Washington Faces Growing Gap Between Young and Old
Washington’s population is getting old, and thanks to recent census data, there are not going to be as many replacements for us in the future if this trend keeps going.
The movie Idiocracy, created by Mike Judge, shows how the population got dumber over time. This was due to (spoiler alert for a 20-year-old amazing movie) that the smart people couldn’t decide on the right time to start a family, while the dumb people kept multiplying like rabbits.
What is happening now is not much different. No, I’m not going to comment on the current economic or political status for comparisons, just the fact of why people are not starting families and helping repopulate as our older generations age out.
Census Data Reveals a Shift in Washington’s Age Groups
According to data from the United States Census Bureau, the older population in America is growing, whereas the younger population is shrinking. Stating that the population aged 65 and older grew by 13%, and people 18 and under fell by 1.7%.
When it comes to replacing those numbers, the increase for people 65 and up increased from 12.4% to 18% in 20 years, whereas kids 18 and younger fell from 25% to 21.5% in the same time frame.
Their stats also show that the average age hit a record high of 39.1, from 38.5 in just a 4-year span.
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Washington still has more younger people than older according to the data, but the same thing can’t be said for Oregon, and who knows what the records will show in 4 more years.
Life Imitates Idiocracy? The Population Problem Explained
Why are there more older people than younger? Like I pointed out with the Idiocracy comparison above, more people are not starting families. They feel they aren’t ready to become a parent. Or they see the world around them, and ask, “Why would I want to bring a child into this?”
It is sad, but as a person in my 40s, happily married, with no children, I get it. I always told myself if it happens, it happens. My wife didn’t want children, so we got a dog, and we couldn’t be happier.
What Happens If This Trend Continues in Washington?
When it is all said and done, America isn’t getting any younger, and if the trend keeps up, there will come a day when we’ll go from not changing any diapers to not having anyone help change our diapers.
For a further breakdown, visit Census.gov. What do you think? Tap the App and sound off.
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