The pattern, which is set to continue, is helping drive the state's health care industry while holding down its working-age population, said Eric Sandberg, a demographer for the state.
It's even contributed to concerns over the last decade, on the part of municipalities, about lost revenue due to property tax exemptions for people 65 and older, he said.
"It has been astounding growth compared to the other age groups, which remain the same or are declining," Sandberg said.
The 65-plus group has more than doubled over the last 15 years, according to the Alaska Economic Trends report, released on Thursday. It's now close to 120,000 residents, around 15% of the population. It grew by another 3,600 last year. The rapid increase will continue through 2029, the report says.
The trend originated decades ago, when lots of young people came to Alaska to take advantage of opportunities here, such as the construction of the trans-Alaska pipeline in the mid-1970s, Sandberg said.
Many of those longtime Alaskans have aged in place, he said. That's unlike other states where senior populations are sharply boosted through an influx of retirees, he said.
For a long time, Alaska had the youngest population in the U.S., he said. It's still young, behind only Utah and Texas. But the average age has jumped to about 37, due in part to additional factors, like the declining fertility rate. Alaskans averaged 33 years old in 2010, he said. It was 32 in 2000, he said.
"It's started to pick up, and we even have some boroughs that are close to 50," he said.
Alaska has experienced more deaths as it's gotten older, the report says. "Ten years ago, Alaska recorded about 4,300 yearly deaths," the report says, "and it's now 5,500."
The aging trend has contributed to less natural increase in the state's population, referring to births minus deaths. The number of Alaskans under 18 fell by 5,000 over the last five years. The very youngest group that includes newborns and 4-year-olds fell the most, the report says.
Declining births is also a factor, Sandberg said. The aging trend and declining births have helped mute population change so far this decade, with 13 years of net outmigration also contributing, the report says. The situation, if it continues, could eventually lead to population loss in Alaska.
More seniors have also contributed to a shrinking working-age population of Alaskans ages 18 to 64, Sandberg said. "A lot of people reach retirement age, and they haven't necessarily been replaced," he said.
The increasing senior population, and need for more medical services, will keep driving growth in the state's health care industry, he said. Alaskans 75 years or older now represent about 5% of the population. That should double to about 10% over the next 15 years, he said. "The services that cater to this population are only going to continue to grow," he said.
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