Over two decades there has been a discernible shift in the age make-up of the population. That shift is expected to continue in the decades reaching 2030. The overall trend is often described as the "graying" of the population.
Changing Age Mix in Total Washington State Population
The above graphs show how Washington's population is getting older. The majority of the population for all years shown is in the 25 - 44 age group. However, while Washington's population grows, the percentage of people 45 and older gets larger, while the percentage of people 44 and under gets smaller. The changing age mix is shown in the maps below.
Note: Counties with more than one most represented age group are given a hashed pattern with the colors from both age groups.
Most Represented Age Group by County in 1980
Source: WA Office of Financial Management
http://www.ofm.wa.gov/pop/
Most Represented Age Group by County in 2000
Source: US Census Bureau 2000
SF3, P008
http://www.census.gov/
Most Represented Age Group by County in 2030
Source: WA Office of Financial Management
Source file (requires Microsoft Excel to open):
http://www.ofm.wa.gov/pop/gma/county_age.xls
The most represented age group in each county is in bold and highlighted in the three tables below.
Note: 2030 Population projection for State is from OFM. 2030 Population projections for counties
are WSDOT projections using OFM 2025 county age and sex proportions.
Source Data (some require Microsoft Excel to open):
Link to Metadata for Changing Age Mix of Population
Link to Tables and Charts for Changing Age Mix of Population
WA Office of Financial Management
http://www.ofm.wa.gov/
US Census Bureau 2000
SF3, P008
http://www.census.gov/
WA Office of Financial Management
http://www.ofm.wa.gov/pop/gma/county_age.xls