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Abstract
The median age of nonmetro people has risen, but is still not greatly above that of metro residents. Typically, nonmetro counties have a lower proportion of their people at prime working ages, 20-44 years, and a higher percentage at retirement age. They also still have a modestly higher share of children ages 5-19. The greatest divergence from the national profile occurs in farming-dependent and retirement areas, where, from different causes, higher than normal shares of older people are found.