Generations Explained

The only recognized generation (from the census bureau) is the baby boomers. All others are made up by the media and roughly overlap. Attached is a chart, including the next generation To Be Determined.

Greatest Generation - These are the people who fought and died in World War II for our freedom, which we appreciate. Tom Brokaw made the name up.

Baby Boomers - This is the agreed-upon generation that falls within DiPrete’s punctuated time frame.

Generation X - George Masnick, of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, puts this generation in the time frame of 1965 to 1984.

Generation Y - Masnick addresses this group too, putting it “anywhere from the mid-1970s when the oldest were born to the mid-2000s when the youngest were.” Mostly Generation Y is a made-up generation.

Millennials - In October 2004, the researchers Neil Howe and William Strauss called Millennials “the next great generation.” They define the group as “those born in 1982 and approximately the 20 years thereafter.” In 2012, they affixed the end point as 2004.

TBD - Children in the past 10+ years lack a designation. They are not Millennials.