Key Takeaways
- Utah is the youngest state. With a median age of just 32.0, Utah is by far the youngest state in the country, thanks to the highest birth rate in the nation.
- The U.S. median is 39.1. Half of Americans are older than 39.1 and half younger, according to the Census Bureau's 2024 estimates. The national median keeps creeping up as the population ages.
- Texas and the Plains stay young. After Utah, Texas (35.6), Alaska (35.8) and North Dakota (35.9) are the youngest, helped by young families, energy jobs and in-migration.
- Georgia and Colorado join the top 10. Booming, job-driven migration to Atlanta and Denver has pushed Georgia and Colorado into the 10 youngest, replacing Louisiana and South Dakota.
- Maine is the oldest. At the other end, Maine (44.8), New Hampshire (43.3) and Vermont (43.1) have the oldest populations, driven by low birth rates and an aging Northeast.
Some U.S. states are growing older while others stay strikingly young, and the gap is wide. The clearest way to measure it is median age, the point at which half a state’s residents are older and half younger. Nationally that figure is about 39.1 years in the Census Bureau’s latest estimates, but it ranges from just 32 in the youngest state to nearly 45 in the oldest. The map below shows median age in every state.
The 10 youngest states in the USA
Here are the ten states with the lowest median age, based on the Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey. Every one of them sits below the national median of 39.1 years.
1. Utah (32.0 years)
Utah is the youngest state in the country, and it is not close. The biggest reason is demographics: Utah has the highest birth rate in the nation and the largest average family size, a legacy of its strong Latter-day Saint culture. The college city of Provo has one of the youngest populations of any city in America.
2. Texas (35.6 years)
Texas combines a booming economy, heavy in-migration of young workers and families, and a large, youthful Hispanic population. Fast-growing metros like Austin, Houston and Dallas keep pulling in people in their 20s and 30s.
3. Alaska (35.8 years)
Alaska’s young median age is shaped by its economy and its military bases, which bring in young service members and resource-industry workers. Many residents also leave the state as they get older, which keeps the median down.
4. North Dakota (35.9 years)
North Dakota skews young thanks to its energy boom, which drew thousands of young workers to the Bakken oil fields, plus a cluster of universities. It has one of the smallest but youngest populations in the country.
5. Oklahoma (37.0 years)
Oklahoma stays young on the back of higher-than-average birth rates and a low cost of living that helps young families get established. Oklahoma City and Tulsa anchor its growth.
6. Nebraska (37.2 years)
Nebraska’s farming economy, low unemployment and family-friendly cost of living keep its population relatively young, with Omaha and Lincoln drawing in younger workers.
7. Idaho (37.3 years)
Idaho has been one of the fastest-growing states in the country, with young families and remote workers flocking to the Boise area in particular, holding its median age down.
8. Kansas (37.4 years)
Kansas reflects classic Plains demographics: steady birth rates and young families, with Wichita and the Kansas City suburbs the main population centers.
9. Georgia (37.6 years)
Georgia is a new entrant to the youngest 10. Metro Atlanta has become one of the South’s biggest magnets for young professionals, drawing strong in-migration and keeping the state’s median age low.
10. Colorado (37.7 years)
Colorado rounds out the top 10. Denver and the Front Range continue to attract young, educated workers chasing jobs and the outdoor lifestyle, giving the state a notably young population.
Median age of every US state
The full ranking of all 50 states by median age, youngest to oldest. The table is sortable and searchable.
| Rank | State | Median age (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah | 32.0 |
| 2 | Texas | 35.6 |
| 3 | Alaska | 35.8 |
| 4 | North Dakota | 35.9 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 37.0 |
| 6 | Nebraska | 37.2 |
| 7 | Idaho | 37.3 |
| 8 | Kansas | 37.4 |
| 9 | Georgia | 37.6 |
| 10 | Colorado | 37.7 |
| 11 | California | 37.9 |
| 12 | Louisiana | 38.0 |
| 13 | South Dakota | 38.0 |
| 14 | Indiana | 38.1 |
| 15 | Washington | 38.3 |
| 16 | Arkansas | 38.5 |
| 17 | Iowa | 38.6 |
| 18 | Mississippi | 38.6 |
| 19 | Minnesota | 38.8 |
| 20 | Tennessee | 38.9 |
| 21 | Arizona | 39.0 |
| 22 | Illinois | 39.0 |
| 23 | Missouri | 39.0 |
| 24 | Virginia | 39.0 |
| 25 | Kentucky | 39.1 |
| 26 | Nevada | 39.1 |
| 27 | North Carolina | 39.1 |
| 28 | Wyoming | 39.1 |
| 29 | Alabama | 39.3 |
| 30 | Maryland | 39.4 |
| 31 | New Mexico | 39.4 |
| 32 | Ohio | 39.7 |
| 33 | New York | 39.8 |
| 34 | Massachusetts | 40.0 |
| 35 | New Jersey | 40.1 |
| 36 | Michigan | 40.2 |
| 37 | South Carolina | 40.2 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | 40.2 |
| 39 | Montana | 40.4 |
| 40 | Oregon | 40.4 |
| 41 | Rhode Island | 40.6 |
| 42 | Hawaii | 40.9 |
| 43 | Pennsylvania | 40.9 |
| 44 | Connecticut | 41.1 |
| 45 | Delaware | 41.6 |
| 46 | Florida | 42.6 |
| 47 | West Virginia | 42.7 |
| 48 | Vermont | 43.1 |
| 49 | New Hampshire | 43.3 |
| 50 | Maine | 44.8 |
What about the oldest states?
At the opposite end of the scale, Maine is the oldest state in the country with a median age of 44.8, followed closely by New Hampshire (43.3) and Vermont (43.1). The pattern is concentrated in New England and Appalachia, where low birth rates, limited immigration and the out-migration of young people leave an older population behind. Florida (42.6) is the notable Sun Belt exception, kept old by decades of retiree in-migration.
Why some states are younger than others
A few forces shape how young or old a state is. Birth rates matter most over the long run, which is why high-fertility Utah sits so far ahead. Migration is the other big driver: states with booming job markets, like Texas, Georgia and Colorado, pull in young workers, while states that young people leave, like much of the Northeast, grow older. Universities and military bases concentrate people in their late teens and twenties, and a lower cost of living helps young families put down roots. Where retirees gather instead, as in Florida and Maine, the median age climbs.
The bottom line
Utah remains the youngest state in America by a wide margin, with the Plains and a fast-growing Sun Belt close behind. As the country as a whole keeps aging, the states that stay young are the ones with high birth rates or the pull to keep attracting young people, and the gap between the youngest and oldest states is unlikely to close any time soon.
What is the youngest state in the US?
Utah is the youngest state in the USA, with a median age of about 32 years, well below the national median of around 39. Its high birth rate is the main reason.
Which US state is the oldest?
Maine has the oldest population, with a median age of about 45 years, driven by low birth rates, limited immigration and an aging population.
What is the median age in the United States?
The national median age is about 39.1 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 estimates, and it has been slowly rising as the population ages.
Data and references (latest available as of 2026):
