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Tuesday, Mar. 10, 2026

Is Wisconsin’s population older than the national average?

Laura Schulte / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin Watch
yes

Wisconsin’s average age is slightly higher than the national average age. 

According to data from the Wisconsin Department of Health, which shows the average of ages between 2019 and 2023, the most recent data available, the national average is 38.7. 

In Wisconsin, the average age is 40.1 for the same time period.

Those numbers reflect the rapidly aging baby boomer generation, which is skewing Wisconsin’s population to individuals over 65, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.

Between 2010 and 2020, this demographic grew from 777,000 people to more than 1 million and is projected to expand to 1.3 million by 2030. Meanwhile, the working-age demographic in the state is holding steady, meaning that the population of those over 65 is growing as a percentage of the total.

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