Compared to the state and the nation, Indianapolis has more young people and fewer older ones. This chart shows the 2005 population for the county, state and nation, divided into age groups.

Source: American Community Survey, 2006

The differences appear small, but they are substantial. In four of the five youngest age groups, Indianapolis has a higher percentage than the state or nation. This shows that the city has more children and more young adults. The exception is the 15-24 age group. Many people of this age leave the city temporarily to attend college elsewhere.

What matters from a workforce perspective is that a larger share of our population is of working age, and especially in the younger years of their work lives. In Indianapolis, 53.9 percent of all residents are of working age (25-64). The two younger working-age cohorts (25-34 and 35-44) contain 30.7 percent of the population. Across the state, 53 percent of Hoosiers are between 25 and 64, and only 27.9 in the two younger working-age cohorts. That small percentage difference translates to tens of thousands more young working adults in Indianapolis versus those already middle-aged, or even soon-to-retire adults elsewhere in the state.

Age is just one measure of workforce preparedness, of course. But while the rest of the nation frets about the graying of the workforce, we appear to be at least slightly better situated.