New Census estimates: Retirement-age population keeps growing

Connecticut’s population, like the rest of the nation’s, continues to age.

The state’s 65-and-up crowd grew from 14.2 to an estimated 16.2 percent of the population from 2010 to 2016, according to Census Bureau estimates released Thursday. That’s an increase from about 508,000 to 577,000 people.

Nationwide, residents in this age group grew from 40.5 million to 49.2 million (13.14 to 15.3 percent) over that period.

“The baby-boom generation is largely responsible for this trend,” said Peter Borsella, a demographer in the U.S. Census Bureau Population Division. “Baby boomers began turning 65 in 2011 and will continue to do so for many years to come.”

The state’s Hispanic population, including all races, also has gained ground, from an estimated 483,000 to 562,000 over the same period, growing from 13.4 to about 15.7 percent of the population, while the non-Hispanic population dropped from 3.1 million to 3.01 million.

The white, non-Hispanic proportion of the population dropped from from 71.4 to about 67.7 percent, and the black, non-Hispanic population increased from about 9.5 to 10.1 percent.