Changes have occurred in the geographic concentrations of elderly people in the United States between 1950 and 1970. The paper examines these trends and identifies the factors which influenced them. Census data from 1950 and 1970 were analyzed as a basis for the study. In 1950, 8.1% of the population was classified as older. States with high percentages of the elderly population included New Hampshire, Vermont, Iowa, and Maine. On the county level, areas in New England, the Midwest, and the Eastern Great Plains had high elderly concentrations. In 1970, 9.9% of the population was classified as older. Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, and Arkansas had high concentrations, as did counties in nonmetropolitan areas of the Great Plains and Midwest. A combination of two factors accounted for these changes: out-migration of young people, leaving higher percentages of elderly people; and in-migration of elderly people, such as into Florida. Many more retired people in 1970 were financially able to relocate than people of the same age had been in 1950. This was due to the advent of retirement plans, private pension funds, inflation of property values, and increased Social Security payments. (AV)