BYE BOOMERS: Millennials largest demographic group in U.S.

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Step aside boomers, your strength in numbers has been overtaken by millennials for the first time in the United States.

A new study by the Brookings Institution found that millennials make up 22% of the American population, nudging out boomers (21.8%) as the nation’s largest living generation based on census data from 2019.

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Throw in the Gen Zers and their successors, and the number of people in America under the age of 40 balloons to 50.7% of the population, or about 166 million people.

“To many Americans — especially baby boomers themselves — this news may come as a shock,” wrote demographer William H. Frey in his analysis for Brookings Institution. “For them, the term ‘millennial’ has been associated with a youthful, often negative, vibe in terms of habits, ideology, and politics. Now, the oldest millennial is 39, and with their numbers exceeding those of baby boomers, the millennial generation is poised to take over influential roles in business and government.”

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Frey’s analysis also found that millennials and younger generations are more racially diverse than their elders, with nearly half identifying as members of a racial or ethnic minority.

This demographic shift could potentially hurt President Donald Trump’s re-election chances, according to Frey.

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Contending that the president has “preyed on the fears of older whites,” targeting issues such as illegal immigration and voter fraud, Frey said Trump’s strategy could backfire with a more racially diverse, younger generation, whose lives have been turned upside-down by the pandemic.

“There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic will most negatively impact the economic prospects of younger generations, who are bearing the brunt of outsized job losses, evictions, and — among Gen Z — disruptions in education,” Frey wrote.