| OCR Text |
Show Population by Age As of 1995, Utah's population is the youngest in the nation. Utah had the highest percentage of population under age 5. Utah had the lowest percentage of population aged 18-64, and the second lowest percentage of population 65 and over. The median age in Utah was over 7 years younger than in the U.S. Utah's age distribution plays a large role in making Utah's population seem healthy. Younger populations have lower mortality rates and utilize fewer health care resources than older populations. In addition, hospital stays of older people are generally longer and costlier than those of younger people. For these reasons, states with older populations are likely to appear worse in measures of health care utilization and costs. Use of age-adjusted data provide a more realistic and fair comparison of the above measures. However, while age-adjustment is commonly used in reporting mortality data, it is infrequently used in the reporting of other health care measures. Table 3. Percent of Population by Age Age Year Utah U.S. < 5 years 1980 13.0 7.2 1990 9.8 7.5 1995 9.4 7.5 5-17 1980 24.0 20.9 1990 26.6 18.2 1995 25.2 18.7 18-64 1980 55.5 60.6 1990 54.9 61.8 1995 56.6 61.1 65+ 1980 7.5 11.3 1990 8.7 12.5 1995 8.8 12.8 Median 1980 24.0 30.0 Age 1990 26.0 32.8 1995 26.8 34.3 Table 3. Sources: Utah: Utah State Economic Coordinating Committee (1997). Economic Report to the Governer 1997. Salt Lake City. p.70. Utah State Economic Coordinating Committee (1992). Economic Report to the Governor 1992. Salt Lake City. p. 120. U.S.: United State Bureau of the Census (1992). Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1992 (112th ed.). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, p. 19. Figure 5 Age Distribution 1980 80 -| 55.5 60.6 ¦ Utah ? U.S. Percentage of Population 60 -40 -20 -0 - ] 13 7.2 MH-----1 24 20 .9 ¦ 7.5 11.3 . _^----------1 , Under 5 5 to 17 18 to 64 65+ Figure 6 Age Distribution 1990 80 -| 54.9 61.8 ¦ Utah ? U.S. Percentage of Population 60 -40 -20 -0 - 26.6 18 . 9.8 7.5 ^«_ """""-------' 1 .2 8.7 12-5 , m^^--------1 . Under 5 5 to 17 18 to 64 65+ 69 |
