Most New Hampshire counties projected to see growth, but average age keeps increasing

Loss of population in rural areas is a concern in many states. New Hampshire is experiencing a different phenomenon. Nine of the state's counties are predicted to grow, but much of that growth consists of an influx of older residents, Gretchen Grosky reports for the New Hampshire Union Leader. It's projected that by 2040 one-third of the population of the Granite State, already the second oldest in median age, will be 65 and older, according to a report from the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning. (NHOEP graphic)

New Hampshire officials estimate that by 2040 there will be 408,522 residents 65 or older—a 129 percent increase over the 2010 Census report of 178,268—and residents 85 and older is projected to be 85,121, an increase of 244 percent, Grosky writes. The only county not to see growth, Coos County, is expected to see a 22 percent drop in the number of school age children by 2040. A state official said Coos County is already the state's oldest county. (Read more)