U.S. getting older, especially in Plains, Rust Belt

The United States is getting older, especially in the Great Plains and parts of the Rust Belt, Danielle Paquette reports for The Washington Post. "Between 1970 and 2010, the U.S. added 100 million more people—but not in these areas of the country, which have seen sluggish population growth, and in some areas, population loss."

In 1950 U.S. residents under 20 made up 33.9 percent of the population, while those 65 and older consisted of 8.1 percent of the population, says a report by the Congressional Research Service. But those numbers have changed over the years and are projected to keep changing. The share of people under 20 increased to 35 percent of the population in 1975, but dropped to 28.6 percent in 2000 and is expected to drop to 26.4 percent in 2025 and 25.7 percent in 2050. Meanwhile, the share of people 65 and older rose to 12.4 percent in 2000 and is expected to increase to 17.9 percent in 2025 and 20.2 percent in 2050.

While the report says the share of people 20 to 64 held almost steady over the years, the percentage of young workers—ages 25 to 34—saw a significant drop from 1970 to 2010 in states such as Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa, Paquette reports. (Post map)