Pennsylvania's Budget Woes Will Deepen With Aging Population
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania state government is facing perhaps its most difficult budget year since the recession, and demographic trends will provide no relief in coming years.
The growth of Pennsylvania's retirement age population is projected to balloon in the coming decade, while its working-age population shrinks.
That's according to projections by the Pennsylvania State Data Center.
Economists say it'll put more strain on services, while it'll provide less help for tax collections.
To some extent, Pennsylvania's demographic projections continue a trend that was already happening.
But the Pennsylvania State Data Center's projections show the trend steepening.
The number of Pennsylvania residents 20 to 59 will shrink by 214,000 from 2015 to 2025, or about 3 percent. But the number of residents 60 and older will grow by 711,000, or almost 24 percent.
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