CHEYENNE (WNE) — The elderly population (age 65 and over) in the state grew 3.2% between July 2023 and July 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

By comparison, Wyoming’s total population only grew 0.4% during the year. The median age (half of the population is younger, and the other half older) rose 0.3 to 39.9 years, while it increased from 39.0 to 39.1 in the U.S. from 2023 to 2024.

The new data indicate that the aging of Wyoming’s population continued to be speedy, and the pace was the most rapid in the country.

“The primary reason was the impact of aging Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), but the outmigration of young people and a decline in the fertility rate also contributed to the situation,” said Wenlin Liu, chief economist with the state of Wyoming’s Economic Analysis Division, in a news release. 

Since the initial Baby Boomer cohort reached the age of 65 in 2011, there has been a precipitous increase in the size of the older population. With the quick aging, Wyoming’s median age increased to the 19th highest compared to other states in 2024, and eclipsed all neighboring states except Montana.

Wyoming has one of the highest proportions of the baby boom population (age 60-78 in 2024), and one of the lowest proportions of Generation X (age 44 to 59 in 2024) in the country. For example, the number of residents age 50-59 was 12,500 (or 16.2%) less than the age 60-69 group.

“The state has been facing a labor shortage as the number of resident workers is insufficient to fill the positions vacated by retiring Baby Boomers under normal economic circumstances,” Liu commented.