Feeling old(er)? You’re not alone.
New census data shows Central Florida aging
Noticing a few more gray hairs? Even if they’re not yours, chances are growing that they’re atop a Central Floridian near you.
According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of residents over age 65 has risen in Orange, Osceola, Lake and Seminole counties as baby boomers begin hitting that milestone birthday and millennials put off having children.
The shift itself isn’t huge — roughly 2 percent in each county. In Orange, for instance, where there are now 143,768 residents over 65, seniors grew from an average of 9.7 percent of the total population in the years 2008 to 2012 to an average of 11.1 percent for
the years 2013 to 2017. In Lake, which draws more retirees, the figure climbed from 24.4 to 26.1 percent.
In Osceola, it rose from 11.2 to 12.5, and in Seminole it went from 12.2 to 14.4.
Those 85 and older — the so-called “super seniors” — also grew in each county, though at a smaller rate.
The numbers — from the American Community Survey, a product of the U.S. Census Bureau — reflect a global trend of an aging world, experts say. In 2016, the Pew Research Center called it one of the 10 demographic trends reshaping society.
“The demographic future for the U.S. and the world looks very different than the recent past,” the center noted in a report.
“Growth from 1950 to 2010 was rapid — the global population nearly tripled, and the U.S. population doubled. However, population growth from 2010 to 2050 is projected to be significantly slower and is expected to tilt strongly to the oldest age groups, both globally and in the U.S. Public opinion on whether the growing number of older people is a problem varies dramatically...”
At Age Wave, a California company that examines the business, social, healthcare and cultural implications of the trend, the latest numbers are no surprise.
“We see more people turning 65 today than ever before,” said Katy Flick, vice president of research. “This has happened with all of the countries that were involved in World War II” — after which the birth rate spiked, giving rise to the baby boomers.
The baby boomers subsequently gave birth to the millennials, who have been slower to marry and start families than their predecessors. In Central Florida, the percent of children age 9 and younger dropped slightly in every county — despite the number of people young and old who move here each year.
But if you want to feel younger by association, head to Sumter County, where the 65-and-over crowd is now more than half the population. There, the demographic group climbed from 44.5 percent in 2008-2012 to 54.2 percent in 2013-2017. Those 75 and over are now 20 percent of the population.