Millennials, with their increasing number in the country, overtook the Baby Boomers as the largest living generation in the United States.
According to the recent U.S. Census Bureau report and Pew Research Center analysis, Millennials already have 75.4 million population, while Baby Boomers are now about 74.9 million.
The Millennials are continually increasing because of immigration. Their population is projected to reach its peak of 81.1 million by 2036, and by that time the oldest Millennial will be 56 years old. Come 2050, Millennials are estimated to reach 79.2 million.
If the Millennials are gaining more population, the generation of Baby Boomers, or those who were born at the end of World War II, is fading little by little, getting old and dying out. The mortality rate among Baby Boomers outweighs the rate of immigrants coming into the country.
The Generations
Millennials are those born from 1981 to 1997, or 18 to 34 years old in 2015. On the other hand, Baby Boomers are those born from 1946 to 1964, aged 51 to 69 during the said year.
While the Millennials overtook the Baby Boomers, Gen X remains the "middle child" of the two largest generations. Gen X is smaller in number compared to Millennials, because the generation spans only 16 years. Included are those who were born in the year 1965 to 1980 and who are aged from 35 to 50 years old.
Even though Gen X's population is smaller than the Millennials and Baby Boomers, their number will still increase in the coming years. By 2028, it is projected that the Gen X population will surpass the population of Baby Boomers.
Generations serve as analytical constructs for creating a consensus on when to mark the boundaries of each generation. The generations are marked basing on the trends, demographics, attitudinal factors and other cultural and habitual evidences.
Photo: Elizabeth Hahn | Flickr
