"Talkin’ ’bout My Generation"

Visit the Administration on Aging, Report on the Growth of America's Older Population, for a national picture.

At each stage of life transition, "baby boomers"--people born between 1946 to 1964--have challenged existing structures and resources. They put pressure on hospital maternity units when they were born. They overflowed the public school system, leading to record construction, overcrowded classrooms, and sometimes double shifts of classes. They gave a huge boost to college enrollment, and they created an "echo boom" of births when they reached child-bearing ages. As the oldest boomers began to turn 50 in 1996, the media took up the cry that demographers and those who work in the field of aging had been voicing for many years: "What is going to happen when the boomers reach retirement age?" Boomers at Mid-Life: The Future of Aging in North Carolina explores this coming wave of older adults and its impact on North Carolina. This report is available from the Division of Aging.

To see their educational background, compared to US boomers, click on this little graph.

To look at household income for boomers generally and the distribution for African American and for White NC boomers in 1989, click on this little graph.

"What’s Goin’ On"

A Description of Boomers in North Carolina

• In 1990 there were more than 2 million boomers in North Carolina--about one-third of the population and almost half of those of working age.
• One of the stereotypes of boomers is that they are well educated, but more than half have a high school diploma or less. This is better than their parents, but it limits the occupational potential of the boomers and makes lifelong learning a necessity.
• Boomers have higher incomes (in real terms) than their parents did at comparable ages. This is because personal income has increased and because two-income families are more common.
• The income gap between African American and White boomers is smaller than it was in their parents’ generation. Despite civil rights activities, the income gap for African American boomers has not continued to narrow.
• How boomers will live in their later years will depend on the great diversity of family configurations they have developed. Boomers married later than their parents, and a larger number have remained single. They are less likely to be living in married-family households or with their parents, and more likely to be living alone, as single heads of household, or with a partner to whom they are not married.

Look at boomers' occupations in 1990 and how many will have pensions in each occupational group, if they do as well as people who retired in 1993.

"Money Makes the World Go 'Round"

Economic Security in Later Years

• Roughly one-fifth of NC boomers are comfortable or well-to-do (household incomes greater than $63,000 in 1996 dollars). Another fifth are below the poverty level or just above. Some 60 percent are in the middle. How well boomers do now influences how much they will accumulate for retirement in Social Security, pensions, and assets.
• The bipartisan 1994-96 Advisory Council on Social Security released three separate recommendations to sustain Social Security beyond 2030. Each proposal included raising the retirement age, a slight increase in taxes, and privatizing some or all of the trust fund revenue. With no change, the trust fund will still be able to cover 75 percent of benefits in 2029.
• North Carolina has a greater proportion of new jobs in technical fields than the nation, and these may offer good salaries and pension plans. However, nearly one million NC boomers--roughly half--are in occupations that did not offer pensions to people who retired in 1993.
• Boomers are just entering the ages when their parents began to save more of their earnings for retirement. Will the boomers save enough? To live on 75 percent of their current earnings, boomers making $20,000 would have to save $120,000 to supplement Social Security. For those with middle to high incomes, savings and pension together must surpass $1 million to maintain the same standard of living. And what about the poor and near-poor?
• Lifelong learning through North Carolina’s community colleges and universities is helping boomers get and maintain better jobs now and will be a major source for job retraining, information, and self-development.

Check out Jacob Siegel's special report for the Administration on Aging, which examines life expectancy and disability, among other things.

"Stayin’ Alive"

Health Status of Boomers Now and in the Future

• Around 260,000 (13 percent) of NC boomers--many fully employed and middle class--have no health insurance, decreasing their chances of getting preventive services and early treatment that reduce the possibility of serious health problems later.
• Boomers talk a good game about living healthy life-styles, but do they really? About a third of older NC and US boomers are overweight. Smoking rates in this state are among the highest in the country, and NC boomers exercise less than boomers nationally.
• North Carolina is the twelfth highest in the nation in "preventable deaths"--that is, deaths caused by changeable behavioral or environmental causes.
• The anticipated arrival of boomers has heightened public concerns about the future of Medicare and Medicaid and interest in a range of options including managed care, medical savings accounts, flexible long-term care insurance, and "medigap."

"When We’re 64" and Older

How Will Boomers Live When They’re Old?

• Like today’s older adults, the boomers in later life will be disproportionately women. They are even more likely to be single, and on average, they will have fewer children.
• Several trends suggest that boomers will age with fewer disabilities and be able to use lower-cost service options. Still, their numbers will have a heavy impact on the formal and informal long-term care system.
• Technology will make a big difference. On the positive side, better, more carefully tailored services will be available. On the negative side, the glut of information may make people more vulnerable to its misuse, increasing the need for consumer education and protection.
• Like their parents, most boomers will enter retirement healthy and active, but some face difficult odds and create special challenges for their families, communities, and government. What can we do today about the 344,000 who lack a high school education, the nearly 186,000 boomer households at or near poverty, and the substantial numbers who smoke, are overweight, or fail to exercise?

• Baby Boomers at Mid-Life: The Future of Aging in North Carolina (PDF, 413K)
• Responding to the Challenges and Opportunities Presented by Baby Boomers at Mid-Life (PDF, 223K).