Washington County, including Woodbury and Stillwater along the St. Croix River valley, has the metro's highest share of residents age 65+ at 18.8% — meaning it is, proportionally, the fastest-aging of the seven Twin Cities metro counties. It uses the same statewide Trellis, Senior LinkAge Line, MDH licensing, and MAARC resources as the rest of the metro.
What is specific to this county
With roughly 286,900 residents and about 53,900 seniors, Washington County is smaller in raw population than Hennepin, Ramsey, or Dakota, but its higher proportion of older residents means senior care planning is an especially common conversation for families here. Woodbury, one of the fastest-growing suburbs in the eastern metro, has seen significant newer assisted living and memory care development to meet this demand, while Stillwater and the St. Croix River valley communities tend to have a more established, longer-standing senior housing market. Because Washington County's senior population share is the highest in the metro, families here may find themselves navigating waitlists at popular communities more often than in counties with a younger overall population profile — starting the search and MnCHOICES assessment process early is worth factoring in.