Declining Growth from Natural Increase: The Impact of Population Aging

Net migration has been a major driver of North Carolina’s growth since 1990 and its importance will only increase in coming years. The only other potential source of growth is natural increase—births minus deaths—and this has been declining since the recession. In my recent post, I noted that even if fertility rates increase significantly, we should not expect natural increase to rebound to prior levels, largely due to the growing impacts of population aging. Although…

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State by State: Population Growth by Age, 2010-2015

The U.S. Census Bureau's July 1, 2015, population estimates revealed significant differences in population growth by age group, highlighting major impacts of population aging since 2010. There were also differences in state-by-state population growth. For example, more than half of states reported fewer working-age adults and fewer children in 2015 than in 2010. At the same time, every state saw large increases in the size of their 65+ populations. This post highlights some of the major age…

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Growing 65+ population accounts for majority of population growth in North Carolina, nation

The oldest Baby Boomers began turning 65 on January 1, 2011. Every day since then, about 10,000 Baby Boomers have turned 65. This will continue through the end of 2029. Less than five years into this process, U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2015 already reveal significant impacts of the Boomer’s population aging. In 2010, just under 13% of North Carolina’s population was 65 or older. Five years later, in 2015, this proportion…

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NC in Focus: Veteran Population, 2015

The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey contains detailed data about our nation’s veterans, their demographic characteristics, their social lives, and their economic well-being. This is the data we have used in previous snapshots of North Carolina’s veterans (here and here). Additional data on the veteran population is produced by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA produces projections of the veteran population through 2043. In addition to total veteran population, they provide…

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