The oldest baby boomers, who helped shape modern culture, will hit the age of 80 in 2026. Names that echo across the country-actor Henry Winkler, baseball legend Reggie Jackson, singers Cher and Dolly Parton, and former presidents Donald Trump, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton-illustrate the cohort’s broad influence.
The post-war years saw an unprecedented birth boom. From 1946 to 1964, about 76 million babies were born, a surge fueled by couples reuniting after World War II and enjoying the prosperity that followed.
Education and wealth marked the boomers. They were better educated and richer than earlier generations, and they helped build a consumer-driven economy that grew alongside their social activism.
Social change surged during their youth. The civil-rights movement, the women’s rights movement, and anti-Vietnam-War protests were all driven by this generation’s willingness to demonstrate and challenge the status quo.
“We had rock ‘n’ roll. We were the first generation to get out and demonstrate in the streets. We were the first generation, that was, you know, a socially conscious generation,” said Diane West, a metro Atlanta resident who turns 80 in January.
The label “me generation” was coined by writer Tom Wolfe to describe what some saw as the boomers’ self-absorption and consumerism, a term that has endured in public discourse.
Demographic projections paint a stark picture. By the end of the decade, all baby boomers will be 65 or older, and the number of people 80 and over will double in 20 years. The share of senior citizens will grow from 18.7 % in 2025 to nearly 23 % by 2050, while children under 18 will decline from almost 21 % to 18.4 %.
The Congressional Budget Office notes that without immigration, the U.S. population will start shrinking in five years, when deaths will surpass births. This shift is tied to longer life expectancy-projected to rise from 78.9 years in 2025 to 82.2 years in 2055-and a steady decline in the fertility rate, which fell from 2.08 in 2008 to 1.6 in 2025.
Women’s lower birth rates stem from higher education, delayed marriage, and later first births. Unaffordable housing, limited child-care access, and rising child-rearing costs also contribute to fewer children.
Kenneth Johnson, a senior demographer at the University of New Hampshire, estimates that these factors have produced 11.8 million fewer births than would have occurred if the fertility rate had remained at Great Recession levels.
West, who has two daughters, a stepdaughter, and six grandchildren, reflects on her generation’s trajectory. “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 babies,” she said. Her 21-year-old grandson, Paul Quirk, added, “They were able to buy a lot of things, a lot cheaper.”
The Census Bureau found that in 1975, almost half of 25-to-34-year-olds had moved out, secured jobs, married, and had children. By the early 2020s, less than a quarter of U.S. adults had reached those milestones.
West says her grandchildren are frustrated by the economy. “You have to get three roommates in order to afford a place,” she said. “When we got out of college, we had a job waiting for us. And now, people who have master’s degrees are going to work fast food while they look for a real job.”
The aging population places pressure on the economy. With fewer workers paying taxes, Social Security and Medicare face increased strain. In 2025, about 34 seniors were supported by every 100 workers; that ratio is projected to rise to 50 seniors per 100 workers in roughly 30 years.
Vice President JD Vance and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have called for measures to raise the fertility rate. Vance has suggested giving parents more voting power based on their number of children, or following Hungary’s Viktor Orbán by offering low-interest loans to married parents and tax exemptions to women who have four or more children.
Brookings demographer William Frey argues that programs aimed at incentivizing fertility rarely succeed. He recommends funding pre-kindergarten and paid family leave instead. “I think the best you can do for people who do want to have kids is to make it easier and less expensive to have them and raise them,” he said. “Those things may not bring up the fertility rate as much as people would like, but at least the kids who are being born will have a better chance of succeeding.”
Key Takeaways
- Baby boomers will turn 80 in 2026, highlighting a generation that shaped post-war America.
- The U.S. will see a dramatic rise in the senior population and a decline in youth, driven by longer life expectancy and lower fertility.
- Economic and social programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and public policy will need to adapt to a shrinking workforce and a larger elderly cohort.
America’s demographic future hinges on how the nation balances these shifts, whether through immigration, policy changes, or new social programs that support families and seniors alike.
