Millennials Surpass Boomers In U.S. Population
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Here's a sign of the times: Baby Boomers are no longer the largest living generation in the United States. Millennials have officially surpassed them.
New population estimates released this month by the U.S. Census Bureau show there are now more than 75 million millennials in the country.
The group is defined as being anyone born between 1981 and 1997.
There are just under 75 million baby boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964.
For decades, Boomers have dominated decision-making in the economy, politics and culture. Boomers peaked in 1999 at 78.8 million.
Immigration is a huge factor behind this shift. Millennials now outnumber all other groups partly due to the number of immigrants between ages of 18 and 24 continuously entering the country. Meanwhile, baby boomers are aging and beginning to die out at a rate that exceeds the number of older immigrants arriving in the country.
Members of Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, should peak in couple years at around 65 million.
Millennials are expected to peak at just over 81 million in 2036.
