Everyone is getting older, of course. But for years — decades, actually — Colorado’s population was getting younger. As the state and its outdoor activities became a prime attraction for young professionals who moved here for a job and then started a family, a number of babies helped bring down the median age — at which half of the population is older and half is younger.
But there are fewer babies being born and Colorado has seen migration into the state slow down. Also, longtime Coloradans are retiring and staying put.
“It’s largely aging in place,” said Kate Watkins, the state demographer who took on the role in December. “And we’re seeing lower birth rates across counties. Some of our more rural counties tend to have, on average, slightly higher fertility rates than more metropolitan areas. But across the board, we’re aging in place.”
According to U.S. census data, the median age in Colorado back in 1950 was 29.5, dropped to 27.9 in 1960 and fell even lower by 1970, to 26.2. It started heading up in the 1980s, getting above 29 years old.
It’s now 38.5, according to the state demographer’s forecast, which is projected through 2050.
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