Tampa Bay's boomer population booms

Tampa Bay got a bump in its boomer population over the last few years, and we're not alone.

Why it matters: Cities with growing senior populations must be mindful of older residents' specific needs, like health care , transportation and affordable housing .

The big picture: The 65-and-up population grew in all of America's biggest cities from 2020 to 2023 — by nearly 20% in some cases, according to the Census Bureau's latest population estimates.

• America's overall 65-plus population rose 9.4%, to about 59.2 million people in this time frame.

Zoom in: Tampa-St Petersburg-Clearwater grew by 9.5% from 2020-2023, containing Tampa Bay's largest senior population at just under 690,000 residents, per the Census Bureau.

• North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota saw the area's largest increase in the same time frame — 12% growth to more than 304,000 residents.
• Lakeland-Winter Haven grew 10%, increasing to around 159,000 senior residents.