The Millennial Mindset: Passing Baby Boomers
BOSTON (CBS) - Move over Baby Boomers.
The United States Census Bureau released new population statistics in April and Millennials, those between the ages of 18 and 34, now outnumber the Baby Boom generation (ages 51-to-69) by a half million people.
Kim Parker is Director of Social Trends Research at the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C.
"They came of age and entered an economy in the height of the Great Recession and many of them had difficulty finding jobs. They are highly educated, especially in comparison to the generations that came before them, and yet they've had trouble getting their footing," Parker told WBZ NewsRadio 1030.
Erica Rife, 28, who moved to Boston from Arizona after graduating from Northern Arizona University, is keenly aware of the times.
"In college I studied nutrition and art history. I graduated in 2009, so I'm sort of your quintessential Millennial who didn't know what they wanted to do or how to navigate their studies and I just sort of crossed my fingers and hoped that everything would turn out well," she said.
So far, it has.
Rife is now involved with the launch of a non-profit startup and loves Boston's vibrancy.
"In terms of progression and ideas and people, you know, sort of not accepting what life has given them and wanting to make changes and do better, Arizona is not really doing things in that realm and I didn't really even know that was an option until I moved out to Boston," she told WBZ.
At Boston City Hall, the Walsh administration has put together an effort to reach out to Millennials. It's called SPARK Boston. The intent is to get Millennials to be more involved in civics.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Mary Blake reports