Nearly one of every five people in Buffalo County is 65 or older as growth of elderly residents exceeds both state and national averages.
    
The U.S. Census Bureau said 18.5 percent of Buffalo County's population was elderly compared to 13 percent nationally.

But overall the county's census remains low at 13,539 estimated for 2011, down about 50 people from 2010.

The Census Bureau says people are living longer throughout the country, evidenced by a tripling of people 90 and older over the past three decades.

Buffalo County remains sparsely populated, only 20 people per square mile. Total population statewide is figured at 105 people per square mile.

In other census facts, 9.5 percent of Buffalo County's population was below poverty level and median household income of $45,302 and per capita income of $22,579 ranked under state averages.

The county's median age in 2010 was 44 and the largest population counts were among those 45 to 60.

There were 6,859 males and 6,728 females living in the county in 2010. Over 97 percent of the population was white.