Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Thursday, August 07, 2008

Western Minnesota counties remain the state's oldest

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — New figures from the Census Bureau show some counties along Minnesota's western border are among the oldest in nation.

Traverse, Big Stone and Lincoln counties are among the about two dozen counties in the nation that had at least one-quarter of their populations 65 or older on July 1, 2007.

Traverse was at 28 percent while Big Stone and Lincoln were at 25 percent. Aitkin County in central Minnesota also had a quarter of its population at 65 and over.

Also among the oldest counties in the state were Kittson, Lac qui Parle and Murray.

Rural counties throughout the nation have been struggling for years with declining, aging populations as young people grow up and move away seeking better jobs.

On the flip side, counties with the highest percentage of their population at 5 years old or younger tend to be on the far western edge of the Twin Cities. Wright and Scott counties were the highest at 9 percent.

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