Boomers Slightly Ahead of Gen Xers in Median Income

In most states, the median income for boomers and Gen Xers is not far apart, with several showing boomers actually making less than their younger counterparts.

Business Insider analyzed median income by age brackets as compiled in the Census Bureau’s 2016 American Community Survey.

“Across the [United States],” the magazine reported, “older workers tend to have a higher income than younger workers.”

But while millennials (born 1981 to 1997) lag their older cohorts in every state and the District of Columbia, boomers (1946 to 1964) and Gen Xers (1965 to 1980) are neck and neck in terms of median income in many states. In a couple of places — the District of Columbia and North Dakota — Gen Xers are making more than older workers, while in Iowa, Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin, the median is the same for both age brackets. For most other states, boomers were ahead by a few thousand dollars per year. Typical was Pennsylvania, where in 2016 a boomer made $54,000, a Gen Xer $53,000, and a millennial $38,000.

The magazine reported that the greatest percentage discrepancy in median incomes between millennials and boomers was 91 percent in Alaska; the lowest was 25 percent in D.C.

The full list can be found at the Business Insider website.