Oldest States in America by Median Age

The median American is 38.9 years old, but the states span a remarkably wide range around that figure. Maine is the nation's oldest state with a median age of 44.8 years, while Utah is the youngest at 32.0 years — a gap of more than a decade. This page ranks every state from oldest to youngest.

Top 10 Oldest States by Median Age

44.8

43.3

43.1

42.7

42.6

41.6

41.1

40.9

40.6

Two different forces put a state at the top of this list. Northern New England — led by Maine and its neighbors — is old because young people have left and few immigrants have replaced them, while retirement destinations are old because seniors keep arriving. The share of residents 75 and older tells the two stories apart: in Maine it is 8.9%, against a national figure of 7.0%.

At the other end, Utah stands out with 27.8% of its population under 18 — the product of the country's highest birth rates — while fast-growing Sun Belt states stay young by importing working-age adults. Age structure quietly shapes many of the other rankings on this site: an older population pulls down labor-force participation and household income, which is worth keeping in mind when reading the income rankings.

Full Rankings

#	State	Median Age	Under 18	75 and Older	Population
1	Maine	44.8 years	18.1%	8.9%	1,387,817
2	New Hampshire	43.3 years	18.2%	7.9%	1,394,868
3	Vermont	43.1 years	17.9%	8.5%	647,106
4	West Virginia	42.7 years	20.0%	8.5%	1,778,373
5	Florida	42.6 years	19.5%	9.6%	22,416,077
6	Delaware	41.6 years	20.7%	8.1%	1,021,191
7	Connecticut	41.1 years	20.2%	7.8%	3,624,508
8	Pennsylvania	40.9 years	20.4%	8.1%	13,018,639
9	Hawaii	40.9 years	20.7%	9.0%	1,445,235
10	Rhode Island	40.6 years	18.8%	7.8%	1,101,801
11	Oregon	40.4 years	19.9%	7.6%	4,254,293
12	Montana	40.4 years	21.0%	7.8%	1,116,875
13	Michigan	40.2 years	21.2%	7.4%	10,077,761
14	Wisconsin	40.2 years	21.4%	7.3%	5,914,872
15	South Carolina	40.2 years	21.4%	7.4%	5,296,225
16	New Jersey	40.1 years	21.8%	7.2%	9,343,809
17	Massachusetts	40.0 years	19.4%	7.4%	7,044,056
18	New York	39.8 years	20.5%	7.6%	19,852,366
19	Ohio	39.7 years	22.0%	7.3%	11,810,293
20	Maryland	39.4 years	22.2%	6.8%	6,206,011
21	New Mexico	39.4 years	21.8%	7.8%	2,120,246
22	Alabama	39.3 years	22.2%	7.1%	5,086,768
23	North Carolina	39.1 years	21.8%	6.9%	10,730,404
24	Kentucky	39.1 years	22.6%	6.8%	4,534,824
25	Nevada	39.1 years	21.7%	6.7%	3,184,612
26	Wyoming	39.1 years	22.5%	7.0%	582,397
27	Illinois	39.0 years	21.9%	7.0%	12,694,798
28	Virginia	39.0 years	21.7%	6.8%	8,705,170
29	Arizona	39.0 years	21.6%	8.1%	7,378,838
30	Missouri	39.0 years	22.3%	7.3%	6,191,814
31	Tennessee	38.9 years	22.2%	6.8%	7,066,383
32	Minnesota	38.8 years	22.9%	7.0%	5,739,445
33	Iowa	38.6 years	22.9%	7.6%	3,210,507
34	Mississippi	38.6 years	23.3%	6.8%	2,946,779
35	Arkansas	38.5 years	23.1%	7.2%	3,049,391
36	Washington	38.3 years	21.4%	6.5%	7,816,116
37	Indiana	38.1 years	23.3%	6.7%	6,851,073
38	Louisiana	38.0 years	23.5%	6.5%	4,611,961
39	South Dakota	38.0 years	24.2%	7.0%	907,428
40	California	37.9 years	22.0%	6.5%	39,287,377
41	Colorado	37.7 years	21.0%	5.9%	5,862,189
42	Georgia	37.6 years	23.2%	5.8%	10,940,407
43	Kansas	37.4 years	23.8%	6.9%	2,947,197
44	Idaho	37.3 years	24.1%	6.6%	1,934,262
45	Nebraska	37.2 years	24.5%	6.8%	1,978,707
46	Oklahoma	37.0 years	23.9%	6.6%	4,028,634
47	North Dakota	35.9 years	23.5%	7.0%	784,841
48	Alaska	35.8 years	24.1%	4.6%	735,706
49	Texas	35.6 years	25.0%	5.2%	30,188,424
50	District of Columbia	34.9 years	18.7%	5.4%	681,294
51	Utah	32.0 years	27.8%	4.6%	3,392,331

The District of Columbia is included for comparison, although it is not a state.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates.

About This Ranking

All figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, the Bureau's most reliable dataset for state and local statistics. Because estimates pool five years of survey responses, they describe a recent period rather than a single moment, and small differences between closely ranked entries may fall within the survey's margin of error. Learn more about the data on our methodology page or at data.census.gov.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the oldest state in the US?

Maine has the highest median age of any US state at 44.8 years, followed by New Hampshire at 43.3 years.

What is the youngest state in the US?

Utah is the youngest state with a median age of 32.0 years, and 27.8% of its population is under 18.

What is the median age in the United States?

The median age in the US is 38.9 years. About 21.9% of Americans are under 18 and 7.0% are 75 or older.