Maine is still the nation’s oldest state, according to updated data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The median age in the state is 44.6 years, virtually unchanged from the year before, according to results of the 2017 American Community Survey, an annual look at local economic and demographic data.

That means half of Maine’s population is older than the median and half is younger. The national median age is 38.

Maine has for years held the distinction of being the country’s oldest state. Overall, its population has grown by about 7,500 since 2010, to 1.33 million last year, according to the most recent estimates.

But the ratio of old to young has ballooned. Last year, 252,634 people under the age of 18 lived in Maine, almost 22,000 fewer than seven years ago. Over the same period, the estimated number of people age 65 or over grew by more than 55,000, to 266,214 – almost 20 percent of the state’s entire population.

Northern New England has the oldest populations, according to the most recent data. New Hampshire’s median age is 43.2 years and Vermont’s is 42.6. West Virginia, Montana and Pennsylvania aren’t far behind.

The country’s youngest state is Utah, with a median age of 31, about seven years lower then the national median.

Peter McGuire can be contacted at 791-6325 or at:

pmcguire@pressherald.com

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