APRA Population Trends by Age Groups

Key Findings

The Park Towns’ Pre-Baby Boom age group experienced a −21.8% population decrease from 1970 to 2020. This was a smaller decrease than that of all other rural areas.

The Pre-Baby Boom age group across the U.S. experienced a −34.0% loss, due to mortality, while the New York State group experienced an even bigger −56.0% loss due to mortality and people leaving the state.

The Park Towns recruited over 1,100 career age people at 35 years old and almost 1,000 people of retirement age at 55 years old.

The first age group is the Pre-Baby Boomers, who were born between 1936 and 1945. This group was 25 to 34 years old in 1970 and 65 to 74 in 2010. The experiences of this group among the nine different geographic areas analyzed in this report differed widely; see Table 20 above.

The Park Towns’ Pre-Baby Boom age group increased in population in almost every decade, growing a total of −21.8% after 50 years. When we first have data about this group at ages 25 to 34 in 1970, they are beyond college age. We do not have information about lost college age young people in this time period. What we do know is that the Park Towns’ Pre-Baby Boom age group grew more than it did in the eight other study areas. Most other rural areas in this age group gained population, but at lower rates than the Park Towns.

The Split Towns’ group shrank by −33.5%. The U.S. dropped by −34.0% and New York State dropped by a staggering −56.0%. It’s important to note that the New York State Pre-Baby Boom age group experienced population loss every decade 1970 to 2010.

The maps on the right show that the Pre-Baby Boomers in the Park Towns enjoyed higher population recruitment than did New York State or Rural America.

Another interesting trend is that the Pre-Baby Boomer age group showed a strong interest in retiring to rural areas, starting around 2000 at age 55. The Park Towns saw the largest recruitment of retirees, yet almost all the rural areas saw growth from people of retirement age. ❑

Table 20: Population changes in the Pre-Baby Boom age group (born between 1936 and 1945) in nine study regions from 1970 to 2020

Areas	1970 25–34	1980 35–44	1990 45–54	2000 55–64	2010 65–74	2020 75–84	Change 1970–2020
New York State	2,228,797	2,022,805	1,920,552	1,656,084	1,338,788	981,752	−56.0%
Rural NY Towns	5,930	6,326	6,104	6,582	5,617	3,664	−38.2%
Park Towns	9,200	10,303	10,167	11,160	10,267	7,199	−21.8%
Split Towns	11,835	12,762	12,719	12,306	10,829	7,865	−33.5%
United States	24,534,121	25,368,094	25,201,902	23,927,917	21,496,477	16,183,071	−34.0%
Rural America
USDA Nonmetro	3,870,257	4,256,439	4,141,931	4,311,487	3,988,882	2,769,138	−28.5%
Low Density US	1,595,291	1,785,189	1,723,474	1,841,458	1,729,848	1,185,649	−25.7%
USDA Nonmetro NE	404,640	434,965	427,100	424,148	381,150	274,138	−32.3%
Low Density NE	43,397	47,621	47,125	48,661	45,934	32,194	−25.8%

Table 20 shows that the Park Towns’ Pre-Baby Boom age group grew by −21.8% from 1970 to 2020 through recruitment of new residents. The Park Towns gained population through recruitment of over 1,100 young adults in 1980 and nearly 1,000 people of retirement age in 2000. At this same time, New York State lost −56.0% of its Pre-Baby Boom age group due to mortality or people moving out of the state. The U.S. saw a −34.0% loss, driven by mortality or people leaving the country. Green shaded boxes represent growth relative to the previous decade. Red shaded boxes show losses.

Figure 76: Population changes in the Pre-Baby Boom age group (born between 1936 and 1945) in nine study regions from 1970 to 2020

Figure 76 shows in two line graphs the population gains or losses of the Pre-Baby Boom age group across nine different regions from 1970 to 2020, first as raw percentages and second normalized using U.S. population to correct for mortality, et cetera.

Population Trends of the Pre-Baby Boom Age Group 1970 to 2020