South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota Rankings for Average Residents’ Age

Age may be just a number, but there is a pretty big disparity between the states with the oldest residents in America and the states with the youngest.

FlowingData looked at the latest data from the 2021 American Community Survey and the U.S. Census Bureau to determine the median age of residents in each of the 50 states and they found that there is a better than 13-year difference between the youngest state and the oldest.

According to the numbers, one place in the Tri-State (South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota) area is among the top ten youngest in the country.

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With a median age of 37.1 years, South Dakota is tied with Colorado and Georgia as the tenth youngest states in America.

Utah is home to the youngest population base, nearly four years ahead of second-place Alaska.

STATES WITH YOUNGEST AVERAGE MEDIAN AGE

• Utah: 31.3
• Alaska: 35.0
• Texas: 35.0
• North Dakota: 35.2
• Nebraska: 36.7
• Idaho: 36.8
• Oklahoma: 36.8
• California: 37.0
• Kansas: 37.0
• Colorado: 37.1
• Georgia: 37.1
• South Dakota: 37.1

The populations of the other two area states fall on the younger side of the national average.

Minnesota is tied for 18th with Wyoming at 38.2 years old, while Iowa is tied for 20th with Nevada and New Mexico at 38.3 years old.

In all, there are 11 states where the average median age is age 40 or higher, with Maine hosting the oldest residents in America, at nearly 45 years old.

STATES WITH OLDEST AVERAGE MEDIAN AGE

• Maine: 44.7
• New Hampshire: 43.0
• Vermont: 42.7
• West Virginia: 42.6
• Florida: 42.3
• Delaware: 41.1
• Connecticut: 41.0
• Pennsylvania: 40.8
• Montana: 40.0
• New Jersey: 40.0
• Rhode Island: 40.0

The gap between the oldest and youngest countries in America is staggering.

Sumter County in Florida is the oldest with a median age of 68.1 years. That's nearly 45 years older than the nation's youngest county, Madison County in Idaho, where the median age is just 23.3 years.