EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:
After an almost two-year delay, the U.S. Census Bureau has made public its latest figures from the 2020 census, releasing data sets dealing with ages, housing and household relationships in the U.S.
The results show a nation that aged more rapidly between 2010 and 2020 than any other decade in 130 years, with the median age rising from 37.2 to 38.8. America’s two largest age groups propelled the changes: more baby boomers turning 65 or older and millennials who became adults or pushed further into their 20s and early 30s. Also, fewer children were born between 2010 and 2020, according to numbers from the once-a-decade head count of every U.S. resident.
There are important social and economic consequences to an aging population, including the ability of working-age adults to support older people through Social Security and Medicare contributions. The Census Bureau calculates a dependency ratio, defined as the number of children plus the number of seniors per 100 working-age people. While the dependency ratio decreased for children from 2010 to 2020, it increased for seniors by 6.8 people.
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READ AP'S COVERAGE
Aging America: Baby boomers push nation’s median age to almost 39 as fewer children are born
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LEARN ABOUT THE DATA
The Census Bureau on Thursday released two files from the 2020 census: the Demographic Profile and Demographic and Housing Characteristics File, referred to as the DHC. They cover a lot of the same ground, but the Demographic Profile is better at giving you an overview, while the DHC is better for getting into the weeds. The data cover age breakdowns; numbers on different types of households, whether they are made up of single people, married couples or same-sex partners; and whether homes were rented or for sale.
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INSERT DATA FOR YOUR COMMUNITY
Use the dropdown to view data for your state using The Demographic Profile: https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2023/dec/2020-census-demographic-profile.html#data
Access a range of spreadsheets and dig into data down to the neighborhood block using the Demographic and Housing Characteristics File: https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2023/dec/2020-census-dhc.html#data
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EXPLORE OTHER RESOURCES
Because there is so much detailed data in this release, it can be sometimes difficult to navigate. The Census Bureau has produced a series of reports on the data release that are helpful in summarizing findings by topic. If you scroll a bit into each report, you will see at least a partial breakdown by geographic area, sometimes to the county level.
Age and Sex Composition, 2020: https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2020/census-briefs/c2020br-06.pdf
The Older Population, 2020: https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2020/census-briefs/c2020br-07.pdf
An Aging U.S. Population with Fewer Children in 2020: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/05/aging-united-states-population-fewer-children-in-2020.html
2020 Census: 1 in 6 People in the United States Were 65 and Over: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/05/2020-census-united-states-older-population-grew.html
Share of U.S. Coupled Households Declined in 2020: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/05/coupled-households-declined-in-2020.html
Family Households Still the Majority: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/05/family-households-still-the-majority.html
Hispanic Population is Younger but Aging Faster than Non-Hispanic Population: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/05/hispanic-population-younger-but-aging-faster.html
See a Vacant Home? It May Not Be For Sale or Rent: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/05/vacant-seasonal-housing.html
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CONSIDER THESE STORY IDEAS
— Given the stark increase in the number of seniors in the U.S., find out how much the number or share of people age 65 and older grew in your community from 2010 to 2020. If it jumped significantly, look into whether there are enough resources to support an aging population, such as home caregivers, older adult centers, nursing homes or retirement communities. Are there chronic shortages of services that are more needed than before? Many cities, like New York, have elder affairs departments and those are good places to start in exploring what resources your community has. You can find tables on age and sex here.
— This was the first census since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, and it showed same-sex households made up 1.7% of coupled households. Since the census didn’t ask about sexual orientation, it didn’t capture LGBTQ+ people who are single or don’t live with a partner or spouse. However, there are still good stories to be found. Look at which neighborhoods same-sex couples are living in your community. The DHC data provides same-sex spouse and same-sex partner figures for geographies as small as census tracts, which optimally have around 4,000 residents. What factors attracted couples to these neighborhoods? Are there more married or partnered same-sex couples? What changes in your community are driving those trends? You can find tables on same-sex households here.
— The number of children under age 5 nationwide declined by almost 9% between 2010 and 2020. Find out if your community has experienced a similar decline in the youngest children, and if so, what impact that is having. A good place to start is by asking your public school district for student enrollment projections over the next several years. Are schools going to have to close? Will teachers be laid off? You can find data on children here.
— Look at the ratio of men to woman, also known as the sex ratio, and how it has changed over the decade in your community. A sex ratio of 100 indicates an equal number of men and women. Historically, the sex ratio for babies is around 105 males for 100 females, but that changes with age, and typically, among the oldest ages, the ratio falls below 50, with one man for every two women. Changes in the population, say through migration, can upset the sex ratio in a community. For instance, men outpaced woman in North Dakota over the decade as the energy boom drew workers from the male-dominated oil sector. You can find age and sex population data here.
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Localize It is an occasional feature produced by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org.
