US states by population under 18

Utah had the highest population under 18 of 51 states in 2017, at 30.1%. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 16.8%. The median was 22.5% and the figure for the United States was 22.6%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest30.1Utah

Lowest16.8District of Columbia

Median22.551 states

United States22.6History

All states, 2017

%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	States	2017 (%)	Change on 2016
1	Utah	30.1	-0.3 pts
2	Idaho	26	-0.2 pts
3	Texas	25.7	-0.2 pts
4	Alaska	25	-0.1 pts
5	Nebraska	25	-0 pts
6	South Dakota	24.8	-0 pts
7	Kansas	24.6	-0.1 pts
8	Oklahoma	24.4	-0.1 pts
9	Georgia	24	-0.2 pts
10	Wyoming	23.9	-0.2 pts
11	Indiana	23.8	-0.1 pts
12	Louisiana	23.7	-0.1 pts
13	Mississippi	23.7	-0.3 pts
14	Arkansas	23.6	-0.1 pts
15	Iowa	23.5	-0 pts
16	Arizona	23.5	-0.3 pts
17	New Mexico	23.4	-0.3 pts
18	Minnesota	23.4	-0 pts
19	North Dakota	23.2	+0.1 pts
20	Nevada	22.9	-0.2 pts
21	Kentucky	22.9	-0.1 pts
22	California	22.8	-0.2 pts
23	Colorado	22.7	-0.3 pts
24	Missouri	22.7	-0.1 pts
25	Illinois	22.6	-0.2 pts
26	Tennessee	22.5	-0.2 pts
27	North Carolina	22.5	-0.2 pts
28	Alabama	22.4	-0.1 pts
29	Ohio	22.4	-0.1 pts
30	Washington	22.3	-0.1 pts
31	Maryland	22.3	-0.1 pts
32	Wisconsin	22.3	-0.1 pts
33	Virginia	22.2	-0.1 pts
34	South Carolina	22.1	-0.2 pts
35	Montana	22	-0.1 pts
36	New Jersey	22	-0.1 pts
37	Michigan	21.9	-0.2 pts
38	Delaware	21.4	-0.2 pts
39	Oregon	21.1	-0.2 pts
40	Hawaii	21.1	-0.2 pts
41	Connecticut	20.9	-0.2 pts
42	New York	20.8	-0.2 pts
43	Pennsylvania	20.7	-0.1 pts
44	West Virginia	20.4	-0.1 pts
45	Florida	20	-0.1 pts
46	Massachusetts	20	-0.2 pts
47	Rhode Island	19.6	-0.2 pts
48	New Hampshire	19.3	-0.3 pts
49	Maine	19	-0.2 pts
50	Vermont	18.9	-0.2 pts
51	District of Columbia	16.8	+0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of total population on 1 July. United States: Census Bureau county population estimates by age; states and the nation are sums of their counties.

Uses the US age of majority. Not comparable with population_0_14_share, which stops at 14.

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: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties (US states by population under 18, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html

MLA 9

Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties, US states by population under 18, 2017. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 June 2026, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population-under-18/us-states?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties. US states by population under 18, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population-under-18/us-states?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties, US states by population under 18, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/population-under-18/us-states?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_us_states_by_population_2017,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties: US states by population under 18, 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population-under-18/us-states?period=2017. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties: US states by population under 18, 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/population-under-18/us-states?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population-under-18/us-states?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

Which state has the highest population under 18?

Utah, with 30.1% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest population under 18?

District of Columbia, with 16.8% in 2017.

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: residents aged 0 to 17 as a percentage of the total on 1 July, 2010 to 2019 from the 2010 to 2020 intercensal file and 2020 onwards from the latest vintage; states and the nation summed from counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.