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America is aging, but Maryland is aging faster.
Those are the findings of new Census numbers that show the number of Marylanders age 65 and older grew by 3.35% from 2023 to 2024, while the number of those under age 18 fell by 0.06%. Nationally, the increase of older adults was 3.1% while those under 18 shrank by 0.10%.
The state鈥檚 population overall rose by more than 45,000 last year, the most since 2015. While the one-year numbers are relatively small, analysts say they continue recent trends: The country鈥檚 median age and the population鈥檚 share of older adults are both continuously increasing.
鈥淐hildren still outnumber older adults in the United States, despite a decline in births this decade,鈥� Lauren Bowers, chief of the Census Bureau鈥檚 Population Estimates Branch, said in a statement. 鈥淗owever, the gap is narrowing as baby boomers continue to age into their retirement years.鈥�
The number of states where those over age 65 now outnumber children has grown from just three in 2020 to 11 in 2024, though Maryland is not yet one of those states.
While the state鈥檚 6.2 million residents overall are aging slightly faster than the rest of the U.S., some of the fastest aging is occurring in central Maryland counties, while some of the rural counties are seeing their populations age differently.
In Western Maryland counties like Allegany and Washington, for example, or Somerset and Talbot counties on the Eastern Shore, the 65-and-over population rose less than 2% year to year. And the median age fell or stayed the same in all four counties.
Among counties with rising median ages, Howard County saw the largest increase, going from 39.9 years in 2023 to 40.3 in 2024, according to the Census data.
Jie Chen, director of the University of Maryland, College Park鈥檚 Center on Aging, said the aging disparity between rural and urban areas stems from differences in resources. Most communities that can work to make themselves age-friendly tend to be in urban areas, she said.
鈥淭he rural areas usually have worse access to health care, housing and transportation,鈥� Chen said. The lack of rural hospitals can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment for older residents, she said.
She said communities are aging primarily due to advancing technology and the state鈥檚 improving economy.
鈥淧eople live happier and longer,鈥� said Chen, also the chair of the university鈥檚 Health Policy and Management department. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a bad thing.鈥�
But, Chen added, the declining birthrate among young people has led to the state鈥檚 disproportionate ratio of older and younger residents. She attributed that decrease in birthrate to cultural shifts and reluctance to start a family given the high cost of living.
Chen said there is plenty of room for improvement in how resources are allocated for aging residents, especially in the health care system, to ensure aging residents can live happily and healthily 鈥渨ithout sacrificing anyone else鈥檚 benefits.鈥�
Benjamin Orr, president of the Maryland Center on Economic Policy, said the trend is nothing surprising.
鈥淭he United States as a whole, our population is getting older,鈥� Orr said. 鈥淢aryland鈥檚 population is no exception.鈥�
Orr said the goal is for the state to have a healthy 鈥渨orking age鈥� and under-18 population, but the state doesn鈥檛 need 鈥渆xplosive growth鈥� in those groups.
An aging population can lead to slower economic growth, he said, and shifting government spending priorities as the state covers increasing health care and Medicare costs.
鈥淲e also know that people who are still in the workforce typically pay more taxes,鈥� Orr said. 鈥淪o an aging population can put further strain on government budgets, not just because they may need more services, but also because they may be paying鈥� less payroll taxes or not spending as much.
Orr added that Maryland is already doing many of the right things to attract working age adults and young families, such as a higher minimum wage and good public schools.
The Census data also showed a continuing shift in Maryland鈥檚 racial demographics over the last five years.
Since 2020, the state鈥檚 Hispanic population has increased by almost 14%, while its Black and Asian populations saw more moderate increases. The number of non-Hispanic white residents shrank by more than 100,000 people, while the state鈥檚 Hispanic population last year alone grew by about 30,000 people.
In an interview with Maryland Matters, Bowers said the trend in Maryland also mirrors the rest of the country. Since 2020, the U.S. Hispanic population has increased by just more than 6 million people, she said.
