Misc
Mapped: The Median Age in Every U.S. County
See the full-size version of this map
Mapped: The Median Age in Every U.S. County
To see the high resolution version of this map, go here.
The United States is a vast place, and every region is markedly different.
Usually we look at these differences through lenses like geography, population density, preferences, wealth, and culture – but age is another interesting one to think about, and age is a significant factor in predicting future economic health and growth for almost any society.
The Age Factor
As the French philosopher Auguste Comte wrote, “Demography is destiny”.
If you know a person’s age, you’re usually able to guess other things about them. For example, younger people are usually more motivated and inclined to launch careers, start families, and seek economic security. Not all young people are this way of course – but in aggregate, this is generally true.
Today’s map comes to us from Reddit user /r/JFBoyy and it charts median age by every U.S. county, parish, borough, and Census Area.
Counties by Age
Which states and counties stand out on the map?
Utah is an interesting place to start – it’s the youngest state with a median age of 29.9, and this is extremely clear when looking at the county level. The state has only one county (Daggett) with a median age range above 35-44 years.
Florida and Maine are two other states that stand out. Florida is the stereotypical “old” state, and there is some truth to that based on the numbers. It’s the only state that has a county (Sumter) with a median age range over 65 years. Meanwhile, Maine has only five counties that are not “old” counties – and the majority of counties have median ages that fall in the 45-54 range.
The Midwest and Southeast seem to have a higher distribution of counties with median ages in the “middle ground” 35-44 median age range. Alabama has 67 counties, and all but five of them are in that bracket.
Meanwhile, the West seems to have an interesting dichotomy in many of its states. Washington State, for example, has many counties with old populations (San Juan, Jefferson, and others) but also counties with younger populations (Whitman, Yakima, Kittitas).
Idaho is the most potent example of this tendency: all of the old people seem to live in the north of the state, and all of the young people in the south.
A Look to the Future
Here is how median age projects out to 2040, but on a state level.
Overall the national median age is projected to go from 37.7 to 39 years.
Interestingly, while aging in the United States is expected to cause some demographic issues in the long run, the country’s challenges pale in comparison to other rapidly-aging countries in the Western world.
Automotive
The Most Fuel Efficient Cars From 1975 to Today
This infographic lists the most fuel efficient cars over the past 46 years, including the current leader for 2023.
The Most Fuel Efficient Cars From 1975 to Today
When shopping for a new car, what is the most important factor you look for? According to Statista, it’s not design, quality, or even safety—it’s fuel efficiency.
Because of this, automakers are always looking for clever ways to improve gas mileage in their cars. Beating the competition by even the slimmest of margins can give valuable bragging rights within a segment.
In this infographic, we’ve used data from the EPA’s 2022 Automotive Trends Report to list off the most fuel efficient cars from 1975 to today.
Editor’s note: This is from a U.S. government agency, so the data shown skews towards cars sold in North America.
Data Overview
All of the information in the above infographic is listed in the table below. Data was only available in 5-year increments up until 2005, after which it switches to annual.
| Model Year | Make | Model | Real World Fuel Economy (mpg) | Engine Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Honda | Civic | 28.3 | Gas |
| 1980 | VW | Rabbit | 40.3 | Diesel |
| 1985 | Chevrolet | Sprint | 49.6 | Gas |
| 1990 | Geo | Metro | 53.4 | Gas |
| 1995 | Honda | Civic | 47.3 | Gas |
| 2000 | Honda | Insight | 57.4 | Hybrid |
| 2005 | Honda | Insight | 53.3 | Hybrid |
| 2006 | Honda | Insight | 53 | Hybrid |
| 2007 | Toyota | Prius | 46.2 | Hybrid |
| 2008 | Toyota | Prius | 46.2 | Hybrid |
| 2009 | Toyota | Prius | 46.2 | Hybrid |
| 2010 | Honda | FCX | 60.2 | FCEV |
| 2011 | BMW | Active E | 100.6 | EV |
| 2012 | Mitsubishi | i-MiEV | 109 | EV |
| 2013 | Toyota | iQ EV | 117 | EV |
| 2014 | BMW | i3 | 121.3 | EV |
| 2015 | BMW | i3 | 121.3 | EV |
| 2016 | BMW | i3 | 121.3 | EV |
| 2017 | Hyundai | Ioniq Electric | 132.6 | EV |
| 2018 | Hyundai | Ioniq Electric | 132.6 | EV |
| 2019 | Hyundai | Ioniq Electric | 132.6 | EV |
| 2020 | Tesla | 3 | 138.6 | EV |
| 2021 | Tesla | 3 | 139.1 | EV |
From this dataset, we can identify three distinct approaches to maximizing fuel efficiency.
Downsizing
Prior to 2000, the best way for automakers to achieve good fuel efficiency was by downsizing. Making cars smaller (lighter) meant they could also be fitted with very small engines.
For example, the 1985 Chevrolet Sprint was rated at 49.6 MPG, but had a sluggish 0-60 time of 15 seconds.
Hybrids
The 2000s saw the introduction of mass-market hybrid vehicles like the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius. By including a small battery to support the combustion engine, automakers could achieve good MPGs without sacrificing so heavily on size.
While the Insight achieved better fuel economy than the Prius, it was the latter that became synonymous with the term “hybrid”. This was largely due to the Prius’ more practical 4-door design.
The following table compares annual U.S. sales figures for both models. Insight sales have fluctuated drastically because Honda has produced the model in several short spans (1999-2006, 2009-2014, 2018-2022).
| Year | Insight Sales | Prius Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 666 | 107,155 |
| 2006 | 722 | 106,971 |
| 2007 | 3 | 181,221 |
| 2008 | - | 158,884 |
| 2009 | 20,572 | 150,831 |
| 2010 | 20,962 | 140,928 |
| 2011 | 15,549 | 136,464 |
| 2012 | 6,619 | 236,655 |
| 2013 | 4,802 | 234,228 |
| 2014 | 3,965 | 207,372 |
| 2015 | 1,458 | 184,794 |
| 2016 | 67 | 136,629 |
| 2017 | 3 | 108,661 |
| 2018 | 12,513 | 87,590 |
| 2019 | 23,686 | 69,718 |
| 2020 | 15,932 | 43,525 |
| 2021 | 18,685 | 59,010 |
| 2022 | 7,628 | 33,352 |
Source: goodcarbadcar.net
The Prius may have dominated the hybrid market for a long time, but it too has run into troubles. Sales have been declining since 2014, even setting historic lows in recent years.
There are several reasons behind this trend, with one being a wider availability of hybrid models from other brands. We also can’t ignore the release of the Tesla Model 3, which began shipping to customers in 2017.
Electric Vehicles
We’re currently in the middle of a historic transition to electric vehicles. However, because EVs do not use fuel, the EPA had to develop a new system called MPGe (miles per gallon of gasoline-equivalent).
This new metric gives us the ability to compare the efficiency of EVs with traditional gas-powered cars. An underlying assumption of MPGe is that 33.7 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity is comparable to the energy content of a gallon of fuel.
The most fuel efficient car you can buy today is the 2023 Lucid Air, which achieves 140 MPGe. Close behind it is the 2023 Tesla Model 3 RWD, which is rated at 132 MPGe.
Check out this page to see the EPA’s top 10 most efficient vehicles for 2023.
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