Florida has highest rate of seniors

Florida has highest rate of seniors in nation, Sumter leads counties

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Florida has the largest share of residents over age 65 of any state, and Sumter County has the highest rate of seniors of any county in the United States.

New 2012 U.S. Census estimates released Thursday show that 18.2 percent of Floridians are over age 65, the highest rate of any state in the nation. Just under half of Sumter County's residents are over age 65, the highest share of any county in the nation. The county located about 40 miles northwest of Orlando is home to the retirement community, The Villages, and also is one of the fastest-growing regions of the state.

The county with the next-highest percentage of seniors in the nation was Charlotte County in southwest Florida, where over a third of the population is over age 65.

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