The Oldest State in America? It’s Still Maine

Break out the shuffleboard and early-bird specials, because Maine continues its reign as the oldest state.

The folks over at the popular site World Population Review have analyzed the age data for every state in the nation. And, to nobody's surprise, Maine remains the oldest by a wide margin.

According to World Population Review, Maine's median age is 44.8 years. That’s far ahead of the second-oldest state, New Hampshire, whose median age is 43. Talk about blowing away the competition.

Why is Maine so old? One of the major reasons is a certain generation that has flocked to our wonderful state. Here is more from World Population Review.

It (Maine) is considered the oldest because it has a high percentage of baby boomers or people between 45 years old and 64 years old. There is a very low percentage of people under the age of 44 in Maine. Some experts refer to this as a surplus of baby boomers, a trend that is seen in many Eastern states.

Well, great. Just what we need—more boomers.

It’s difficult to criticize anyone who actually moves here to work or retire. This is a wonderful state, one that typically ranks high on quality of living surveys. Sure, it can be expensive but everywhere is expensive these days.

There are slight concerns with these numbers, though. The low percentage of young people means the workforce is sparser than it should be. While not alarming, it could certainly worsen if young people continue to leave. This is something that is being closely monitored.

While Maine is the oldest state, the title of youngest state goes to Utah. The average age there is just 31 years old. That’s incredibly low. It’s probably because everyone there has, like, 10 kids.

You can check out the entire age map here.