Table POP2 Children as a proportion of the population: Persons in selected age groups as a percentage of the total U.S. population, and children ages 0–17 as a percentage of the dependent population, selected years 1950–2003 and projected 2004–2020
Age	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969
Percentage of total population
Ages 0–17	31	32	32	33	33	34	34	35	35	35	36	36	36	36	36	36	36	35	35	35
Ages 18–64	61	60	60	59	58	58	57	56	56	55	55	55	54	54	54	54	55	55	55	56
Ages 65 and older	8	8	8	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	10	10	10	10	10
Children ages 0–17 as a percentage of the dependent populationa
Ages 0–17	79	79	79	79	79	79	79	79	80	80	79	79	79	79	79	79	79	79	78	78
	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Percentage of total population
Ages 0–17	34	34	33	33	32	31	30	30	29	29	28	28	27	26	26	26	26	26	26	26
Ages 18–64	56	56	57	57	58	58	59	59	60	60	61	61	61	62	62	62	62	62	62	62
Ages 65 and older	10	10	10	10	10	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12
Children ages 0–17 as a percentage of the dependent populationa
Ages 0–17	78	77	77	76	76	75	74	73	73	72	71	71	70	70	69	69	68	68	68	67
	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Percentage of total population
Ages 0–17	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	24	24
Ages 18–64	62	62	62	61	61	61	61	61	62	62	62	62	62	63	63	63	63	63	63	63
Ages 65 and older	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	13	13	13
Children ages 0–17 as a percentage of the dependent populationa
Ages 0–17	67	67	67	67	67	67	67	67	67	67	67	67	67	67	67	67	67	66	66	65
	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Percentage of total population
Ages 0–17	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24
Ages 18–64	63	63	63	62	62	62	61	61	61	60	60
Ages 65 and older	13	13	14	14	14	15	15	15	16	16	16
Children ages 0–17 as a percentage of the dependent populationa
Ages 0–17	65	65	64	63	63	62	62	61	61	60	60
a The dependent population includes all persons ages 17 and under, and 65 and over.
NOTE: Population projections are based on the Census 2000 counts.
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, Estimates of the population of the United States by single years of age, color, and sex: 1900 to 1959 (Series P–25, No. 311); Estimates of the population of the United States, by age, sex, and race: April 1, 1960, to July 1, 1973 (Series P–25, No. 519); Preliminary estimates of the population of the United States by age, sex, and race: 1970 to 1981 (Series P–25, No. 917); and unpublished vintage 1999 estimates tables for 1980–1990, intercensal estimates for 1991–2000, and vintage 2001 estimates. The data for 2000 to 2003 are based on the population estimates released for July 1, 2004. The data for 2004 and beyond are derived from the interim national population projections released in March 2004.