If these 2020 trends continue, odds are that entitlements will not be cut and will only continue to expand. We already see what could be ahead in the $3.5 trillion second infrastructure proposal, which aims to expand Medicare with additional hearing, vision and dental benefits while creating more well-paid jobs in caretaking. If these proposals become law, Southern states will not only have more retirees, they'll also attract people who earn their living by providing services to retirees. So a larger share of tax dollars will flow towards states like Arizona and Florida, where retirees live and vote.
The Census is a snapshot of our current population, but the trends it reveals offer insight into our future. The view it showed us in 2020 is an America that's older, more Southern and living on government largesse.
Allison Schrager is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. She is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of An Economist Walks Into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk.