The U.S. Census Bureau recently posted a huge new batch of U.S. survey data for 2024 and showed that the population of "near retirees" — people ages 55 through 64 — is shrinking.
That raised the question: What about members of Generation X?
GenXers are people born from 1965 through 1980.
Widespread adoption of the birth control pill ended the baby boom generation abruptly and started what was once called the "baby bust" generation after 1964, by causing the number of babies born to fall like a rock.
When the babies of 1965 were old enough to go to school, principals often had to eliminate a kindergarten class to cope with under-enrollment. The principals kept having to make new staffing decisions at the start of each school year as the 1965 babies grew.
Now, the babies of 1965 are turning 60. The babies of 1980 are turning 45.
All members of Generation X are prime prospects for annuities and retirement planning services.
In 2024, the 45-59 age group included the very youngest GenXers, who were turning 44, and it included a few of the very oldest baby boomers, who were not yet 60 at the beginning of the year. But, otherwise, it offered a good snapshot of the state of Generation X.
For a look at the metro areas with the highest share of residents ages 45 to 59 in 2024, see the gallery accompanying this article.
What it means: The 1970s grade school principals' old problem is now annuity and retirement services marketers' problem.
Whatever product was snapped up by 60-year-olds last year may face sales headwinds this year and in the next few years, simply because there are fewer 60-year-olds out there.
Data details: The Census Bureau's new American Community Survey 1-year estimates population tables show that number of people in the 45-59 age group living in U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan areas in 2024 was 55.5 million. The number of people in that age group was down 1.8% from the 2019 total and down 2.9% from the 2014 total.
The percentage of metropolitan and micropolitan residents in the 45-59 age group dropped to 17.9% in 2024, from 19% in 2019 and and from 20.2% in 2014.
In the 107 metropolitan areas with a total population over 500,000, Gen Xers' share of the total population ranged from 13.4%, in the Provo, Utah, area, up to more than 19.5%, in two metro areas.
The gallery: The gallery includes figures for how each metro area's share of the population in the 45-59 age group changed between 2019 and 2024.
In some cases, changes in how the Census Bureau defines metropolitan statistical area boundaries may skew those comparisons.
For context, we also included median household income figures. Because of data limitations, the median income figures are for households headed by people ages 45 through 64, rather than purely for households headed by people ages 45 to 59.
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