Gloucester and Mathews counties are right in step with the nation, and with Virginia. All have populations that are aging.

The U.S. Census Bureau announced on June 22 that the median age in the nation is 38.9 years as estimated in 2022; and it said the median age, or the age at which half of the population is older and half of the population is younger, did not decrease in any state in year-to-year estimates.

In May, the Census Bureau released age statistics for localities taken three years earlier, during the 2020 census.

These figures showed higher median ages in Gloucester, Mathews and Virginia, compared to those in the 2010 decennial census; and these figures were much higher than those measured 50 years ago during the 1970 census.

In Virginia

Virginia had a population of 8,631,393 in the 2020 Census, and a median age of 38.4. In 2010, the population was 8,001,024, and the median age, 37.2. The state’s population has nearly doubled in the 50 years since 1970, when t...