evidence: A principal driver behind the rising demand for workers in the health care and social assistance field in Western New York is the growing senior citizen population in the region’s five counties (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara). According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program, there were an estimated 286,365 people aged 65 and older living in Western New York in 2023. This group accounted for more than one in five (20.4%) members of the Western New York population last year. This figure is up sharply from 2010, when it stood at 15.8%. [...] Education and health services (+10,800) [...] Education and health services (+1,800)