Getting On: An Aging Population Is Transforming Vermont’s Schools, Workplaces and Communities
Seven Days
Hardwick residents want to force a neighboring town to close its cherished but tiny elementary school. In Orwell, the owner of Buxton's Store is struggling to hire kitchen staff. Senior housing complexes in Burlington have yearslong waiting lists. And at Vermont's largest hospital, dozens of older people languish in beds because there's no place to move them.
Vermont is aging rapidly. Its median age has jumped from 37 to 43 in just two decades, making it the third-oldest state, behind only Maine and then New Hampshire. The number of Vermonters 65 and older has nearly doubled over that same period. They now outnumber children and, by 2030, will comprise close to 25 percent of the population.