The U.S. population is older now than ever before, with almost 58 million Americans aged 65+ in 2023, and an aging boom is predicted to grow that number to over 71 million by 2030 according to Nursa. The aging population is due to many reasons, including longer lifespans and the aging baby boomer generation.
Although older adults are better now at meeting their daily care needs than a decade ago, with home modifications and devices that help preserve their independence, the aging population is expected to place significant stress on the healthcare system in America. With shortages of healthcare workers, rising healthcare costs, and increased demand for healthcare services, with many chronic illnesses that are more common in older adults.
With this in mind, the experts at Nursa analyzed current and future healthcare capacity and demand to reveal the states most prepared for an aging population.
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Study highlights:
- North Dakota is the most prepared for an aging population, scoring 9.80 out of 10
- Arizona is the least prepared, with a 0.20 out of 10 score
- Maine is predicted to have the most people aged over 65 by 2030, with over a quarter (27%) of their population
- Wyoming is predicted to have the most nurses to care for their elderly by 2030, with 76 nurses for 1,000 over 65’s
The states most prepared for an aging population
| Rank | State | 2030 Preparedness Scores /10 High score = high preparedness | 2030 Demand Scores /10High score = high demand pressure | Total score (/10) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nurses per 1k seniors | Hospital beds per 1k seniors | Nursing homes per 1k seniors | Beds in nursing homes per 1k seniors | 65+ Insurance coverage | Nurse supply vs demand | Change in nurse supply vs demand (2030-2023) | 65+ population growth rate | 65+ population | |||
| 1 | North Dakota | 7.88 | 10.00 | 7.96 | 8.17 | 8.82 | 4.55 | 2.73 | 5.45 | 2.96 | 9.80 |
| 2 | Wyoming | 10.00 | 5.80 | 4.29 | 5.31 | 10.00 | 0.00 | 9.82 | 2.73 | 5.83 | 9.61 |
| 3 | South Dakota | 5.65 | 9.63 | 8.16 | 7.14 | 8.24 | 6.07 | 3.27 | 6.36 | 5.63 | 9.41 |
| 4 | Nebraska | 3.60 | 7.08 | 7.76 | 8.97 | 7.65 | 7.86 | 1.82 | 5.00 | 4.07 | 9.22 |
| 5 | Utah | 7.24 | 2.79 | 2.04 | 3.04 | 7.65 | 6.25 | 0.00 | 9.09 | 0.00 | 9.02 |
| 6 | Arkansas | 3.86 | 5.70 | 5.51 | 9.09 | 7.65 | 8.30 | 2.36 | 3.64 | 4.97 | 8.82 |
| 7 | Iowa | 2.54 | 3.94 | 10.00 | 9.93 | 8.82 | 8.66 | 2.55 | 5.00 | 5.48 | 8.63 |
| 8 | Ohio | 4.65 | 3.81 | 5.71 | 8.11 | 8.24 | 6.96 | 2.55 | 4.09 | 5.69 | 8.43 |
| 9 | Kansas | 3.54 | 5.85 | 8.57 | 7.72 | 6.47 | 8.48 | 3.45 | 5.00 | 4.74 | 8.24 |
| 10 | Indiana | 4.18 | 4.16 | 5.92 | 9.25 | 8.82 | 7.68 | 4.73 | 5.00 | 4.39 | 8.04 |
Full dataset is available here.
North Dakota is the most prepared state for the aging population
The experts at Nursa can reveal that North Dakota is the most prepared for an aging population, scoring 9.8 out of 10. The state has the most hospital beds per 1k seniors (21) out of any other state, scoring a perfect 10/10. With nurse-to-patient ratios a significant concern with any growing population, North Dakota is well equipped and predicted to have the third most nurses caring for their elderly by 2030, with 66 per 1k over 65s. The state is also predicted to have the fourth fewest seniors by 2030, scoring 2.96 out of 10, with 18% of the population – largely helping their preparedness scores.
North Dakota’s state plan on aging for 2022-2026 details the key objectives of the state in hopes to effectively support older adults with state objectives to strengthen home and community based services, tackle workforce shortages, social isolation and much more. These plans are key for the future aging population within the state.
Coming in second, the least populated state in the US, Wyoming scores 9.61 out of 10. The state tops the board for the number of nurses caring for the elderly by 2030, scoring 10 out of 10 with 76 nurses predicted for every 1,000 seniors. Wyoming also earns top scores for the percentage of people aged 65+ with health insurance, with 99.8% covered. Not only this, but Wyoming reportedly had a surplus of nurses in 2023 with 10,940 nurses compared to a demand of 5,090.
South Dakota earns third place with a score of 9.41/10. The state is predicted to have the second-largest volume of hospital beds for seniors by 2030, with 20 beds for 1,000 over 65s. Also South Dakota ranks third for the predicted number of nursing homes per 1k seniors in 2030, scoring 8.16/10 (0.48 nursing homes per 1k seniors).
Arizona is the least prepared for the aging population
On the other hand, Arizona lands in last place as the least prepared state, scoring just 0.2 out of 10. Predictions show that by 2030, Arizona will have 35 nurses per 1k seniors, the third-lowest across the US, and it will also have just 0.08 nursing homes per 1,000 seniors by the same year – the fewest of all states. Following close behind are Florida (0.39/10), New Mexico (0.59/10), and Washington (0.78/10).
