Alabama’s Median Age Climbs between 1990 and 1998
- July 26th, 2019
Alabama’s Median Age Climbs between 1990 and 1998
The median age of Alabama’s population rose to 35.5 years in 1998, compared to a median of 32.9 in 1990. This means that equal numbers of Alabamians are older and younger than 35.5. Alabama’s median age was higher than that of the South and the U.S. as a whole—both had medians of 35.2 years.
Alabama’s estimated median age climbed from 32.9 in the 1990 census, an increase of 2.6 years, while the U.S. population aged by 2.4 years. This difference is reflected in the growth of the 65 and over population between 1990 and 1998—while Alabama’s elderly population grew by 10.8 percent during this time, the U.S. saw a 9.4 percent gain. In 1998, 13.1 percent of Alabama’s population was 65 and over, compared to 12.7 percent of the U.S. population.
Median age for the state’s men reached 34.1 years in 1998, right at the U.S. median and just above the median for the South of 34.0 years. With more elderly women than men, the median age for women in Alabama was 36.8 years. This compares to 36.3 years for both the South and the U.S. Median age for Alabama’s men rose more rapidly than the median age for women between 1990 and 1998.
Among the states, West Virginia’s population was the oldest with a median age of 38.6 years, while Utah was the youngest with a median age of 26.7 years. By region, the highest median age in 1998 was in the Northeast (36.6 years), followed by the Midwest (35.4 years), the South (35.2 years), and the West (33.9 years).