Due to continually improved life expectancy, and as baby boomers reach retirement age, the median age of the U.S. population has been steadily increasing. The typical American today is 37.6 years old, nearly 10 years older than the median age in 1970. Despite this trend, many areas in the United States have considerably younger populations.
With data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the median age in all U.S. counties to identify the county in every state with the youngest residents. Lexington, Virginia — an independent city that is equivalent to a county for the purposes of census tracking — is America’s youngest county. The median age in Lexington is only 21.4 years old.
In many of the youngest counties, a large share of residents are students attending college. If the county has a relatively small population, this can dramatically lower the median age. This is the case in Lexington, which has the highest share of residents enrolled in postsecondary education. Of the 7,071 residents, nearly 60% are college students. In 41 states, the share of college students in the youngest county is higher than the share across the state.
Click here to see the youngest county in every state.
When the presence of colleges or a major university is not the explanation for a low median age, high shares of families with young children can often explain the youth of a county’s population.
There are nine counties on this list that have a lower share of college students than their state. Each of these counties has a higher share of children younger than 5 years old than the comparable state figure.
Generally speaking, western and southern states have younger populations than midwestern and northeastern states. Because counties tend to roughly mirror statewide trends, even the youngest county in a state can be relatively old in a national context. For example, in Androscoggin, Maine — the oldest state — the typical resident is 40.6 years old. While this is the lowest median age in the state, it is higher than the median age nationwide.
To determine the youngest county in every state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the median age for all U.S. counties from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 American Community Survey. The share of residents enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, or professional schools, as well as the share of each county’s population under 5 years old also came from the ACS.
These are the youngest counties in every state.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
1. Lee County, Alabama
> Median age: 30.3
> State median age: 38.4
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 5.9%
> Enrolled in college: 19.0%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
2. Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska
> Median age: 23.0
> State median age: 33.4
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 12.6%
> Enrolled in college: 1.0%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
3. Coconino County, Arizona
> Median age: 30.8
> State median age: 36.8
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 6.1%
> Enrolled in college: 17.1%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
4. Washington County, Arkansas
> Median age: 31.2
> State median age: 37.7
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 7.3%
> Enrolled in college: 12.4%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
5. Tulare County, California
> Median age: 30.3
> State median age: 35.8
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 8.9%
> Enrolled in college: 6.0%
Source: Thinkstock
6. Alamosa County, Colorado
> Median age: 30.1
> State median age: 36.3
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 7.4%
> Enrolled in college: 14.6%
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Source: Thinkstock
7. Tolland County, Connecticut
> Median age: 38.1
> State median age: 40.4
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 4.1%
> Enrolled in college: 16.1%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
8. Kent County, Delaware
> Median age: 37.0
> State median age: 39.3
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 6.5%
> Enrolled in college: 8.8%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
9. Leon County, Florida
> Median age: 30.0
> State median age: 41.4
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 5.3%
> Enrolled in college: 22.3%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
10. Chattahoochee County, Georgia
> Median age: 23.3
> State median age: 35.9
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 9.4%
> Enrolled in college: 9.6%
Source: Thinkstock
11. Honolulu County, Hawaii
> Median age: 36.9
> State median age: 38.0
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 6.6%
> Enrolled in college: 8.2%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
12. Madison County, Idaho
> Median age: 23.2
> State median age: 35.5
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 10.1%
> Enrolled in college: 31.8%
Source: Thinkstock
13. Champaign County, Illinois
> Median age: 29.3
> State median age: 37.3
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 5.6%
> Enrolled in college: 24.4%
14. Tippecanoe County, Indiana
> Median age: 27.9
> State median age: 37.3
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 6.1%
> Enrolled in college: 23.1%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
15. Story County, Iowa
> Median age: 25.9
> State median age: 38.1
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 5.0%
> Enrolled in college: 31.0%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
16. Riley County, Kansas
> Median age: 24.7
> State median age: 36.0
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 6.9%
> Enrolled in college: 28.6%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
17. Christian County, Kentucky
> Median age: 28.5
> State median age: 38.5
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 9.7%
> Enrolled in college: 6.2%
Source: Dylan Dewenter / Wikimedia Commons
18. Lincoln Parish, Louisiana
> Median age: 27.4
> State median age: 36.1
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 5.9%
> Enrolled in college: 20.6%
Source: Thinkstock
19. Androscoggin County, Maine
> Median age: 40.6
> State median age: 43.8
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 6.1%
> Enrolled in college: 6.8%
