Kansas population got older over last decade: study

TOPEKA (KSNT) - New data from the U.S. Census Bureau (USCB) shows that the average Kansan isn't getting any younger.

Last month, the USCB released their statistics showing how the U.S. population has changed from 2010 to 2020. Overall, the country aged rapidly during that time frame due to a drop in births and the aging baby boomer generation, according to a report from The Associated Press (AP).

Several points made in the USCB report for Kansas show trends indicating that the state's residents are getting older and that populations of young people are shrinking:

• Median age
  • 2020 - 37.4
  • 2010 - 36
  • 2000 - 35.2
• % 65 years and over
  • 2020 - 16.7%
  • 2010 - 13.2%
  • 2000 - 13.3%
• % under 18 years
  • 2020 - 24.1%
  • 2010 - 25.5%
  • 2000 - 26.5%

The largest concentration of older residents sorted by metro areas is Topeka at 19.4% people above the age of 65. Metro areas in Kansas with the largest numbers of young people are Manhattan and Lawrence which have disproportionate numbers of residents in the 20-24 age groups due to the presence of Kansas State University and the University of Kansas.

Compared to all other states in the country and the District of Columbia, Kansas is actually considered to have one of the youngest populations in the U.S., according to USCB statistics. Below is a top 10 list of states with the youngest populations in the nation when sorting by median age:

1. Utah - 31.3
2. District of Columbia - 33.9
3. Texas - 35.6
4. Alaska - 35.6
5. North Dakota - 35.8
6. Idaho - 36.8
7. Nebraska - 36.9
8. Colorado - 37.2
9. Oklahoma - 37.3
10. Kansas - 37.4

To find out more about how our country's populations are changing using USCB statistics, click here.