Visualizing the Spatial Distribution of Aging Places in the United States, 2000 to 2020

Population aging has important sociological implications at the community level, including reductions in local workforce size, greater demand for health and social services, and changing housing needs. Communities also differ in their ability to support aging populations, such as in rural areas, where population decline and limited-service infrastructure may result in challenges due to these population changes. This data visualization describes the spatial distribution of aging places in the United States across two decades, comparing 2000–2010 and 2010–2020. The authors categorize counties into three types of aging places: (1) nonaging counties, (2) aging-in-place counties, and (3) retirement destination counties. For 2000 to 2010, the authors show that aging counties were relatively limited in number and most counties were classified as nonaging. The 2010–2020 map reveals a striking transformation driven primarily by the expansion of aging-in-place counties. This shift reflects not only the addition of new aging-in-place counties but also the reclassification of many retirement destinations as aging-in-place counties. In total, the number of counties classified as aging increased from 476 to 1,353, showing a broad diffusion of aging county status across the United States. These maps provide a spatial foundation for examining how demographic pathways to aging shape inequality and well-being among older adults.