Generation Y

The 51 million adult members of the Millennial Generation (also known as Gen-Y) have been hit harder than any other age group by the recession. Millennials have the highest unemployment rate of all age groups, while those with jobs are most likely to have been asked at some point during the recession to work fewer hours, switch to part-time employment or agree to have their pay cut.

Yet, paradoxically, survey data show that Millennials are less likely than any other age segment to have cut spending during the recession, and they are more optimistic than other American consumers about the future of the American economy.

Millennials in the 18- to 24-year-old age group have significant discretionary income, while many 25- to 29-year-olds are beginning high-income careers and are entering the heavy-spending life stage of forming households and creating families. With an aggregate income of nearly $1 trillion, adult Millennials can be expected to play a key role in the recovery of the American economy and consequently offer significant opportunities to marketers of consumer goods and services.

Nearly 40% of Gen-Y adults are members of multicultural population groups. Hispanics comprise 18% of the Gen-Y population, while Blacks account for 15% and Asians approximately 4%. The 25- to 29-year-old segment is somewhat more diverse than the 18- to 24-year-old segment.

Between 2010 and 2015 the non-Hispanic white segment of the 20- to 29-year-old population is expected to decline by 350,000 while the multicultural component of this age group will increase by nearly 2 million. As a result, all of the growth in the 20- to 29-year-old population will be generated by Hispanic, black and other multicultural population groups.

There are approximately 4.3 Millennials in the 25- to 29-year-old age segment with college degrees who are working on a full-time, year-round basis. Men in this demographic have annual average earnings of $56,593, while women in this category on average earn $45,524 annually.