We're in awe of the movement-sparking, dialogue-advancing students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, who recently changed the conversation around what young people really care about. But the generation before theirs, the much-maligned millennials, has a lot going for them, too. Here are some facts about that group, usually defined as those born between 1980 and 1996.

Millennials...

  • Are more likely than past generations to hold a bachelor's degree—40 percent of the youngest millennials do—putting them on track to be the most educated cohort in history.

  • Are the segment of the population most likely to visit a public library.

  • Are better able to disconnect from tech than Gen X—49 percent say they're willing to unplug on vacation. (Only 37 percent of those between ages 40 and 50 say the same.)

  • Are saving for retirement—even though they earn, on average, $10,000 less per year (equivalent to $19,000 when adjusted for inflation) than baby boomers did at their age and carry more student loan debt (63 percent have balances over $10,000).

  • Donate to charity more readily than any other generation.

  • Care about corporate altruism: 75 percent say they would take a pay cut to work for a responsible company.

  • Want to help make the world a better place: 84 percent say that’s more important than achieving professional success.

Published 05/16/2018

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