32 States With the Largest Retiree Populations
Think you can guess which state has the largest population of retirees? The answer might surprise you.
To determine the states with the biggest retiree populations, GOBankingRates found the total population, population ages 65 and over and percentage of the population that is ages 65 and over for every U.S. state using the 2022 American Community Survey.
This roundup includes every state with a population of more than 500,000 retirees ages 65 and over. Ranked in ascending order, let’s see which states have the largest populations of retirees.
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Nevada
Total population: 3,104,817
Population 65+: 503,234
Percentage of population 65+: 16.2%
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Arkansas
Total population: 3,018,669
Population 65+: 519,434
Percentage of population 65+: 17.2%
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Iowa
Total population: 3,188,836
Population 65+: 560,125
Percentage of population 65+: 17.6%
Connecticut
Total population: 3,611,317
Population 65+: 629,108
Percentage of population 65+: 17.4%
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Oklahoma
Total population: 3,970,497
Population 65+: 632,751
Percentage of population 65+: 15.9%
Louisiana
Total population: 4,640,546
Population 65+: 743,243
Percentage of population 65+: 16%
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Kentucky
Total population: 4,502,935
Population 65+: 756,439
Percentage of population 65+: 16.8%
Oregon
Total population: 4,229,374
Population 65+: 773,258
Percentage of population 65+: 18.3%
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Alabama
Total population: 5,028,092
Population 65+: 871,034
Percentage of population 65+: 17.3%
Colorado
Total population: 5,770,790
Population 65+: 855,353
Percentage of population 65+: 14.8%
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South Carolina
Total population: 5,142,750
Population 65+: 938,517
Percentage of population 65+: 18.2%
Minnesota
Total population: 5,695,292
Population 65+: 939,396
Percentage of population 65+: 16.5%
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Maryland
Total population: 6,161,707
Population 65+: 986,154
Percentage of population 65+: 16%
Wisconsin
Total population: 5,882,128
Population 65+: 1,038,620
Percentage of population 65+: 17.7%
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Missouri
Total population: 6,154,422
Population 65+: 1,062,483
Percentage of population 65+: 17.3%
Indiana
Total population: 6,784,403
Population 65+: 1,097,201
Percentage of population 65+: 16.2%
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Tennessee
Total population: 6,923,772
Population 65+: 1,155,313
Percentage of population 65+: 16.7%
Massachusetts
Total population: 6,984,205
Population 65+: 1,195,589
Percentage of population 65+: 17.1%
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Washington
Total population: 7,688,549
Population 65+: 1,228,940
Percentage of population 65+: 16%
Arizona
Total population: 7,172,282
Population 65+: 1,297,802
Percentage of population 65+: 18.1%
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Virginia
Total population: 8,624,511
Population 65+: 1,381,006
Percentage of population 65+: 16%
New Jersey
Total population: 9,249,063
Population 65+: 1,532,614
Percentage of population 65+: 16.6%
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Georgia
Total population: 10,722,325
Population 65+: 1,540,445
Percentage of population 65+: 14.4%
North Carolina
Total population: 10,470,214
Population 65+: 1,747,925
Percentage of population 65+: 16.7%
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Michigan
Total population: 10,057,921
Population 65+: 1,786,825
Percentage of population 65+: 17.8%
Ohio
Total population: 11,774,683
Population 65+: 2,068,562
Percentage of population 65+: 17.6%
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Illinois
Total population: 12,757,634
Population 65+: 2,070,907
Percentage of population 65+: 16.2%
Pennsylvania
Total population: 12,989,208
Population 65+: 2,434,405
Percentage of population 65+: 18.7%
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New York
Total population: 19,994,379
Population 65+: 3,402,284
Percentage of population 65+: 17%
Texas
Total population: 29,243,342
Population 65+: 3,768,977
Percentage of population 65+: 12.9%
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Florida
Total population: 21,634,529
Population 65+: 4,520,647
Percentage of population 65+: 20.9%
California
Total population: 39,356,104
Population 65+: 5,865,300
Percentage of population 65+: 14.9%
Methodology: For this piece, GOBankingRates used the 2022 American Community Survey as conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau to find the following for every state: (1) total population; (2) population 65+; and (3) percent of the population that is aged 65+. All data was collected and up to date as of March 26, 2024.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 32 States With the Largest Retiree Populations