Compared to national and statewide averages, rural counties in upstate New York have a much larger share of residents aged 65 and older, the latest Census Bureau estimates show.
The 65+ population was 15.3 percent of the U.S. total as of mid-2016, according to census data released today. The Empire State as a whole was just a hair above the national average, with 15.4 percent of New Yorkers falling into the age category that demographers generally tag as elderly.
However—as is also the case with statistics reflecting wealth and economic growth—there is a pronounced disparity in the age profile between upstate and downstate areas. New York City was well below the state and national averages, with an elderly population that came to just 13.5 percent of total. The 65+ population in downstate suburban areas were generally above the national average—but not far above, ranging from a low of 15.4 percent in Rockland County to 17 percent in Nassau County.
The counties with the oldest age profiles were all upstate. The list was topped by Hamilton County, where elderly residents made up nearly 29 percent of the population, followed by Delaware, Columbia, Essex and Warren, all of which had elderly populations of 21 percent or more. That top five list reflects two characteristics of New York counties with older age profiles: most, such as Delaware and Essex, are both sparsely populated and poor, but some, like Columbia and Warren, have also become retirement havens for relatively affluent senior citizens.
The concentration of elderly residents by county is depicted the map below.
Since 2010, census data also show, the share of New York residents aged 65 and over has grown in line with previous trends, which have been more pronounced upstate than downstate or in the U.S. as a whole. And it’s projected that the older-age population of New York will continue growing in coming decades, which at least in part reflects the departure of younger residents.
As shown in the table below, the Mohawk Valley and Southern Tier, respectively, had the largest elderly populations in the state. After New York City, the region with the second lowest proportion of elderly resident was the North Country—but the average for that region was heavily weighted by Jefferson County, which includes a concentration of young military families in Fort Drum-Watertown area. With just 13.3 percent of its population over 64, Jefferson had upstate’s smallest elderly population. The North Country’s age profile also is affected by the region’s concentration of state prisons, whose mostly non-elderly inmates are counted in the local population.
You may also like
Pandemic-driven population shift within NYS winds down — and flight to rest of US continues
New York City and its suburbs accounted for most of New York State’s during the second year of the pandemic, according to the latest county-level estimates from the Census Bureau.
for the 12 months ending last July 1 indicate the city’s populatio Read More
NY’s pre-Covid tax base drain confirmed in new comptroller’s report
New York was a net loser of income tax filers to other states even in the five years leading up to the pandemic disruption of 2020 Read More
Here’s a tool for sorting out New York’s local population trends
Federal census data for 2020 indicate New York State's total population increased by 823,147 residents, or 4 percent, since 2010. Population gains over the last decade were concentrated in urban areas and inner suburbs, while most rural communities saw th Read More
Remote Threat
Remote work and a more mobile professional class will increase the speed and scope of New York's ongoing out migration. Read More
NY’s getting a bit grayer
The elderly share of America's population has been growing—but New York is graying more slowly. That’s among the trends to be gleaned from the latest U.S. Census estimates of population distributions by age group at the state and county level. Read More
Jobs grow further apart in NY
Newly revised data from the state Labor Department indicate New York's regional economic performance gap has grown larger in the last year.
On a year-to-year basis, the state gained 103,900 private-sector jobs in January—a growth rate of 1.3 percent at a time when the U.S. as a whole was growing by 2.1 percent, according to the state Labor Department's monthly jobs report. Read More
How “North NY” would stack up
If the New York counties north of the New York City metro region were to split off and become a separate state, how would it rank nationally?
The question is prompted by news accounts of last weekend's Southern Tier rally by a coalition of groups whose members want upstate to secede from the rest of New York. Not all the advocates favor creation of a separate state, however. Some favor absorption into Pennsylvania, while others suggest avoiding the constitutional hurdles of full statehood by changing New York's own constitution to create two "autonomous regions" within the outline of a "token" remaining single state. In addition, their definitions of "upstate" seem to differ. Read More
NY foreign immigration falls short of out-migration
New York’s net population gain from foreign immigration failed to fully offset its net loss from domestic migration between 2010 to 2012, the latest two-year Census estimates show.
Read More