Young Adults in the Washington Region: 2010-2017

This report examines two measures of young adults in the Washington region: the one-year changes in 25-34 year olds between 2010 and 2017, and the five-year change in the oldest members of the Millennial generation, those born between 1983 and 1992, between 2012 and 2017.

The one-year changes in 25-34 year olds measure the relative attractiveness of the Washington region for young adults in this age group:

  • This age group had two consecutive annual gains in 2016 and 2017.
  • The region has fully pivoted away from the slowing trend in prior years.
  • However, the region continues to underperform the nation and the other large metros.

The oldest Millennials include people born between 1983 and 1992. This birth cohort was between 20 and 29 years old in 2012 and between 25 and 34 years old in 2017. As this cohort “aged up,” the Washington region had a net gain in the number of these oldest Millennials living in the region:

  • The number of the oldest Millennials living in Washington increased 12.2% between 2012 and 2017.
  • The increase in the oldest Millennials was smaller compared to the change in the youngest Generation Xers (+17.0%) as they entered their late 20s and early 30s.

Even though the annual changes suggest that the region was relatively more attractive to young adults in recent years, it appears the oldest Millennials have had subdued growth relative to both the historic patterns and the other large metros. The smaller increase may have a lasting effect, as the region is less likely to be a net importer of this generation as they age into their late 30s and beyond.

Young Adults in the Washington Region: 2010-2017
June 2018

Two blogs are available covering this report:

  1. Trends in 25-34 Year Olds: 2010-2017
  2. Change in the Oldest Millennials: 2012-2017