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Source: Thinkstock
20. Baltimore city, Maryland
> Median age: 34.6
> State median age: 38.2
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 6.7%
> Enrolled in college: 9.5%
Source: Thinkstock
21. Suffolk County, Massachusetts
> Median age: 32.2
> State median age: 39.3
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 5.6%
> Enrolled in college: 15.3%
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Source: WIkimedia Commons
22. Isabella County, Michigan
> Median age: 26.3
> State median age: 39.5
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 4.7%
> Enrolled in college: 29.5%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
23. Blue Earth County, Minnesota
> Median age: 30.1
> State median age: 37.7
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 5.7%
> Enrolled in college: 19.8%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
24. Oktibbeha County, Mississippi
> Median age: 25.0
> State median age: 36.5
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 5.4%
> Enrolled in college: 33.1%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
25. Pulaski County, Missouri
> Median age: 26.8
> State median age: 38.2
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 7.6%
> Enrolled in college: 12.5%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
26. Big Horn County, Montana
> Median age: 29.8
> State median age: 39.7
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 10.4%
> Enrolled in college: 3.1%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
27. Thurston County, Nebraska
> Median age: 28.6
> State median age: 36.2
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 9.7%
> Enrolled in college: 3.7%
28. Elko County, Nevada
> Median age: 33.5
> State median age: 37.2
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 7.5%
> Enrolled in college: 4.0%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
29. Strafford County, New Hampshire
> Median age: 37.2
> State median age: 42.2
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 5.2%
> Enrolled in college: 13.2%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
30. Hudson County, New Jersey
> Median age: 34.7
> State median age: 39.4
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 7.0%
> Enrolled in college: 7.5%
31. Roosevelt County, New Mexico
> Median age: 29.4
> State median age: 37.0
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 8.0%
> Enrolled in college: 15.1%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
32. Tompkins County, New York
> Median age: 30.2
> State median age: 38.1
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 4.2%
> Enrolled in college: 28.2%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
33. Onslow County, North Carolina
> Median age: 26.1
> State median age: 38.0
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 9.9%
> Enrolled in college: 8.1%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
34. Sioux County, North Dakota
> Median age: 27.0
> State median age: 35.4
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 10.8%
> Enrolled in college: 4.2%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
35. Athens County, Ohio
> Median age: 28.0
> State median age: 39.2
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 4.1%
> Enrolled in college: 30.8%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
36. Payne County, Oklahoma
> Median age: 27.2
> State median age: 36.2
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 5.7%
> Enrolled in college: 25.1%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
37. Benton County, Oregon
> Median age: 32.7
> State median age: 39.1
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 4.3%
> Enrolled in college: 23.5%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
38. Centre County, Pennsylvania
> Median age: 30.3
> State median age: 40.5
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 4.1%
> Enrolled in college: 25.2%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
39. Providence County, Rhode Island
> Median age: 37.1
> State median age: 39.7
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 5.8%
> Enrolled in college: 9.4%
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Source: Wikimeida Commons
40. Richland County, South Carolina
> Median age: 32.7
> State median age: 38.6
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 6.0%
> Enrolled in college: 12.9%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
41. Todd County, South Dakota
> Median age: 23.9
> State median age: 36.8
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 13.0%
> Enrolled in college: 4.7%
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42. Montgomery County, Tennessee
> Median age: 30.3
> State median age: 38.4
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 8.6%
> Enrolled in college: 9.3%
43. Brazos County, Texas
> Median age: 25.2
> State median age: 34.1
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 6.3%
> Enrolled in college: 27.2%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
44. Utah County, Utah
> Median age: 24.4
> State median age: 30.1
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 10.4%
> Enrolled in college: 13.2%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
45. Chittenden County, Vermont
> Median age: 36.3
> State median age: 42.4
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 4.9%
> Enrolled in college: 13.3%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
46. Lexington city, Virginia
> Median age: 21.4
> State median age: 37.6
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 2.6%
> Enrolled in college: 58.5%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
47. Whitman County, Washington
> Median age: 24.2
> State median age: 37.4
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 4.3%
> Enrolled in college: 39.0%
48. Monongalia County, West Virginia
> Median age: 30.0
> State median age: 41.8
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 4.8%
> Enrolled in college: 24.3%
Source: Wikimedia Commons
49. Menominee County, Wisconsin
> Median age: 31.6
> State median age: 39.0
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 9.2%
> Enrolled in college: 2.1%
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
50. Albany County, Wyoming
> Median age: 26.6
> State median age: 36.8
> Population under 5 yrs. old: 5.3%
> Enrolled in college: 31.9%
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