#Colorado
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| Denver Post Photo |
Colorado's mountains aren't the only places showing more white on top. Residents of the resort towns below are graying at some of the fastest rates in the country.
Steamboat Springs, Edwards and Breckenridge ranked first, third and fourth, respectively, for the biggest gains in their senior populations this decade, while Glenwood Springs came in 13th, according to an analysis published in Newgeography.
"You have to recognize that not everybody wants to move to Florida. A lot of people enjoy those mountain communities," said Wendell Cox, a principal with Demographia near St. Louis who did the analysis using U.S. Census Bureau numbers.
Cox looked at the change in the 65-plus population between 2010 and 2016 in 933 places across the country ranging from small communities to large metropolitan areas. Of the 15 locales with the biggest percentage gains in senior population, nine were in the Rocky Mountain region, including four in Colorado.
Nationally, the nation's senior population this decade rose 15.2 percent, a gain nearly five times faster than overall population growth. The entire country is getting older, but Colorado, with its heavy concentration of baby boomers, is aging faster than most.
15 U.S. communities with largest increase in the 65-plus population between 2010 and 2016
1. Steamboat Springs, CO
2. The Villages, FL
3. Edwards, CO
4. Breckenridge, CO
5. Summit Park, UT
6. Myrtle Beach, SC
7. Heber, UT
8. Gillette, WY
9. Santa Fe, NM
10. Austin, TX
11. Jackson, WY
12. Hailey, ID
13. Glenwood Springs, CO
14. Bend, OR
15. Fairfield, IA
Source: Demographic research using U.S. Census Bureau numbers
2. The Villages, FL
3. Edwards, CO
4. Breckenridge, CO
5. Summit Park, UT
6. Myrtle Beach, SC
7. Heber, UT
8. Gillette, WY
9. Santa Fe, NM
10. Austin, TX
11. Jackson, WY
12. Hailey, ID
13. Glenwood Springs, CO
14. Bend, OR
15. Fairfield, IA
Source: Demographic research using U.S. Census Bureau numbers
