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<br />the percentage of the population over 65 years of age increased from 12% to <br />13% during the 1960s, while the under-18 age group declined from 34% to 28%. <br />New Mexico appears to be an exception to this trend. The median age in New <br />Mexico dropped from 24.0 to 22.8 during the 1950s and increased only slightly <br />to 23.9 duri ng the 1960s. However, a map of age characteri st i cs by county <br />indicates a strong geographic bias in New Mexico. Of the six counties in the <br />Ogall al a Regi on, half reported that thei r percentage of the popul at i on over <br />65 years of age was in excess of 50% above the state average of 6.9%, and two <br />of the three remaining counties also reported higher than average populations <br />in the 65 years or older category. Texas may be the only exception to this <br />trend. Age profile statistics from 1978 indicate that the Texas population <br />contains a higher percentage of children (0-11 years) and a lower percentage <br />of over 65 years old citizens than U.S. averages. <br /> <br />Existing Conditions <br /> <br />The Ogall al a Region currently compri ses a popul ation of approximately <br />2.2 million people. This population is roughly 9% of the total population of <br />the six states in the Region, sl ightly less than 1% of the national popula- <br />tion. Except in a relatively few urbanized counties, population density <br />ranges from 10 to 20 persons per square mile. <br /> <br />Nearly one-half of the current inhabitants of the Region reside in <br />Texas, and one-fourth of the population lives in Nebraska. In the remaining <br />four states, populations range from about 77,000 in Colorado to about 188,000 <br />in Kansas. <br /> <br />In terms of its general demographic characteristics, the region's popu- <br />lation tends to be rural, sl ightly older than the national norm, prone to a <br />relatively slow rate of growth, and largely white in its racial composition. <br />Statewide data pertaining to race indicate that the percentage of non-white <br />populations range from about 2% (New Mexico) to 10% (Texas). <br /> <br />The most current available population statistics for cities in the <br />region with populations of 25,000 people or more are indicated below: <br /> <br />1-30 <br /> <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />