So how young and old are Millennials anyway? 1982 to 2000? or 1980 to 1996?

[Blairbat]

According to the U. S. Census Bureau, millennials are people born between 1982 and 2000. This means that the millennials' age range in 2022 is between 40 and 22 years old?
BUT
The Pew Research Center says millennials are born between 1981 and 1996. So anyone 41 and 26 years old.
BUT!!
George Masnick, a professor at Harvard University. He said in 2012 that millennials were people who were born between 1985 and 2004!

Okay.
So, this is all a bit confusing. I have seen 1981 to 1996 as the most popular choice. From what I have seen, Hollywood and big companies seem to go by this one from the Pew research as well. Gen z has constantly been depicted as 20 somethings of the 2020s, with the small left over of millennials in the aging late 20s corner of increasing irrelevancy. We are no longer hip or young according to marketing. Millennials could even be seen as boomers now. 30? may as well be 60! Get out of here you old irrelevant &*^$s. I digress.
But if it is 1982 to 2000 then that kind of flips the table, doesn't it? Millennials are back to being in their early to mid 20s again. I find that to be interesting.

I personally was born in December of 1994 and I have definitely found much more commonality with people in their mid 20s to early 20s. Sharing the same fond memories of cartoons, anime and video games. A handful of people I met in their 30s, none of them seem to know what Teen Titans or what Code name Kids next door is. Again, I kind of digress.

I want to clarify I am not using any information from Wikipedia because I do not deem it to be a good source of information.
I read an article on the confusing haziness of the millennial start and end dates from Millennials age range . com, who bring up Census and Pew reaserch and Masnick.

But what does ERA think. I will throw in a poll.

 

[CharlesAznable]

1980 - 1995, is the one I see most commonly used and the one that makes the most sense to me.

 

[808s & Villainy]

George Masnick, a professor at Harvard University. He said in 2012 that millennials were people who were born between 1985 and 2004!

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Well definitely not this dude's age range. The idea of some Millennials being only 18 is crazy to me. I chose the second option. It makes sense as a "middle" Millennial in my early 30s based on who I feel I relate to best

 

[peppermints]

Well definitely not this dude's age range. The idea of some Millennials being only 18 is crazy to me. I chose the second option.

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Yeah my sister in law was born in 2002, myself 1989 and there was literally nothing similar about the period in which we grew up.

End of Gen X - 1995 makes the most sense to me.

 

[mute]

I have thought that if you are going to draw an arbitrary line between different age groups in that era you might as well draw it between the people that grew up before the internet and the people that grew up after.

 

[thekonamicode]

I'm 1981 and sure as fuck not a gen x

 

[EndlessSummer]

80s to mid 90s

 

[hydrophilic attack]

if you don't remember the turn of the millennium, you're not a millennial

 

[Vulcano's Assistant]

I have the belief that having siblings is a variable that should be taken into account.

The years between 1996 and 2000 can count if they are the younger sibling of someone who was born in the 90s.

The experience of a 1996-99 younger sibling of someone born in 1990-94 is different from the experience of someone born in 1997-99 without a slightly older siblings who are definitely millennials.

 

[Deleted member 26039]

A handful of people I met in their 30s, none of them seem to know what Teen Titans or what Code name Kids next door is. Again, I kind of digress.

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I'm in my early 30s so maybe there is overlap between us but I absolutely remember these. Hell they were made more for people in my age range than yours.

 

[BLEEN]

If you're old enough to remember 9/11 after 1981, you're a millennial.

So yeah, '96 makes the most sense.

 

[mjc]

1980-1995/6 is the one that makes the most sense to me.

 

[B4mv]

Still firmly believe Millennial is a useless label. Born in 81' with no internet vs born in 96' growing up with facebook.
These are not the same at all.

Typically believe it's something like 82-96, but I also hate it.

 

[Dougieflesh]

95/96 is where I see the usual cutoff.

 

[excelsiorlef]

Harvard says 85

And I'm 84

So I go with Harvard

 

[Clowns]

i thought the Pew standard was the most agreed on

 

[plagiarize]

I was born in 1980 and I definitely identify more as a Gen X type than a millennial, so I'm with the census bureau and others that start millennials at 81 or 82.

Much love to millennials though.

