Census Data Show Median Age Increase In Mass.

A demographic profile of Massachusetts released by the U.S. Census Bureau shows the median age of state residents rose by 2.6 years during the last decade.

The figures from the 2010 Census released Thursday show the median age at 39.1 years, compared with 36.5 in 2000.

The rising median age in Massachusetts is part of a nationwide trend. The state's median age is below neighboring states including Maine, which has a median age of 42.7 years, and Rhode Island, at 39.4 years.

The Census data also show an increasing housing vacancy rate in Massachusetts, from 6.8 percent in 2000 to 9.3 percent in 2010.

There was also a slight increase in owner-occupied housing units, from 61.7 percent to 62.3 percent. Renters lived in the rest of the state's occupied units.