Census Data Mapper Map & Analysis - October 2013

LINK to this map on Google Drive.

When I look at the map showing what percent of the U.S. population living in certain areas, is over the age of 65, I notice many patterns on the map.  If you look at the map, you can see a big white space in the Southwestern part of the United States, which represents that very few members of these populations are over the age of 65.  A similar pattern is noticeable in the relative area that goes from the southern part of Minnesota down to Louisiana and stretches from Illinois to Virginia with the exceptions of West Virginia and Pennsylvania.  Areas that are more densely populated with people over the age of 65 are the Mid-Western U.S., North-Western U.S., and various spots in Florida, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas.

            The pattern in the Southwestern part of the U.S. could possibly be caused by the dry climate, which dwells in this part of our country.  The second pattern, which is similar to the first, in the Mid-Eastern part of the U.S., might be the result of available job opportunities in the more urban part of the United States.  The areas that are more densely populated with people over the age of 65 in the Northern part of the U.S. may be because farmers or other occupations of that sort occupy more of this land.  If you grow up living on a farm, many people tend to stay in their hometown and grow older there while working on their farm.  Retired people who move away from their hometown in order to be in warmer places for the whole year might cause the patchy spots in Florida, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas.

            Each of the patterns in this map has some sort of effect on various things.  Places in the U.S. that have a greater number of people in their population who are over the age of 65 might have a population that is less willing to spend money on taxes to help pay for schools because their kids have already gone through the school system.  They also could be affected in the exactly opposite way where this older generation wants to pay more for taxes because they have grandkids in school and they want to help the future generations. Areas with less percent of the population across the country might face a simple problem such as not learning from their elders.  If a child grows up with less elders around, that particular child might not learn lessons about the past, certain manners, or other similar lessons that they might be taught in a place where more people over the age of 65 reside in.