2026 Will Be a Notable Year for Baby Boomers

The oldest baby boomers—once the vanguard of an American youth that revolutionized US culture and politics—turn 80 in 2026. The generation that twirled the first plastic hula hoops and dressed up the first Barbie dolls, embraced the TV age, blissed out at Woodstock, and protested the Vietnam War—the cohort that didn't trust anyone over age 30—now is contributing to the overall aging of America, reports the AP. The most interesting things to know:

• America's population swelled with around 76 million births from 1946 to 1964, a spike magnified by couples reuniting after World War II and enjoying postwar prosperity.
• Boomers were better educated and richer than previous generations, and they helped grow a consumer-driven economy. In their youth, they pushed for social change through the Civil Rights Movement, the women's rights movement, and efforts to end the Vietnam War.
• As they got older they became known as the "me" generation, a pejorative term coined by writer Tom Wolfe to reflect what some regarded as their self-absorption and consumerism.
• By the end of this decade, all baby boomers will be 65 and older, and the number of people 80 and over will double in 20 years, said Brookings demographer William Frey.
• Boomers becoming octogenarians in 2026 include actor Henry Winkler and baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, singers Cher and Dolly Parton, and presidents Donald Trump, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.

• The share of senior citizens in the US population is projected to grow from 18.7% in 2025 to nearly 23% by 2050, while children under 18 decline from almost 21% to a projected 18.4%.
• Without any immigration, the US population will start shrinking in five years. That's when deaths will surpass births, according to projections from the Congressional Budget Office. Since the Great Recession in 2008, when the fertility rate was 2.08, close to the 2.1 rate needed for children to numerically replace their parents, it has been on a steady decline, hitting 1.6 in 2025.
• The projected average US life expectancy at birth will rise from 78.9 years in 2025 to 82.2 years in 2055, projects the CBO.
• The aging of America could constrain economic growth. With fewer workers paying taxes, Social Security and Medicare will be under more pressure. About 34 seniors have been supported by every 100 workers in 2025, but that ratio grows to 50 seniors per 100 working-age people in about 30 years, according to estimates released last year by the White House.