Tennessee's population boom is skipping middle age, part of a broader trend with big implications.

Why it matters: The 45-64 population is dipping nationally, leaving fewer experienced adults to run institutions, mentor younger workers and care for the fast-growing population behind them.

By the numbers: Tennessee is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, hitting 7.3 million residents last year. That's a 5.6% jump since 2020.

• But that growth isn't disbursed evenly.

Zoom in: The 65+ population in Tennessee grew to 1,360,588 by July 1, 2025, according to new Census Bureau data. That's a 14.7% increase over five years.

• Meanwhile, the 45-64 population bobbled down 0.4%, to 1,767,739 people.

The big picture: That trend is even starker nationally. The U.S. population ages 45-64 fell by 2.68 million from April 1, 2020, to July 1, 2025, according to new Census Bureau population estimates reviewed by Axios.

• The group declined 3.2% nationally, from 84 million to 81.3 million.

State of play: The decline is happening as the country gets older overall.

• The U.S. median age rose to 39.4 in July 2025, up from 38.6 in April 2020. Tennessee's median age is slightly younger at 39.2.

Between the lines: The 45-64 group isn't vanishing so much as aging up. Younger boomers are moving into retirement age, and a smaller group of older Gen X cohorts are filling in behind them.

What we're watching: High costs of living and housing shortages in the Northeast and West are driving this experienced cohort southward, which could present an opportunity for the Volunteer State.

The impact on communities

A 2022 report from the state comptroller found Tennessee already "has a critical shortage of paid caregivers who help elderly and vulnerable adults continue to live in their homes rather than in nursing facilities."

Why it matters: An aging population comes hand-in-hand with the urgent need for more elder care, transportation and affordable housing.

• This is becoming a policy issue at the General Assembly and beyond.

What's next: This week, we'll share one example: a small pilot program that is doling out money to Tennessee caregivers who support a family member with Alzheimer's disease.

• The funding is supposed to give those caregivers some relief, and lawmakers hope the pilot will help measure demand for that kind of help.

📢 Tell us: Have you or your family taken on caregiving duties for an older relative? We'd love your input.

• Hit reply to share your perspective on how state leaders can help care for our elderly population.

As rents climb and older homeowners stay put, senior housemates are having a moment.

• Older adults are turning spare bedrooms into lifelines, for themselves and for renters priced out of the market, the New York Times reports.

The big picture: It's not charity. It's a trade: space for affordability, companionship and a hand around the house.

Zoom out: Around 55 home-share groups now play roommate matchmaker nationwide, vetting applicants and brokering the delicate stuff like pets, parking, chores and thermostat preferences.

• Several states are weighing "Golden Girls" bills to loosen rules on unrelated adults living together.

Searches for gray hair salons and services have surged on Yelp, according to data shared with Axios.

Why it matters: America is getting older, and more people are embracing their grays rather than hiding them.

• Even some younger women are seeking out the look.

By the numbers: Yelp searches for salons offering gray blending — a coloring technique that uses highlights to incorporate gray strands — jumped 905% in 2025 from a year earlier.

• Inquiries for gray hair specialists rose 276%.

What they're saying: Many people now want to "showcase" their grays, Valdez tells Axios, "rather than always being obsessed about covering it, or being insecure about showing it."

Zoom in: Many of her clients are millennials and Gen Z with "just a little bit" of gray. For them, Valdez says she adds highlights to enhance or brighten the grays that frame their face.

Go deeper

👋 Axios chief copy editor Sheryl Miller here.

• I'm turning 60 this year, and this milestone has me thinking about the value of aging beyond economic power or trendy hair. It's perspective.

Between the lines: I've been wrong about so many things. And if 60 has taught me anything, it's that being wrong isn't the worst thing. Refusing to learn is.

Here's some advice — a few things I wish I'd known when I was younger.

✏️ Write it down. You think you'll remember everything, but you won't. You'll remember the big things, mostly.

• The small things — the funny thing your kid said, the long days at the pool — those have a way of slipping away.

💞 Your friends — your support system — are everything. In a family emergency, they were the ones who organized meals, picked up my daughter from college and showed up when I couldn't ask.

👥 Make the connection. In my 30s, a retired couple lived across the street from us. They were the neighbors who went out of their way to do kind things, like installing a tree swing in their yard for the neighborhood kids to use.

• Then life got busy. We rushed through school years, work deadlines, practices, dinners, all of it. Somewhere along the way, I lost that connection, and I will always regret that.

As we continue to report on aging, we wanted to spotlight something that never gets old: a solid-gold song.

This week's Music Monday playlist features our favorite oldies from the 1940s, '50s and 60s.

• "Mess Around" by Ray Charles is still a bop. And the velvet fog Mel Tormé will always melt our hearts with "Blue Moon."

Follow our playlist on Spotify