Why is the aging population growing so slowly in Charlottesville?

Charlottesville's older population grew by less than 2 percent between 2000 and 2020 (and shrunk between 2000 and 2010) while it grew between 7 and 9 percent in surrounding counties.

In May 1963, when Older Americans Month was established, only 17 million Americans had reached their 65th birthday. Today, there are over 55.8 million Americans 65 and older. Between 2010 and 2020, according to the 2020 census, the number of people 65 and older increased by 15.5 million, the largest-ever increase in a decade, according to new analysis from the Census Bureau released last week (available below this article). The next largest increase, between 1980 and 1990, was less than half that number.

In Virginia, the percentage of those 65 and older went from 11.2 percent in 2000 to 16.2 percent in 2020, putting us near the bottom of the list, with states like Maine and Florida at more than 20 percent. In Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and our surrounding counties the older population has also increased a lot between 2000 and 2020, but the localities have their characteristics.