Older Individuals have seen their wealth rise tremendously lately, whereas different age teams haven’t been as fortunate, based on a brand new paper.
Over a current 40-year interval, between 1983 to 2022, the relative family wealth of these now ages 75 years and older has “sharply risen” whereas the wealth of all different age teams has declined, New York College Economist Edward Wolff wrote in a brand new paper. The Individuals whose wealth has outpaced all different generations are part of the older Child Boomers group, or these born earlier than 1950.
Wolff used the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Client Funds to check two age teams — 35 years and below and 75 and over — and located the principle elements that drive generational wealth are excessive homeownership charges, excessive quantities of shares owned, and low house mortgage debt.
Associated: House Sellers Now Outnumber Consumers in File Numbers. Here is What It Means for House Costs.
Here is how older Child Boomers bought so wealthy:
Homeownership charges
In response to the U.S. Census Bureau, Child Boomers personal almost 40% of all out there properties within the U.S., despite the fact that they make up simply 20% of the inhabitants. The Nationwide Affiliation of Realtors estimated in April that the Child Boomer era accounted for 42% of all house consumers, with almost half of all Boomers buying properties with money.
In the meantime, a Freddie Mac report from February 2024 discovered that, as Child Boomers age, declining house possession will trigger 9.2 million properties to hit the market by 2035. The era owned 32 million properties within the U.S. in 2022, however Freddie Mac predicted that the quantity would decline to 23 million by 2035.
In the meantime, the Nationwide Affiliation of Realtors estimated that house costs have virtually doubled from 2014 to 2024, rising from a median of $217,100 in 2014 to $418,700 a decade later. In July 2025, median house costs hit one other file excessive.
Shares
In terms of shares owned, Boomers additionally stand out. In response to The Kobeissi Letter, a commentary on international markets, Boomers held 54% of all U.S. company shares and mutual funds within the first quarter of the yr, in comparison with simply 8% for millennials.
“The generational wealth divide is huge,” The Kobeissi Letter wrote in a submit on X.
US fairness possession is closely skewed towards older generations:
Child Boomers now maintain 54% of all US company equities and mutual fund shares, down solely barely from 57% in Q1 2020.
By comparability, Millennials personal simply 8% of all equities, up from ~2% in 2020.
Gen X accounts… pic.twitter.com/4ofwErSlPq
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) July 14, 2025
House mortgage debt
House mortgage debt, which refers back to the quantity owed because of shopping for a house, can be notably low for older generations. In response to Bankrate, the typical mortgage stability within the closing quarter of 2024 was $194,334 for Child Boomers — a lot decrease than the $312,014 stability attributed to Millennials (ages 28 to 43) or the $283,677 stability related to Gen X (ages 44 to 59).
Mortgage debt is trending greater total. The common U.S. mortgage debt was $252,505 in 2024, a near $8,000 improve from the earlier yr, based on credit score bureau Experian.
Older Individuals have seen their wealth rise tremendously lately, whereas different age teams haven’t been as fortunate, based on a brand new paper.
Over a current 40-year interval, between 1983 to 2022, the relative family wealth of these now ages 75 years and older has “sharply risen” whereas the wealth of all different age teams has declined, New York College Economist Edward Wolff wrote in a brand new paper. The Individuals whose wealth has outpaced all different generations are part of the older Child Boomers group, or these born earlier than 1950.
Wolff used the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Client Funds to check two age teams — 35 years and below and 75 and over — and located the principle elements that drive generational wealth are excessive homeownership charges, excessive quantities of shares owned, and low house mortgage debt.
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