New figures from the 2000 Census show Freeborn County’s elderly population grew only minimally over the past 10 years, but a dramatic slump in the number of young children could foreshadow future problems.

Thursday, May 24, 2001

New figures from the 2000 Census show Freeborn County’s elderly population grew only minimally over the past 10 years, but a dramatic slump in the number of young children could foreshadow future problems.

Nearly 19 percent of Freeborn County residents are aged 65 and older, according to the 2000 Census results released Wednesday. Figures show 6,156 of the county’s 32,584 residents are elderly, compared to 6,146 in 1990. The number of residents 65 to 74 years old actually dropped from 3,285 in 1990 to 2,872 in 2000, but residents over age 74 increased from 2,861 in 1990 to 3,284 in 2000.

Figures show more marked population decreases in younger age groups. The census recorded a 9 percent drop in residents aged 25 to 44 years old since 1990 – from 9,161 to 8,322 residents. Even more dramatically, residents under the age of five dropped sharply from 2,256 in 1990 to 1,867 in 2000 – more than a 17 percent decrease.

Freeborn County has the 25th-highest median age among Minnesota’s 87 counties. The county’s median age in 2000 was 40.4, up almost nine percent from 37.11 in 1990.

Nationally, the 65-and-older population jumped 11 percent the past decade to 12.5 percent of the total.

The state Department of Human Services projects that one in four Minnesotans will be 65 years old or older in 2030. Minnesota now annually splits about $1 billion in Medicaid spending with the federal government, but state spending will more than triple by 2030, said LaRhae Knatterud, an aging analyst with the human services department.

She said the costs for funding the health care program in Minnesota will soar to about $3.5 billion in 30 years, although the cost would shrink if doctors find a cure for Alzheimer’s and other diseases of the aged in the meantime.

Another way to measure the significance of aging in rural Minnesota is the elderly dependency ratio, which is the ratio of people age 65 or older for every 100 people ages 15 to 64 – what the state demographer’s office calls the working population.

The overall ratio has been between 18 and 19 since 1960. An analysis of census figures by The Associated Press indicates the ratio held steady at 18.2 in 2000, but the ratio was 30.5 in Freeborn County in 2000.

The State Demographer’s office reports communities with high elderly dependency ratios typically have a reduced demand for most consumer goods and services and therefore support fewer businesses. The ability of these communities to generate additional tax revenue is also limited.

State Demographer Tom Gillaspy said some of the figures are &uot;dramatic,&uot; like Big Stone County where a quarter of the population is 65 years old or older. &uot;It really does get to the point of, &uot;’Who is left to provide services?’&uot; he said.

The median ages in the Twin Cities and a few rural counties that contained big food processing plants held steady from 1990 to 2000, mostly due to an influx of younger immigrants, he said.

The remaining counties are squeezed by an aging population demanding more government services, like transportation and medical care, while at the same time being unable, or unwilling, to pay for them through higher taxes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.