Senior Population Growth by Housing Market

Since the 2010 Census, the share of the U.S. population aged 65 years and older has risen 3.3 percent annually. New analysis looks at senior population trends by housing market.

Senior populations have grown the most in Colorado and Florida, with an increase of 80 percent in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and over 70 percent growth in The Villages, Florida. However, the largest population losses have been in the East and Midwest regions' major metros. NewGeography.com's Wendell Cox found that 10 of the 12 least suburbanized metros also rank in the top 15 areas with the slowest senior growth rates, including New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Said Cox, "So much for the popular media meme of seniors flocking 'back to the city.'"

While senior domestic migration data is not readily available, trends can be roughly estimated by the extent to which growth has exceeded or fallen short of the national senior population growth rate. Fourteen of the 15 largest gains have occurred in the major metropolitan areas, led by Atlanta, Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth, where overall senior growth exceed by 80,000 the number that would have occurred at the national rate.

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