaNevada: 16.8 %16.8OklahomaOklahoma: 16.7 %16.7VirginiaVirginia: 16.7 %16.7MarylandMaryland: 16.4 %16.4North DakotaNorth Dakota: 16.3 %16.3CaliforniaCalifornia: 15.7 %15.7ColoradoColorado: 15.6 %15.6GeorgiaGeorgia: 15.2 %15.2TexasTexas: 13.7 %13.7AlaskaAlaska: 13.7 %13.7District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 13 %13UtahUtah: 12 %12
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankStates2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Maine22.4+0.5 pts
2Florida21.6+0.4 pts
3Vermont21.4+0.6 pts
4West Virginia20.9+0.4 pts
5Montana20.3+0.3 pts
6Delaware20.3+0.6 pts
6Hawaii20.3+0.8 pts
8New Hampshire20.1+0.7 pts
9Pennsylvania19.5+0.4 pts
10South Carolina19.4+0.4 pts
11Oregon19.4+0.5 pts
12Arizona19.1+0.4 pts
13New Mexico19.1+0.5 pts
14Rhode Island18.8+0.5 pts
15Wisconsin18.6+0.5 pts
16Michigan18.5+0.5 pts
17Iowa18.4+0.3 pts
18Wyoming18.4+0.6 pts
19Ohio18.4+0.4 pts
20Connecticut18.4+0.4 pts
21Massachusetts18+0.4 pts
22South Dakota18+0.3 pts
23Missouri17.9+0.3 pts
24Alabama17.9+0.3 pts
25Arkansas17.8+0.2 pts
26Mississippi17.6+0.4 pts
27North Carolina17.5+0.3 pts
28New York17.5+0.7 pts
29Kentucky17.5+0.3 pts
30Tennessee17.4+0.3 pts
31Idaho17.2+0.3 pts
32Minnesota17.2+0.5 pts
33Kansas17.2+0.4 pts
34Louisiana16.9+0.5 pts
35Illinois16.9+0.5 pts
36New Jersey16.9+0.4 pts
37Indiana16.9+0.3 pts
38Washington16.8+0.5 pts
39Nebraska16.8+0.4 pts
40Nevada16.8+0.4 pts
41Oklahoma16.7+0.2 pts
42Virginia16.7+0.4 pts
43Maryland16.4+0.4 pts
44North Dakota16.3+0.4 pts
45California15.7+0.5 pts
46Colorado15.6+0.5 pts
47Georgia15.2+0.4 pts
48Texas13.7+0.3 pts
49Alaska13.7+0.6 pts
50District of Columbia13+0.3 pts
51Utah12+0.3 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Residents aged 65 or over as a percentage of total population. Spain: 1 January, INE annual census. United States: 1 July, Census Bureau population estimates. World Bank figures for other countries and the World refer to mid-year.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex (cc-est agesex): residents aged 65 and over as a percentage of the total, 1 July; states and the nation summed from counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/counties/asrh/cc-est2025-agesex-all.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank US states by share of population aged 65 and over using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"population_65_plus_share","level":"region","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=population_65_plus_share&level=region&within=United%20States&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which state has the highest share of population aged 65 and over?

Maine, with 22.4% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest share of population aged 65 and over?

Utah, with 12% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex (cc-est agesex): residents aged 65 and over as a percentage of the total, 1 July; states and the nation summed from counties. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Population aged 65 and over: other rankings

US states: more rankings