America has been buzzing over them for years, and finally, their importance has been certified: Millennials are now the largest living adult generation, according to the Census Bureau.
Long in the shadows of the fading and aging baby boomer generation, the younger group took the top spot in the latest report.
The Census Bureau reported that millennials, ages 23 to 38 in 2019, totaled 72.1 million. The 55-73 aged boomers numbered 71.6 million.
And they got there with the help of younger immigrants and the deaths of older people, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of the numbers.
“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 aging and their numbers shrinking in size among them exceeds the number of older immigrants arriving in the country,” Pew said.
It added that the millennial generation is expected to peak in 2033, at 74.9 million.
The group has become politically important, especially so in the upcoming election. Millennial Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for example, has urged Joe Biden to connect better with the generation.
The numbers have suggested for a few years that millennials either have or were about surpass boomers and Pew has charted it all. In their latest report, they said, “This latest revision reflects the newly available July 1, 2019, population estimates released in April 2020, as well as new Census Bureau population projections released in 2017. Under these estimates, Millennials have overtaken Boomers under the Center’s revised definition.”
