03 Oct Put That on the Map

Do you find interactive maps and graphs as enticing as I do? Whether it’s a colored map showing which states are more ethnically diverse or an interactive video showing the numerical increase in the consumption of asparagus, call me a sucker for such tomfoolery. In many ways a map grabs the information and attempts to form the chaos and data into a creative and compelling image.

Take the article I stumbled upon this week discussing the the growing age median from state to state and the resulting changes in healthcare. In a 1200 word article encompassing many nuanced and layered issues, maps helped add some clarity to the issue.

Did you know eight of the eleven states in the northeast region of the U.S. contain the oldest populations? The median age in Maine is 42.7, with Vermont and New Hampshire trailing close behind. In the last 20 years, the median has jumped around 8 years for these states, as the younger demographic takes flight for the Southern and Western Regions of the States. Florida, which used to take the prize for highest median age, has stayed about the same. The Baby Boomer generation tends to be geographically stationary, which has sent the median numbers soaring.

What does this mean? Well, given the sharp rise in elder populations, states will have to devote larger percentages of their budges to social services, in addition to crafting creative ways to keep the younger demographic from fleeing. Retaining residents and attracting transplants has become a state governmental goal.

To read more about this fascinating issue AND peruse the accompanying maps, check out this article at the Washington Post.

Here at ACCFamily, we’re glad to be apart of the business solution in aiding the growing elderly demographic. We are here for the long haul, regardless of age medians. And you can put that on the map.