The giant Baby Boom generation that in the 1960s and 70s greatly impacted musical and clothing tastes, is still making its presence known.
This time their very existence is being felt in the number of homes they continue to own in a market that is short of available homes for sale.
According to a study compiled by the National Association of Home Builders, some 79% of those born between the years of 1946 and 1964 continue to own their own homes, comprising more than a third of “owner-occupied housing units in the U.S.”
What has been referenced as a “silver tsunami” has been used to study healthcare, consumer spending, and Social Security trends, with demographers saying the current number of Baby Boomers at 62.4 million, down from 79 million in 1999, is more likely than younger generations to stay put in their current homes.
But the home ownership trendline naturally changes depending upon the health of the owners in question as well as mobility limitations. No surprise, the oldest Baby Boomer cohort, those between 80 and 84 years of age, has in recent years proven the most likely to sell their homes and live elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the youngest cohort, which includes the 70 to 79 years of age crowd, have displayed the least interest in moving.
According to a National Association of Realtors study published earlier this year, the Baby Boomers also continue to make their presence known even when it comes to buying a home.
Between 2025 and 2026, Baby Boomers made up 42% of the buyer’s market, far larger than the Millennials who were born between 1981 and 1996. The Millennials make up 26%; and members of Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980: 25%.
In a statement on June 1, Bill Owens, president of the National Association of Home Builders, said that while the silver tsunami is a real thing, waiting for Baby Boomers to sell their homes “won’t solve the housing crisis on its own.”
The lack of available housing impacting all generations, he continued, means that “expanding the housing supply becomes more urgent, not less.”
Owens additionally noted that many of the older homes owned by Baby Boomers, once finally put on the market, may require significant renovation as well as redevelopment.
June 2, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
