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The original title of this article as I saw it was “Millennials are richer than their boomer parents. Here's why they love to complain anyway.” This line now ap

The original title of this article as I saw it was “Millennials are richer than their boomer parents. Here's why they love to complain anyway.” This line now appears as the subtitle. I was curious what HN readers think of the idea or evidence that millennials are actually richer than boomers, since everything I hear in casual conversations is about how boomers hoarded everything and millennials are worse off, due to boomers and the subprime crisis.

us-merul 1y ago
I saw a comment recently that described the shift to a "consumer economy." Relative to boomers, millennials have increased access to goods and services like high-definition televisions, computers, international travel, and luxury foods (e.g., avocado toast). But in terms of wealth and assets, millennials have reduced or less feasible access to things like home ownership or college degrees (not to mention childcare or healthcare), compared to boomers. Though the causes of this shift are up for debate, it does seem that boomers had an easier path to ownership or growth, while millennials and beyond face more rent-seeking obstacles.
- toomuchtodo 1y ago
  https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualized-u-s-inflation-by-category-in-2025/ https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualized-u-s-inflation-by... https://www.visualcapitalist.com/inflation-chart-tracks-price-changes-us-goods-services/ https://www.visualcapitalist.com/inflation-chart-tracks-pric... https://www.axios.com/2025/09/22/the-american-dream-will-cost-you-5-million-report-finds https://www.axios.com/2025/09/22/the-american-dream-will-cos... https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/ https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/ Related: (others?) Why Millennials and Gen Z Are Going Gray Early, According to Experts - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45738730 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45738730 - October 2025 (0 comments) American Millennials Are Dying at an Alarming Rate - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44963675 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44963675 - August 2025 (9 comments) Millennials were priced out of capitalism - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43808835 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43808835 - April 2025 (9 comments) Millennials –The Unluckiest Generation–Became the Most Economically Divided - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42020355 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42020355 - November 2024 (1 comment) Millennials to feel biggest burden of fixing Social Security, report finds - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40505200 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40505200 - May 2024 (0 comments) Deeply Unhappy Gen Z and Millennials Cause U.S. Drop in Global Happiness Ranking - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39767329 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39767329 - March 2024 (46 comments) Millennials Have the Children, but Boomers Have the Houses - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39295239 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39295239 - February 2024 (12 comments) HN Search: Millennials - https://hn.algolia.com/?q=Millennials https://hn.algolia.com/?q=Millennials
andrew_eu 1y ago
I think it's of course not so simple, and the abstract of the paper they refer to [0] seems to contradict the Business Insider article. Sure, inflation adjusted median income is up slightly. In addition to this educational costs have exploded, and to earn a median salary it has become necessary to buy in. People under 30 have greater inflation adjusted income, but this is because they rely more on their (boomer) parents. The overall wealth in society has increased dramatically, but the vast majority of gains are going to the outliers. That is to say, the real conflict isn't between boomers and millennials, it's between billionaires and everyone else. But generational friction is not new, a more common experience, and easy to exploit in media. 0: https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/feds/files/2024007pap.pdf https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/feds/files/2024007pap...
- someone7x 1y ago
  Thanks for the paper. It starts boldly by redefining the “american dream” into “line must go up” which ironically sounds like boomer logic being projected onto millennials. I don’t know about the Fed but my dream as an American isn’t to accumulate more wealth than my parents. Fwiw, the American dream in my neck of the woods is financial independence from landlords and bosses.
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lithos 1y ago
Technically probably true since that class of people see rich and wealth as very different. Having better food/electronics/entertainment is being rich. Having assets that pay out or maintain value forever is wealth.
AngryData 1y ago
To me that idea is just using technological progress as an excuse. That because we have new inventions that didn't exist before we are all automatically better off.

us-merul 1y ago

I saw a comment recently that described the shift to a "consumer economy." Relative to boomers, millennials have increased access to goods and services like high-definition televisions, computers, international travel, and luxury foods (e.g., avocado toast). But in terms of wealth and assets, millennials have reduced or less feasible access to things like home ownership or college degrees (not to mention childcare or healthcare), compared to boomers. Though the causes of this shift are up for debate, it does seem that boomers had an easier path to ownership or growth, while millennials and beyond face more rent-seeking obstacles.

toomuchtodo 1y ago
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualized-u-s-inflation-by-category-in-2025/ https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualized-u-s-inflation-by... https://www.visualcapitalist.com/inflation-chart-tracks-price-changes-us-goods-services/ https://www.visualcapitalist.com/inflation-chart-tracks-pric... https://www.axios.com/2025/09/22/the-american-dream-will-cost-you-5-million-report-finds https://www.axios.com/2025/09/22/the-american-dream-will-cos... https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/ https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/ Related: (others?) Why Millennials and Gen Z Are Going Gray Early, According to Experts - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45738730 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45738730 - October 2025 (0 comments) American Millennials Are Dying at an Alarming Rate - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44963675 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44963675 - August 2025 (9 comments) Millennials were priced out of capitalism - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43808835 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43808835 - April 2025 (9 comments) Millennials –The Unluckiest Generation–Became the Most Economically Divided - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42020355 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42020355 - November 2024 (1 comment) Millennials to feel biggest burden of fixing Social Security, report finds - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40505200 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40505200 - May 2024 (0 comments) Deeply Unhappy Gen Z and Millennials Cause U.S. Drop in Global Happiness Ranking - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39767329 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39767329 - March 2024 (46 comments) Millennials Have the Children, but Boomers Have the Houses - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39295239 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39295239 - February 2024 (12 comments) HN Search: Millennials - https://hn.algolia.com/?q=Millennials https://hn.algolia.com/?q=Millennials

andrew_eu 1y ago

I think it's of course not so simple, and the abstract of the paper they refer to [0] seems to contradict the Business Insider article. Sure, inflation adjusted median income is up slightly. In addition to this educational costs have exploded, and to earn a median salary it has become necessary to buy in. People under 30 have greater inflation adjusted income, but this is because they rely more on their (boomer) parents. The overall wealth in society has increased dramatically, but the vast majority of gains are going to the outliers. That is to say, the real conflict isn't between boomers and millennials, it's between billionaires and everyone else. But generational friction is not new, a more common experience, and easy to exploit in media. 0: https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/feds/files/2024007pap.pdf https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/feds/files/2024007pap...

someone7x 1y ago
Thanks for the paper. It starts boldly by redefining the “american dream” into “line must go up” which ironically sounds like boomer logic being projected onto millennials. I don’t know about the Fed but my dream as an American isn’t to accumulate more wealth than my parents. Fwiw, the American dream in my neck of the woods is financial independence from landlords and bosses.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

lithos 1y ago

Technically probably true since that class of people see rich and wealth as very different. Having better food/electronics/entertainment is being rich. Having assets that pay out or maintain value forever is wealth.

AngryData 1y ago

To me that idea is just using technological progress as an excuse. That because we have new inventions that didn't exist before we are all automatically better off.