Census: Idaho getting older

BOISE (AP) — New census data shows Idaho residents are slightly older, live in less traditional households and are now more likely to rent rather than own their homes.

The statewide population has also jumped 21.1 percent and become more diverse since 2000, according to new estimates the U.S. Census Bureau released on Thursday. Idaho’s total population included more than 1.5 million residents in 2010, up from about 1.3 million a decade earlier.

The median age of Idaho residents increased from 33.2 in 2000 to 34.6 in 2010, according to the figures. Meanwhile, the number of residents living in traditional husband-wife households dropped 3.6 percent during that same time period.

Idaho residents who rent rather than own their homes increased from 27.6 percent in 2000 to 30.1 percent in 2010, a trend that economists blame largely on the recession.