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The oldest Baby Boomers – who were once the vanguard of American youth who revolutionized American culture and politics – will turn 80 in 2026.
The generation that first spun plastic hula hoops and first created barbie Dolls embrace the TV era, rejoice woodstock And those who opposed the Vietnam War – the group that did not trust anyone over the age of 30 – are now contributing to America’s overall aging.
generation Actors who will turn 80 in 2026 include Henry Winkler and baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, singers Cher and Dolly Parton and Presidents Donald Trump, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
America’s age is increasing and youth is decreasing
The US population grew by approximately 76 million children from 1946 to 1964, an increase fueled by couples reuniting after World War II and enjoying postwar prosperity.
Boomers were better educated and wealthier than previous generations, and they helped develop a consumer-driven economy. In her youth, she emphasized social change through the Civil Rights Movement, the Women’s Rights Movement, and efforts to end the Vietnam War.
“We had rock ‘n’ roll. We were the first generation to go out and perform in the streets. We were the first generation, that is, you know, a socially conscious generation,” said metro Atlanta resident Dianne West, who turns 80 in January. “Our parents played by the rules. We didn’t necessarily play by the rules, and there were a lot of us.”
As they grew up they became known as the “Me” generation, a derogatory term coined by the author tom wolfe To reflect what some people consider self-absorption and consumerism.
“The thing about baby boomers is that they’re always getting attention, no matter what age they are,” said William Frey, a Brookings demographer. “They were a big generation, but they also did important things.”
By the end of this decade, all baby boomers will be 65 and older, and the number of people 80 and older will double in 20 years, Frey said.
The share of seniors in the US population is projected to increase from 18.7% in 2025 to approximately 23% by 2050, while the share of children under 18 is projected to decline from approximately 21% to an estimated 18.4%.
Without any immigration, the US population will begin to decline within five years. Deaths would then exceed births, according to Congressional Budget Office projections, which were revised in September due to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Population growth is caused by immigration as well as more births than deaths.
Longevity is increasing as America ages due to better health care and lower birth rates.
According to the CBO, the projected average US life expectancy at birth increases from 78.9 years in 2025 to 82.2 years in 2055. And since the Great Recession in 2008, when the fertility rate was 2.08, around the 2.1 rate needed for children to numerically replace their parents, it has been on a steady decline, reaching 1.6 in 2025.
Younger generations miss out on boomer milestones
Women are having fewer children because they are better educated, they are delaying marriage to focus on careers and their first children are being born later. Affordable housing, less access to child care, and the rising costs of raising children also lead to fewer children.
Kenneth Johnson, senior demographer at the University of New Hampshire, estimates that the result would have been 11.8 million fewer births than if fertility rates had remained at Great Recession levels.
“I was young when I had kids. I mean, that’s what we did — we got out of college, we got married and we had kids,” said West, who has two daughters, a stepdaughter and six grandchildren. “My kids got married in their 30s, so it’s very different.”
A recent study from the Census Bureau revealed that 21st century young adults in America are not maturing into adulthood at the same rate as baby boomers. In 1975, nearly half of 25 to 34 year olds moved out of their parents’ house, got jobs, got married, and had children. By the beginning of 2020, less than a quarter of US adults had reached these milestones.
West, whose 21-year-old grandson lives with him, understands why: They lack the opportunities his generation enjoyed. His grandson, Paul Quirk, said it caused financial instability.
“They were able to buy a lot of things, very cheap,” Quirk said.
All of his grandchildren are frustrated with the economy, West said.
“You’d have to have three roommates to afford a place,” she said. “When we came out of college, there was a job waiting for us. And now, people who have master’s degrees are going to work fast food while they’re looking for a real job.”
implications for the economy
America’s aging population could hamper economic growth. With fewer workers paying taxes, there will be greater pressure on Social Security and Medicare. According to projections released last year by the White House, about 34 seniors are supported for every 100 workers in 2025, but that ratio rises to 50 seniors per 100 working-age people in about 30 years.
When West began his career in employee benefits and retirement planning in 1973, by some calculations, every 100 employees supported 20 or fewer retirees.
Vice President JD Vance and Tesla CEO Elon Musk are among those pushing for increased fertility. Vance has suggested giving parents more voting rights according to the number of children they have, or following the example of Hungary’s Viktor Orban, offering low-interest loans to married parents and giving tax breaks to women with four or more children.
Frey said programs to encourage fertility in American women rarely work, so funding should support pre-kindergarten and paid family leave.
“I think the best thing you can do for people who want to have kids is to make it easier and less expensive to have them and raise them,” he said. “Those things may not increase fertility rates as much as people would like, but at least the children who are being born will have a better chance of being successful.”
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Emily Magnien in Atlanta contributed to this report.
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Follow Mike Schneider on Bluesky social platforms: @mikeydis.bsky.social