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APRIL 25, 2016

Millennials overtake Baby Boomers as America’s largest generation BY RICHARD FRY (HTTP://WWW.PEWRESEARCH.ORG/STAFF/RICHARD-FRY/)

Millennials have surpassed Baby Boomers as the nation’s largest living generation, according to population estimates (http://www.census.gov/popest/data/datasets.html?eml=gd&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery) released this month by the U.S. Census Bureau. Millennials, whom we define as those ages 18-34 in 2015, now number 75.4 million, surpassing the 74.9 million Baby Boomers (ages 51-69). And Generation X (ages 35-50 in 2015) is projected to pass the Boomers in population by 2028.

The Millennial generation continues to grow as young immigrants expand its ranks. Boomers – whose generation was

defined by the boom in U.S. births following World War II – are older and their numbers shrinking as the number of

deaths among them exceeds the number of older immigrants arriving in the country.

Generations are analytical constructs, and developing a popular and expert

consensus on what marks the boundaries between one generation and the next

takes time. Pew Research Center has established that the oldest “Millennial”

was born in 1981. The Center continues to assess demographic, attitudinal and

other evidence on habits and culture that will help to establish when the

youngest Millennial was born or even when a new generation begins

(http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/03/11/the-next-america-on-the-daily-

show/) . To distill the implications of the census numbers for generational heft,

this analysis assumes that the youngest Millennial was born in 1997.

Here’s a look at some generational projections:

Millennials

With immigration adding more numbers to its group than any other, the

Millennial population is projected to peak in 2036 at 81.1 million.

Thereafter the oldest Millennial will be at least 56 years of age and

mortality is projected to outweigh net immigration. By 2050 there will be

a projected 79.2 million Millennials.

Generation X

PO T MAIL IO @R_FRY1

Richard Fry (http://www.pewresearch.org/author/rfry/) is a senior researcher focusing on economics and education at Pew Research Center.

For a few more years, Gen Xers are projected to remain the “middle child” of generations – caught between two larger generations of the Millennials and the Boomers. They are smaller than Millennials because the generational span of Gen X (16 years) is shorter than the Millennials (17 years). Also, the Gen Xers were born during a period when Americans were having fewer children than later decades. When Gen Xers were born, births averaged around 3.4 million per year, compared with the 3.9 million annual rate during the 1980s and 1990s when Millennials were born.

Though the oldest Gen Xer is now 50, the Gen X population will still grow for a few more years. The Gen X population is projected to outnumber the Boomers in 2028 when there will be 64.6 million Gen Xers and 63.7 million Boomers. The Census Bureau projects that the Gen X population will peak at 65.8 million in 2018.

Baby Boomers

Baby Boomers have always had an outsized presence compared with other generations. They were the largest generation and peaked at 78.8 million in 1999.

There were an estimated 74.9 million Boomers in 2015. By midcentury, the Boomer population will dwindle to 16.6 million.

This post was originally published on Jan. 16, 2015, and updated on April 25, 2016, to indicate that Millennials have officially surpassed Baby Boomers in population.

1.

174 Comments

Anon mou  • 6 month  ago (#comment-670178)

The e comment  a out a ortion are  ickening. A ortion i  the  e t thing po i le  ecau e it eliminate   a ie  that

were unwanted. We don’t need an ever-expanding population and the la t thing we need i  million  of

underprivileged children. Unending growth i  the p cholog  of the cancer cell. Get a  rain,  ou anti-a ortioni t . You

make me puke.

Anon mou  • 6 month  ago (#comment-669761)

We need ma  depopulation

Anon mou  • 6 month  ago (#comment-669733)

ecau e we have lo t over 54 million un orn children to a ortion who would have  een a le to grow up and inve t in

ociet , our culture and work force. Or at lea t 45 million. It i  not po i le to make up a lo t generation or people.

For ever  child that die  for whatever rea on, that make  a difference in ever   ociet .  ach per on ha   omething to

offer.

