Millennials took over the U.S. workforce in May, and on Thursday, they further asserted their domination: Millennials are now the most populous generation.
New Census data has revealed that Americans born between 1982 and 2000 now number 83.1 million, more than the country’s 75.4 million baby boomers. Millennials now represent more than a quarter of the country’s total population.
The Census data, which gauged changes in Americans’ age, sex, race and other factors between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2014, is chock-full of other interesting statistics that point to significant demographic shifts in the American electorate that could be key in upcoming elections.
Here are a few of the most notable findings;
- Millennials are more diverse than the generations that preceded them—44.2% are part of a minority race or ethnic group.
- So are babies — Americans younger than five years old became majority-minority for the first time, with 50.2% of them being part of a minority race or ethnic group.
- The percentage of minority Americans is climbing overall, increasing from 32.9% in 2004 to 37.9% in 2014.
- In five places with a majority-minority, it’s way higher. In Hawaii, 77% of residents are minorities. In the District of Columbia, it’s 64.2%; in California 61.5%; New Mexico, 61.1%, and Texas, 56.5%.
- In most states the median age of Americans in increasing. Not so in five states. Between July 2013 and July 2014, the median age declined in North Dakota, Hawaii, Montana, Wyoming and Iowa.
