How old is America?
Every American, by single year of age — from 1900 to the latest Census estimate — and how that compares with the rest of the world.
—
of Americans
Age distribution
Share of the population at each single year of age. Click a bar to measure from that age.
At or above each age
Over time
Click the chart to jump to a year.
Where the numbers come from
- United States, 1900–2025: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1 of each year, by single year of age — the historical PE-11 series (1900–1979), the 1980s quarterly estimates, the 1990–2000 and 2000–2010 intercensal estimates, the 2010–2020 intercensal estimates, and Vintage 2025 (2020–2025). Each newer vintage revises earlier years; the latest is used throughout.
- United States, 2026–2100 (projections): Census Bureau 2023 National Population Projections, main series. They were made from a 2022 starting point, before the 2023–2025 estimates, so the projected 2026 total is about 0.7% below the 2025 estimate. Shares by age line up closely across that seam.
- World, regions and other countries: United Nations, World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant, by single year of age. Estimates run 1950–2023; later years are UN projections. The UN's own figures for the U.S. put the 65+ share about half a point lower than the Census Bureau does, so differences under a point between the U.S. and another country are within that margin.
- Oldest ages are sometimes grouped. The Census published single years only up to 74 for 1900–1939 (then “75 and older”) and up to 84 for 1940–1979 (then “85 and older”). Those groups are never split: pick an older age for those years and the page says there's no figure. Everywhere else the top category is 100 and older.
- 2000–2009, ages 85–99: the 2000–2010 intercensal estimates give these ages only as 5-year totals (85–89, 90–94, 95–99). Each total is kept exactly as published and divided into single years in the proportions of the Census Bureau's own Vintage 2009 single-year estimates for the same July, so the lines for ages like 91+ run unbroken from 1980.
- Coverage changes: before 1950 the U.S. figures exclude Alaska and Hawaii; 1940–1979 include Armed Forces overseas; all other years are the resident population. 1900–1929 figures were published rounded to the nearest thousand.
- Median age is computed from single years of age, the same way the Census Bureau computes it; it matches every median the Bureau published for 2000–2009.
- Generations along the bottom of the distribution chart use Pew Research Center's birth years (Silent 1928–45, Boomers 1946–64, Gen X 1965–80, Millennials 1981–96, Gen Z 1997–2012); “Greatest” is 1901–27, and Gen Alpha (2013–24) and Gen Beta (2025–) are the commonly used later labels.