June 7, 2001

Median Age in North Dakota Increases to 36.2 years

The median age in North Dakota is 36.2 years, according to the latest Population Bulletin released from the North Dakota State Data Center at North Dakota State University. During the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, the median age remained fairly stable around 26 years. Beginning in 1980, however, the median age has steadily risen, increasing, on average, four years per decade.

"The steady rise in North Dakota’s median age can be attributed to three factors," said Richard Rathge, director of the State Data Center. "First, the baby boom cohort is aging, with its leading edge reaching the early pre-retirement stage. Currently, we have more than 28,000 more North Dakotans in the 45 to 54 age group than we did in 1990. Second, the significant loss of young adults is driving our median age upward. Finally, we have a net in-migration of elderly in our state which also inflates median age," said Rathge.

This is best illustrated by the fact that North Dakota has the highest relative proportion of seniors over the age of 85.

Nationally, the median age reached 35.3 years in 2000, up from 34.2 years in 1990. North Dakota now has the 17th oldest median age in the nation. West Virginia, Florida, Maine, and Pennsylvania have the oldest median ages in the nation (38.9, 38.7, 38.6, and 38.0 years, respectively). Utah has the youngest median age in the nation at 27.1 years, approximately 5 years less than the next state of Texas at 32.3 years.

Fourteen of North Dakota’s counties had median ages that ranked them among the nation’s 100 highest. Half of North Dakota’s counties ranked in the top 350 oldest median ages of all 3,140 counties in the United States. In terms of median age, McIntosh County was the oldest county in the state and the fifth oldest county in the nation at 51 years. Statewide, the lowest median ages in 2000 were Sioux, Rolette, and Grand Forks counties, each less than 30 years. Sioux County’s median age of 23.9 years was the 16th lowest in the nation.

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Source: Richard Rathge, (701) 231-8621, richard_rathge@ndsu.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu

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