Anon mou  • 6 month  ago (#comment-669752)

I totall  and completel  agree. The a ortion indu tr  i  a olutel  horri le not onl  do  it pre  on children, it

end  up  acrificing them for the little t of thing   a ed on the perceived  o called “perfection” in our  ociet .

Mother’  who don’t want children  a ed on e e color,  kin, etc.

We’re giving our  oung people ver  little choice  and the  have extorted to the extreme  over it. The  oung

men e peciall   uffer the mo t from mental i ue  that are never addre ed earl -on and it carrie  into

adulthood creating multiple di order  and all  ort  of needle  deformitie  and  urden .

Our “fo ter home”  tem i  al o a me . We need to  tart  creening individual  not onl   a ed upon income

amount  ut al o R LIGION a  well too. There ha   een too man   ilent ca e  of fo ter-children  eing placed in

home  where the  have  een a u ed  huffled around with a carele   a - oomer  ociet  that act  like

“ u ine  A  U ual” with di regard to human life.

The e are the  AM  people who run after the  tock market and are or car fanatic . We need to  tart acting

le  like animal  and more a  Up tanding Citizen  in  ociet  again!!! Our college women and men are  eing

needle l  hara ed and  acrificed for no rea on OTH R than to plea e the generation  efore u  for a couple

of dollar  and  uck .

It i  HORRI L  in the IT indu tr . There are  o man  greed -men and women now that the entire indu tr  ha

een taken over   fanatic , ma on-influenced and OTH R entitie  that have NO  u ine   eing there. For the

future of the nation it’  time to  tart  etting thing  right and  top the raci m and the a u e that ha   een

running RAPID and untamed.

Teach  our men to R P CT women  e it in U A OR over ea . Teach  our women to LOV  their men in tead of

exploiting.

AM RICA,  TOP YOUR  INNING.

Anon mou  • 6 month  ago (#comment-669584)

Let get it  traight the average life  pan i  77 and 79 toda ’  technolog  with genetic engineering coming on quickl

a   oomer  will go to 100 generation x will go to 125-150. People have to  tart acting and thinking dra ticall

different than toda  forget retirement and think a out a new career and education at 65 or 80. A college education

at 22 i  like going to the time of Chri t in education . If  ou graduated in 1975 with a degree in an thing it i  ancient

hi tor . The old model of getting married at 25 or thirt  having children and working till 65 and  itting around till

death at 75 i  dead. A k  our elf how old wa  the la t per on  ou went to their funeral? 90, 98, 103? That will tell

ou a out wh  the old model i  dead .

K R k r • 6 month  ago (#comment-669204)

If millennial  are tied with  a   oomer  wh  i   ocial  ecurit  going  roke don’t the  pa  into  ocial  ecurit  or are

the  all ju t prote ter

Anon mou  • 6 month  ago (#comment-669763)

ecau e  ou forget that  ocial  ecurit  worked  ecau e the  oomer  were a much large generation than an

generation  efore them. There wa  a ver  large working population much larger than the  enior population.

Ju t  ecau e millenial  are tied with  oomer  doe n’t mean there are enough to  upport the much larger elderl

population who are   the wa  living longer. Furthermore, mo t  oomer   till hold the high ranking well pa ing

po ition  while millenial  are ju t  tarting their jo  or  till in  chool. Millenial  are  ta ing in  chool far longer than

oomer    the wa , not onl   ecau e knowledge ha  advanced  ignificantl  over the la t few decade ,  ut al o

ecau e there aren’t man  companie  clamoring to hire people unlike the  ituation of the  oomer .

Anon mou  • 6 month  ago (#comment-669201)

I think the article doe n’t addre  the more glaring topic, the po t-millennial generation will  e the large t generation

ever.

The  are alread  at 69 Million.

Anon mou  • 6 month  ago (#comment-669114)

Milleni