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Highest-Risk Coronavirus Communities Include 1.5 Million Americans

WEDNESDAY, MAR 18, 2020

In the middle of a pandemic, where can the greatest number of people do the most good?

Quite possibly, south Florida. More than 1.5 million Americans live in the naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs) where the risks of infection from a potentially lethal coronavirus are greatest, according to a Social Explorer analysis of 2014-18 American Community Survey data. The Sunshine State has more than 850,000 residents living in 253 Census tracts where the median age is 65 or older.  Nationwide, only 494 of the nation's 74,000 tracts have a median age that tops 65.

Public health experts are asking Americans to curb non-essential travel and work from home, if possible. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered bars and nightclubs to close for at least 30 days this week, and stiffer measures are expected in the nation's third most-populous state. The state's schools and beaches have largely been closed, and restaurants are preparing to shift to take-out menus only. While curbing commercial activity is expected to reduce the severity of the pandemic, the most effective measure involves social distancing, or isolating people from any potential contact with an infected person.

Elderly Americans are considered most at risk to the virus, since many have pre-existing conditions that have weakened immune systems. Although residents of nursing homes and assisted-living facilities are most at risk, older Americans who live in neighborhoods where the median age is high — are also considered a high-risk population. Arizona has what's considered to be the second-highest concentration of people who are vulnerable to the virus, with almost 250,000 people living in tracts where the median age topped 65. California – the nation’s most populous state – tallied almost 150,000 people living in the oldest neighborhoods.

Use Social Explorer’s interactive map to figure out where America’s elderly population is concentrated.

    

Median Age of Population Across the United States. Click here to explore further.


Author: Frank Bass

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