Criteria for Inclusion and Data Source

25 Voices on Aging features three select groups of counties:
– The 25 counties with the highest density of older residents (Ages 65+). These are called the Charter 25 Counties.
– The 25 large counties (populations of 50,000 or greater) with the highest density of older residents.
– 5 extremely small counties (populations of less than 1,000 residents.

The Charter 25 Counties represent the top 25 counties in the country facing aging density today, based on data from the American Community Survey 2020-2024. For consistency, counties with at least 1,000 residents were selected, as the loss of just a few residents in the smallest counties can cause wild swings in demographic reporting. Approcimately 99.993% of all US residents live in counties with at least 1,000 residents.

However, to cover the diversity of experiences and resources that make up our vast country, two other groups were added as special points of study:

Larger counties (50,000 or greater): Approximately 20% of the country lives in counties with at least 50,000 residents. In these counties, resources often become more regimented and formal, and the challenges faced by individuals may become lost among the crowd. These counties show what happens when aging occurs at scale. The same issues—housing, healthcare, transportation, workforce—become larger, more complex, and harder to manage. Waiting lists may be common. In large communities, individual needs and stories often get lost in the numbers. Planners and providers often do not personally know those who are affected by the decisions they make.

Extremely Small and Rural Communities (less that 1,000 total residents). Approximately .007% of the population lives in counties that have a total population of less than 1,000 individuals. In such counties, statistics easily shift with just a minor change. Most studies see such small numbers at outliers and exclude them from their reports.

However, while small, their experience and lessons deserve to be heard.

Their stories also contain universal truths.

Extremely small counties often face the similar challenges and engage in the same solutions as many of the small micro-communities that exist in many larger, more densely populated locations… a single apartment complex filled with seniors… a faith-based community struggling to address underserved neighborhoods… the countless rurally-isolated pocket communities that exist in larger counties… These counties – and micro-communities – show what aging looks like when there are very few resources and people depend heavily on one another.

In smaller counties, even minor population changes can shift numbers (and ranking) quickly. Their systems are also fragile. The loss of one helper, one single resource can have a devasting impact. On the flip side, the addition of a relatively small resource can also be significant.

Combined, the stories of these counties provide meaningful insight as to the challenges, successes, and lessons we can all learn.
Rarely does one particular slice in time or or data set tells the only, exact story. Slight variations are to be expected.

DATA SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, Table S0101 (Age and Sex), using the percentage of residents age 65 and older.

* One note: As this intiative continues, county ranking will change. Different data sets will also reflect different rankings. For the sake of continuity, the 25 counties designated The 25 Charter Counties will remain the same, even as these variances occur. We believe, however, that ANY county that has a significant percent of older residents deserves to be studied, as they offer many lessons to us all.