A GW senior fellow contributed to a study examining changes in the DMV’s population age distribution, according to the Brookings Institution.

Jaclene Begley, a senior non-resident fellow at the GW Center for Washington Area Studies, helped compile the State of the Capital Region 2020 report, which analyzes how many people of different age groups lived in the region and in which wards certain age groups were concentrated. The DMV is becoming increasingly older, and the proportion of children is declining, meaning policymakers will need to consider ramping up services like health care while scaling back on schooling, according to the report. 

“Over the past 30 years, the Capital region has grown more racially diverse, more affluent and older,” the report states. “In this year’s State of the Capital Region, we investigate how these changes in population characteristics developed across the region, focusing especially on racial and ethnic composition, income, age and household size and type.”

The report states that since 1970, D.C.’s share of adults over 59 years old has increased to 20 percent, while the share of children under age 18 has declined. Researchers attributed the changes in age distribution to factors like people moving in and out of the DMV and birth and death rates, according to the report. 

The study also found that the number of families with kids has dropped since 1980 among suburban households and remained stagnant among urban jurisdictions. Ward 7 and 8 hold the largest share of families with children, the report states. 

“These are predominantly black and disproportionately poor neighborhoods, relative to the District overall,” Brookings wrote.

As a result of an increasingly older population, policymakers may need to adjust school capacity and facilities like playgrounds, according to the report. The findings could also indicate that spending patterns will change in the coming years, as retirees commute and spend less, the report states.

“As the region (and the nation) grows older, policymakers and private businesses need to take these factors into account when making long-range planning decisions,” Brookings wrote.