Boomers Account for 33.7% of U.S. Sales

According to purchase data from Numerator, Baby Boomers account for 33.7% of U.S. Sales, and that's a 10-percentage point drop since 2020.

The Numerator Generations Hub leverages verified purchase and survey data to uncover the generational differences in consumer behavior and the trends driving them. Here's what researchers learned about Boomer households (born before 1965):

• The average Boomer household spends $21,048 (CPG, general merchandise, and quick-service restaurant spend) annually in stores, making around 733 shopping trips a year, and spending $29 per trip.
• The top retailers for Boomers are Walmart (17% of spend), Amazon (9%), Costco (5%), Kroger (4%), and Home Depot (3%).
• The top brands that overindex with Boomers are Bayer (16% of Boomer households), Van Camp's (15%), Pennington (13%), Fixodent (11%), and Polident (10%).
• Boomers remain the least multicultural generation, with 77% identifying as White, while 12% identify as Black, 7% as Hispanic, and 2% as Asian.
• 92% of Boomer households no longer have children at home, and the vast majority live in households of two people or fewer (83%).
• Most Boomers live in suburban (40%) or rural areas (32%), with fewer in urban centers (28%).
• Income levels among Boomers skew lower compared to younger generations. Just 21% earn more than $125K annually, while 51% fall into the middle-income range ($40K–$125K) and 28% fall below $40K.
• More than one in four (26%) Boomers said they rarely or almost never consider switching from their favorite brand.
• When considering choosing apparel, Boomers care most about comfort (94%), versatility/classic style (68%), and expressing their personal identity/values (55%).
• 80% of Boomers find clean living to be important, the highest of any generation. In addition, 53% review nutrition labels more closely, 51% review product labels closely, 43% avoid certain ingredients (e.g., palm oil, high fructose corn syrup), and 25% avoid buying aerosol products—all at significantly higher rates than other generations.