Baby Boomers

Facts on Baby Boomers

The end of World War II affected American life in a myriad ways, one of which was the surge of new births. The baby boom generation categorizes an estimated 78 million people, nearly 26 percent of the current U.S. population.

Here are a few notable statistics of this generation:

• In 2007, 8,000 people turn 60 each day.
• The median age of Baby Boomers in 2007 is 51.
• Women outnumber men in this demographic just slightly: approximately 52 percent of Baby Boomers are women.
• The United Kingdom refers to the post-WWII population explosion as “the bulge”.
• More people of this generation are dating than any previous age group.
• The average additional life expectancy of someone currently 60 is another 18-22 years.

One Generation, Many Viewpoints

Marketers insist that Baby Boomers are all one in the same. However, the evidence is clear: someone born at the start of the population boost in 1946 has experiences and values quite different from someone born in 1964.

In fact, researchers identify two primary segments of this generation:

• Cohort-1, born 1946-1954, referred to as the primary or “leading edge” Boomers.
• Cohort-2, born 1955-1964, sometimes called the “shadow” or “trailing edge” Boomers.

The archetypical occasions and behaviors promoted by the mainstream media as being “all Boomer, all the time” isn’t correct. In reality, the impact of the Kennedy brothers’ assassinations, the civil rights movement, or Woodstock is far greater for someone born before 1954 than after.

Likewise, a cohort-2 Boomer coming of age in the late 60s-early 70s recalls soldiers returning from Vietnam, President Nixon’s resignation, and even disco more distinctively than their predecessors.

So it’s not accurate to say that the entire Baby Boomer generation is defined by a portion of cultural experiences. Additionally, those born at the close of the boom era may actually be the offspring of an earlier tide of Baby Boomers. It’s rare that parents and children desire the same things, wear the same clothes, or pursue the same interests.

While some are proud to be associated with the moniker “Baby Boomer,” others are determined to carve out a separate identity, free from the generalizations of pop culture and marketing expectations.

Baby Boomer Concerns

Again, it’s not right to make a sweeping assumption that everyone in this particular demographic shares the same concerns. However, there are some common issues that seem to be important to anyone over 50.

• The rising cost of health care.
• How to keep fit physically and financially.
• The best way to take care of aging parents.
• Defining retirement individually and in a proactive way through elements such as standards of living, senior housing, and work.
• Staying engaged and active.
• Enforcing modifications in Social Security benefits and Medicare.

Experts believe the decisions Baby Boomers make on these issues over the next 10-20 years will have a critical effect on the rest of the population. It’s simply due to strength in numbers, a factor that doesn’t apply to other named generations such as Generation X or the Millennials.

Learn More

There is a great deal of information on the Baby Boomer phenomenon.

First, review this excerpt from a 1948 issue of Time magazine about the effects of the baby boom (hence the definitive title of the generation).

Other interesting reads include:

A USA Today story on the first Baby Boomer, Kathleen Casey-Kirschling, born shortly after midnight on January 1, 1946.

Marc Freedman’s book Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America takes an unabashed look at the power of the people.

The History Channel’s Steve Gillon chronicles many from this generation in Boomer Nation: The Largest and Richest Generation Ever, and How It Changed America.

Share experiences or gain insight into the viewpoint of this highly touted demographic through the Boomer Generation blog.

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