Making it on their own: the baby-boom meets generation X (ABSTRACT), Monthly Labor Review Online, Feb. 1998

Making it on their own: the baby-boom meets generation X

Geoffrey Paulin
Economist, Division of Consumer Expenditure Surveys, Office of Prices and Living Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Brian Riordan
Economist, Division of Consumer Expenditure Surveys, Office of Prices and Living Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics

In terms of various income and expenditure measures, young single adults in 1994-95, members of "Generation X," appear to be economically worse off than were their baby-boom counterparts in either 1972-73 or 1984-85. This article examines various measures of economic well-being for 18- to 29-year-old single persons in three periods: 1972-73 (Boomers I), 1984-85 (Boomers II), and 1994-95 (Generation X). Using data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, it analyzes differences in incomes and spending patterns to see how, if at all, these measures have changed, and how today's young singles are indeed "making it on their own."

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