Half of all Americans are now over age 30

October 14, 1982

A Census Bureau profile reported the median age in the United States is 30.3 years, the oldest since the baby boom of the 1950s.

Americans are also better educated than a decade ago, but poorer, and more of them are living alone, a national census profile says. The proportion of people under age 15 dropped to 22.3 percent of the population - the lowest in US history, said the report, which compiled 1980 census statistics and data from later studies for the first time under one cover.