> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://adjacent.media/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Each generation in America is getting richer, but progress is slowing
- URL: https://adjacent.media/signals/each-generation-in-america-is-getting-richer-but-progress-is-slowing/
- Published: 2026-04-23T16:02:59.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-23T16:02:59.000Z
- Description: New data from the Current Population Survey spanning 1963–2023 shows that successive American generations have achieved higher real incomes after taxes and transfers, but the gains are decelerating sharply.
- Author: Jonathan Greene
- Tags: #signal, theme-consumer, consumer behavior, Generational

Source: [Marginal REVOLUTION](https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2026/04/is-each-american-generation-doing-better.html?utm%5Fsource=rss&utm%5Fmedium=rss&utm%5Fcampaign=is-each-american-generation-doing-better)

New data from the Current Population Survey spanning 1963–2023 shows that successive American generations have achieved higher real incomes after taxes and transfers, but the gains are decelerating sharply. Baby Boomers saw dramatic income growth compared to their parents; Millennials and Gen Z face a much flatter trajectory. The postwar productivity engine that powered broad-based prosperity is slowing. Consumer spending power—the foundation of Adjacent's theme—can't rely on the generational income escalator that sustained growth for decades. Brands targeting younger cohorts are selling into a different economic reality than their predecessors faced.