Gray Area: The New York County with the Oldest Population
They say age is just a number, but the numbers don't lie: Some counties are older than others.
The website 24/7 Wall Street recently released a study on the counties with the oldest populations in each state.
Americans now are living longer than ever, due primarily to advances in health care. The average life expectancy for a person in the U.S. now sits at 77, which is up 5 years from where it was in the '70s. But also skewing the numbers older is the fact that people aren't having children at the rate they used to.
So in which New York county are you most likely to break a hip, or see a devastating Rascal scooter collision?
HAMILTON COUNTY
Hamilton County, in upper-central New York, is about the size of Delaware and happens to be the least populous county in the state. According to the 2020 census, Hamilton County had 5,107 permanent residents. Hamilton County also lies entirely within Adirondack Park.
Here's how the data from 24/7 Wall Street broke down:
• Median age (years): 55.5 (New York: 39.0)
• Population enrolled in college: 2.9% (New York: 7.3%)
• Population 18 and younger: 15.1% (New York: 22.4%)
• Population 65 and older: 30.9% (New York: 16.2%)
• Total population: 4,454 (New York: 19,514,849)
• No. of counties considered in ranking: 62
HAMILTON RANKED #1 IN ANOTHER STUDY
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Hamilton County earned another distinction for New York counties. In a completely separate study by Stacker, Hamilton County had the biggest percentage drop in population. Based on the first study, this could either be because A) they're dying off, or B) they're moving to somewhere more suited to their age. Those Adirondack winters can be pretty unforgiving.
Based on these two studies, it'll be interesting to see the population numbers in Hamilton County after the next census in 2030.