Number of Millennials eligible to vote approaching that of Boomers Eligible voters by generation, 1996-2016 80 million Boomer
Millennials, who are projected to surpass Baby Boomers next year as the United States’ largest living adult generation, are also approaching the Boomers in their share of the American electorate.
As of November 2016, an estimated 62 million Millennials (adults ages 20 to 35 in 2016) were voting-age U.S. citizens, surpassing the 57 million Generation X members (ages 36 to 51) in the nation’s electorate and moving closer in number to the 70 million Baby Boomers (ages 52 to 70), according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Millennials comprised 27% of the voting-eligible population in 2016, while Boomers made up 31%.
In 2016, Generation X and members of the Silent and Greatest generations (ages 71 and older) comprised 25% and 13% of the electorate, respectively. In addition, the oldest members of the post-Millennial generation (those born after 1996) began to make their presence known for the first time – 7 million of these 18- and 19-year-olds were eligible to vote in 2016 (comprising just 3% of the electorate).
Number of Millennials eligible to vote  | approaching that of Boomers  | Eligible voters by generation, 1996-2016  | 80 million  | Boomer  | 70  | 70  | 61  | 60  | Gen  | 50  | Silent/  | Greatest  | 40  | 30  | 28  | Millennial  | 20  | 10  | Post-Millennial  | '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 06 'os "10 '12 '14 '16  | Note: Eligible voters are U.S. citizens ages 18 and older.  | Millennials refers to population ages 20 to 35 as of 2016  | Source: Pew Research Center tabulations of the 1996 2016  | Current Population Survey Novem ber Supplement (IPUMS).  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 