From 2021 to 2041, the state’s older population is expected to grow from 1.8 million people to 2.7 million. By 2031, state demographers predict there will be more people in North Carolina over the age of 64 than younger than 18. The plan was spurred by an executive order issued by Gov. Roy Cooper in May 2023 that called for a “whole-of-government approach” to make the state hospitable to an increasingly aging population.