Median age in United States
United States: Median age was 38.02 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Median age in United States, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, median age in United States stood at 38.02 years. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, median age in United States peaked at 38.02 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 26.69 years, in 1969.
That places United States 72nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 28.88 years | 28.47 years | 29.03 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 27.28 years | 26.69 years | 28.26 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 27.61 years | 26.74 years | 28.85 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 30.34 years | 29.12 years | 31.63 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 33 years | 31.9 years | 34.09 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 35.09 years | 34.29 years | 35.82 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.38 years | 35.92 years | 37 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.61 years | 37.23 years | 38.02 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0123 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.938 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 0.9618 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 73.52 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 72.37 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 0.887 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 64.27 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is median age in United States?
- Median age in United States was 38.02 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest median age recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 38.02 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest median age recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.69 years in 1969.
- How does United States rank for median age?
- United States ranks 72nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is median age rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Median age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The age that divides the population into two halves of equal size — half are younger and half are older.