Even States Like Florida With High Median Ages Have Counties Younger Than the National Median
July 1, 2025
But while a retirement magnet, not every corner of the Sunshine (or any other) state is “old” or, for that matter, “young.” Some older states like Florida have counties with much younger populations, while some counties within the youngest states like Utah are graying fast. In both instances, these intra-state discrepancies are driven by migration patterns combined with the numbers of births and deaths.
The nation as a whole is aging. But a look at the median age (the age where half the population is older and the other half is younger) of states and counties tells a more nuanced story (Figure 1).
For example, Maine is the nation’s oldest state, yet it’s also the only state whose median age (44.8) hasn’t increased since 2020.
“Median age is useful as a broad measure of how young or old a state’s population is, but it doesn’t provide insight into specific age groups and, of course, says nothing about younger or older areas within a state.”
– Marc Perry, senior demographer in the
U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Division
Utah remains the youngest state with a median age of 32.4, but it also ranks among the states aging fastest: Utah’s median age increased by 1.0 from 2020 to 2024, one of only six states that added a year or more to their median age during that period.
Some states with older median ages also have pockets of younger populations. In 2024, Florida was the nation’s fifth oldest state with a median age of 42.6, after Maine, Vermont (43.6), New Hampshire (43.6) and West Virginia (43.0)— states all well above the nation’s median age of 39.1.
But Florida also had some counties much younger than the national median age.
“Median age is useful as a broad measure of how young or old a state’s population is, but it doesn’t provide insight into specific age groups and, of course, says nothing about younger or older areas within a state,” said Marc Perry, senior demographer in the Census Bureau’s Population Division.
Median Age by County
There was a 47.1-year difference in median age between the nation’s oldest and youngest counties in 2024, resulting in age structures vastly different than the nation’s (Figure 2).
Florida was home to the nation’s oldest county: Sumter County, with a median age of 68.1, and it is one of three Florida counties that houses the nation’s largest (32 square miles) retirement community, The Villages.
The nation’s youngest county, with a median age of 20.9, was Madison County in Idaho, where Brigham Young University-Idaho is located.
The median age gap among counties in any given state varies widely and often challenges the assumption that an entire state is young or old based strictly on its median age.
Connecticut was the state with the smallest difference in median age among its counties (7.3 years), while Virginia was the state with the biggest (38.3 years).
Florida featured one of the largest median age gaps among counties. Its youngest county, Leon County, is home to several colleges and universities, which contributed to its 2024 median age of 32.6. Additionally, the median age in 22 of Florida’s 67 counties decreased from 2020 to 2024.
By the same token, Utah’s reputation as a young state gets more complicated when viewed at the county level.
From 2020 to 2024, the median age increased in 28 of Utah’s 29 counties, and 7 of the 29 had a median age above 40—which is just above the national median age of 39.1. The state’s oldest county, Daggett County, had over ten years on the nation with a median age of 49.8.
Additionally, eight states (Virginia, Texas, Florida, Washington, South Dakota, Georgia, Idaho, and New Mexico) had a median age difference greater than 30 years between their youngest and oldest counties. All but Florida had median ages under 40 (Table 1).
Trends in Median Age
Younger populations have greater capacity to age, and to age rapidly, which often explains their larger annual increases in median age. Alternatively, states and counties with large older populations have less room to age, and therefore tend to exhibit little to no increase in median age over time. This is a reflection of both age structure and the underlying demographic components of births, deaths and migration.
“Simply put, it’s harder for already-old states to get much older — at least in the short run,” Perry said. “It’s a different story for younger states, however. With baby boomers moving into their retirement years and generally fewer births than last decade, the aging of these younger states is accelerating.”
