Where NJ’s elder population percentage ranks among the states

New Jersey is home to a number of diverse communities, and that includes the population of older residents. U.S. Census Bureau data in 2022 revealed how many people who are retired or nearly retired, and ages 65 and older, live in each state.

Take a look at where New Jersey ranks with its numbers of older and younger populations.

Older population in NJ

Residents who are 65 years or older make up 17.4% of the state’s population. That is on par with the nation’s average of 17.3%.

Ten percent of New Jersey’s residents are between the ages 65 and 74, 5.4% are between 75 and 84, and 2% are 85 or older.

Twenty-nine other states have higher elderly percentages of population. The states with the highest percentage of older residents are Maine, Florida, West Virginia and Vermont, which all have over 20% of their residents 65 or older.

New Jersey’s largest age group is 55 to 59 years old. New Jersey is home to 323,562 males and 332,821 females in that age range.

Where NJ ranks nationwide

The median age of New Jersey residents is 40.4.

This is close to the national median age of 39 years old, according to the Census Bureau.

New Jersey is tied with Wisconsin as the 13th-oldest by median age. Utah is the youngest, with an average age of 32.1, and Maine has the highest median age, at 45.1.

The states older than New Jersey are Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Oregon, West Virginia, Delaware, South Carolina, Florida and Hawaii.

The average retirement age in the United States is 65 for men and 62 for women.