 

[YourFriendLevi]

I was born in 95 and I'm too young to own a home but too old to understand Tik Tok. I'm an abomination.

 

[excelsiorlef]

I've never even eaten an avocado let alone merged it with toast

I'm a last minute Gen X

 

[FaultLineBlues]

As someone born in 2000, I certainly do not feel like a millennial.

 

[L Thammy]

Millennials are anyone who is up to a thousand years old.

 

[Clowns]

The Pew Research Center defines millennials as born from 1981 to 1996, choosing these dates for "key political, economic and social factors", including the September 11 terrorist attacks, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Great Recession, and Internet explosion.[48]​[49]​ The United States Library of Congress explains that "defining generations is not an exact science" although cites Pew to define millennials.[50]​ Various media outlets and statistical organizations have cited Pew's definition including Time magazine,[51]​ BBC,[52]​ The Washington Post,[53]​ The New York Times,[54]​ The Wall Street Journal,[55]​ PBS,[56]​ The Los Angeles Times,[57]​ The Guardian,[58]​ the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics,[59]​ and Statistics Canada.[60]​ The Brookings Institution defines the millennial generation as people born between 1981 and 1996,[61]​ as does Gallup,[62]​ Federal Reserve Board,[63]​ American Psychological Association,[64]​ CBS,[65]​ and ABC Australia.[66]​

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennials#Date_and_age_range_definitions

I've never even eaten an avocado let alone merged it with toast

I'm a last minute Gen X

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Sorry, Excel.
You're one of us.

 

[Joshua]

No one born in 1980 and 1981 was ever considered Gen X, until that research company attempted to define the time frame for millennials.

 

[Dr. Mario]

Pretty sure the phrase millennial was initially coined to depict people who came of age around 2000, hence the millennial. (Another term at the time, early nineties was the Gen Y2K, gen Y geddit).

So that would be born in 1982. I think it's okay to stretch it around there, with people born in the seventies more Gen X.

Another way to see it is that Millennials grew up in an analog world that turned digital while they grew up, whereas Gen X entire childhood was mostly analog and Gen Z is born digital native.

In that sense I can fuck with 1980-1995 (the latter is pushing it) but no later. Most millennials should be 30-40 now.

 

[hom3land]

born 1980... Identify as a Xennial

 

[nonoriri]

Until 1996. Obviously, generations aren't real and exist primarily for marketing/research purposes but I do think there is a divide in the US between folks who were old enough to remember 9/11 and those that weren't.

 

[TaySan]

1980-1996 sounds about right. If you were old enough to remember 9/11

 

[crimzonflame]

I think if you remember life before the internet then you are a millennial.

 

[Orayn]

I just know that as a 1990 baby I'm right in the middle of every proposed range for millennials, so I never think about it.

 

[zero_fm]

early 80s to mid 90s seem right to me (I'm from 84 and I pretty much identify myself as a millenium)
People born in both extremities are more likely to have more similarities with people from previous / later generations - for example, my partner was born in february 80 and have much more in common with gen x than with millenials. Likewise, people born in the mid 90s are likely to share lots of similarities with gen z (I have a daughter who was born in late 1999 and she is so clearly a gen Z (including the fact that she thought she would become a millenial someday - I can't see how anyone born in that period could be considered a millenial)

 

[Robin]

IDK I think it is as early as 1980 but it always throws me for a loop because I was born in 89 and my sister is 8 1/2 years younger to me and I always think of her as a Gen Xer but in reality she's def Millennial too.

 

[Dr. Mario]

I think if you remember life before the internet then you are a millennial.

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Which would make it more 1980-1990. A small generation but one that makes more sense than others.

 

[tmarg]

Trying to set hard boundaries on generations is always going to be pointless.

I'd say the things that define millenials are growing up as internet entered the home, and being a child/young adult during 9/11.

 

[Foltzie]

Born in 80. Let me know what y'all folks decide.

 

[Deleted member 17210]

I still think Gen X should have received a twenty year slot. I welcome you early '80s people to join us. You guys at least remember 8-bit gaming and a pre-internet world to some degree.

