<Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> Middle age is the period of age beyond young adulthood but before the onset of old age . </P> <P> According to the Oxford English Dictionary middle age is between 45 and 65: "The period between early adulthood and old age, usually considered as the years from about 45 to 65 ." The US Census lists the category middle age from 45 to 65 . Merriam - Webster list middle age from 45 to 64, while prominent psychologist Erik Erikson saw it starting a little earlier and defines middle adulthood as between 40 and 65 . The Collins English Dictionary, list it between the ages of 40 and 60 . and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - the standard diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association - used to define middle age as 40 to 60, but as of DSM - IV (1994) revised the definition upwards to 45 to 65 . </P> <P> This time in the lifespan is considered to be the developmental stage of those who are between 20 years old and 40 years old . Recent developmental theories have recognized that development occurs across the entire life of a person as they experience changes cognitively, physically, socially, and in personality . </P>

What is considered middle age in the united states