Aging and Wildfire Risk to Communities

Overview

The population of the United States is aging as the Baby Boom generation grows older. In 2020, 23 percent of the U.S. population had reached age 60. The share of the population at older ages is forecast to increase to 26 percent in 2030 and 29 percent in 2050. Wildfire risks are also increasing, and older populations are especially vulnerable. This report found that most (87 percent) of the recent population growth in places with moderate-to-high wildfire risk has been among people over the age of 60. Already, the proportion of older people living in places with more wildfire risk is higher than in the population at large. In rural areas with the greatest wildfire risk, 35 percent of people living in those areas are over the age of 60. The number of older people exposed to wildfire risk is expected to increase as populations grow older and as wildfire increases in frequency and intensity.