 

[steejee]

My completely unscientific (not that generations are very scientific anyways) take:
???? - 1900 - Lost Generation
1900-1927 - 'Greatest' Generation
1928-1945 - Silent Generation - Grew up in depression, too young to fight in WW2
1946-1965 - Boomers - Though the oldest Boomers (eg my father) and the youngest have much different youths
1965-1978 - Gen X
1978-1985 - Xennial/Oregon Trail 'Shoulder Generation'
1985-2000 - Millenials, I guess, blending the original meaning and the newish ones. I'd almost say anyone born after 85 but before 9/11 is a Millenial
2000+ - Y/Z. I feel there's a definite break in generations post 2000 but it remains to be seen when I'd place it.

I was born in 82 and they called us Millenials since we'd be turning 18 at the turn of the new millennium, but I think the definition changed a fair bit in the time since then. I like 'Oregon Trail' Generation just cause it's an amusing bit of collective memory for how we all played it on those Apple IIs in school.

I define generations mostly by the shared life experiences the generations had, something you can't really figure out until the generation is well 'over'. Eg I bump Xennials into late 70s because they shared much of the same coming of age aspects with those born nearer to 85 - computers coming into consumer use, founding and maturation of the internet. While generations can certainly have a few traits that seem prevalent, no individual is defined by their generation, and the line between one generation and the next is more a fuzzy gradient than actual line.

 

[Cipherr]

There aren't any 18 year old millennials. That last guys range is bizarre.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

The truth is the dates don't matter and it's all made up. No, I am not fun at parties.

 

[Zoe]

1985-2000 - Millenials, I guess, blending the original meaning and the newish ones. I'd almost say anyone born after 85 but before 9/11 is a Millenial
2000+ - Y/Z. I feel there's a definite break in generations post 2000 but it remains to be seen when I'd place it.

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"Y" was around before "millennial" was in popular use.

 

[steejee]

"Y" was around before "millennial" was in popular use.

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I think maybe it's circled around then? I remember being called a Millenial very young when news shows would do stories about the people graduating in 2000, then a bit of 'Y' for the people afterwards, though I understand why it'd be interchangable.

Whatever the labels, I do feel like there's starting to be a some sort of break in generations after 2000, perhaps defined by those with memory of time before Climate Change was still sorta a "In the future" thing and those who only remember it being an everyday part of life.

 

[The Albatross]

1980-1996 has been the conventional definition for like 20 years.

Definitely 1980, I think I used to think millennials aged out around 1992ish, but it's always fuzzy on the edges and people start to use words like "Xennials," for old millennials (Gen X -> Millennial), and I have no idea about 1996ers... maybe Zennials (Gen Z->Millennials).

When I was a kid/teen, we were known as Gen Y and the lesser known but I think appropriately named Echo Boomers (this was from when before Baby Boomer was a negative connotation. In the 90s baby boomers were cool because they played the sax and smoked, but didn't inhale, marijuana). Millennials are largely the children of baby boomers, obviously it's not always tight, my oldest sister was born in the 70s and is a late Gen X'er, while I'm pretty firmly a millennials. But the reason millennials have become the largest voting bloc by generation is because we're mostly the children of the previously largest voting bloc. Gen X got skipped. Small generation population wise.

I'm 1984, so firmly a millennial. I'm down with it. I remember life before the internet, came of age during the millennium, 9/11 was a major event in my teenage life, Sega does what Nintendon't, The Matrix was the coolest shit ever, work in internet related field, I check all the boxes.

 

[Rosebud]

I'm from 96 and have no idea of what I am

 

[makonero]

The truth is the dates don't matter and it's all made up. No, I am not fun at parties.

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[Soundscream]

Millennials were originally from 1982 on but they changed it for...... reasons?

 

[YamchasRevenge]

Do people born in 1995 really have that much in common with people born in 1985?

 

[OrangeNova]

1980-1985 is Xenial, 1985-1999 is Millennial

 

[qaopjlll]

None of the above. Millenials are people born from 1981-96.

 

[Deleted member 8257]

It just makes it easier to start with 1980. All generations should do it. You might have a slight overlap with the next or previous gen, but that's ok because people born in between generations are also confused about their identity!

 

[RPGam3r]

Which would make it more 1980-1990. A small generation but one that makes more sense than others.

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I'm in that window but I don't think the general population was very aware of the internet by 1991 to justify that early cutoff.

 

[GamerJM]

I felt like it used to be 82-2000, but felt like I was being mandela effect'd when I looked it up and saw 80-96.