Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are perhaps the most clearly delineated generational cohort. They were born in the period following WWII, a time that fostered renewed optimism in American family life and of course, a significant bump in the birth rate we now describe as a “baby boom”.

In their formative years, Boomers lived through events ranging from JFK’s assassination to the Vietnam War and Watergate. They also grew up under the ideological shadow cast by the Cold War, in which the forces of capitalism and communism duked it out on a regular basis—and that came with the distant but possible threat of nuclear war.

Although Baby Boomers shared these common experiences, there were other notable forces that really helped shape the generation.

For one, Boomers saw the roll out of mass media on a global scale, giving them access to perspectives never seen in the same way by older generations. In addition, Boomers participated in a long period of post-war, uninterrupted wealth accumulation like no other and today Boomers have an unprecedented amount of security, owning 53% of all U.S. wealth.

As of 2021, the Baby Boomers make up 21.8% of the U.S. population—and according to our GPI, they have a 38.6% share of overall power in American society, which is more than any other generation.