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The Baby Boomers Revisited

  1. Simon Kelly  Is a corresponding author
  2. Ann Harding
  1. NATSEM, University of Canberra, Australia. This article has originally appeared as part of the AMP.NATSEM Income and Wealth Report, Issue 16, March 2007.
Research article
Cite this article as: S. Kelly, A. Harding; 2023; The Baby Boomers Revisited; International Journal of Microsimulation; 16(2); 73-91. doi: 10.34196/ijm.00284
7 figures and 10 tables

Figures

Proportions of baby boomers living with dependent children, by gender, 2004. Note: ‘Baby boomers’ is defined colloquially here as persons aged 45 to 64 years.Data source: ABS 2003-04 Survey of Income and Housing unit record data.
Proportions of baby boomers who have retired, by age, gender and marital status, 2004. Note: ‘Baby boomers’ is colloquially defined here as persons aged 45 to 64 years. ‘Retired’ is defined here as those who are not in the labour force.Data source: ABS 2003-04 Survey of Income and Housing unit record data.
Proportions of baby boomer home-owning households, by age and household type, 2004. Notes: Mixed households (for example two-family or group households) are excluded from the data above. The sample sizes were too small to provide reliable estimates for one parent households with the reference person aged 55+ and this group has been excluded from the table above. ‘Baby boomer’ households is colloquially defined here as those with a reference person aged 45 to 64 years.Data source: ABS 2003-04 Survey of Income and Housing unit record data (reproduced in Table A1).
Proportions of baby boomer households that own their home without a mortgage and house values by state/territory, 2004. Notes: Mixed households (for example two-family or group) are excluded. ‘Baby boomer households’ is colloquially defined here as those with a head aged 45 to 64 years. Average house values are for all baby boomer home owners, not just those who own their home outright.Data source: ABS 2003-04 Survey of Income and Housing unit record data.
Proportions of baby boomer households that have any form of debt and average amount of debt, by state/territory, 2004. Notes: Mixed households (for example two-family or group households) are excluded. ‘Baby boomer’ households are colloquially defined here as those with a reference person aged 45 to 64 years.Data source: ABS 2003-04 Survey of Income and Housing unit record data.
Average per adult net worth and share of total household net wealth held, by age of household head, 2004. Notes: Mixed households (for example two-family or group households) are excluded from this analysis. A definition of ‘net worth’ is provided in the technical notes. The percentages in the figure are shares of total wealth. Looking at population shares rather than wealth shares, 3% of adults (excluding dependent children) live in a household headed by a person under 25 years of age, 17% in a household headed by a 25-34 year old, 23% by a 35-44 year old, 22% by a 45-54 year old, 16% by a 55 to 64 year old, and 19% by a 65+ year old.Data source: ABS 2003-04 Survey of Income and Housing unit record data.
Share of wealth held by baby boomers and average per adult net worth, by baby boomer wealth quartile, 2004. Notes: Mixed households (for example two-family or group households) are excluded. Only baby boomer households are considered in scope, with ‘baby boomer’ households here being colloquially defined as those with a reference person aged 45 to 64 years. Each single person or partner within a couple household within this ‘baby boomer’ age range is ranked by their per adult net worth and then assigned to a baby boomer wealth quartile. The poorest 25% of adults are assigned to Quartile 1 and the richest 25% to Quartile 4.Data source: ABS 2003-04 Survey of Income and Housing unit record data

Tables

Table 1
Distribution of people aged 45-64 by family type, 2004
Member of a couple with dependent childrenMember of a couple onlyA sole parent with dependent childrenA single person
%%%%
Male
 45-4955.123.81.719.5
 50-5435.443.41.819.4
 55-5917.763.90.817.6
 60-647.673.30.219.0
 Overall31.548.41.218.9
Female
 45-5444.631.99.214.2
 50-5422.354.13.719.9
 55-596.969.61.122.4
 60-642.270.61.226.1
 Overall21.554.34.320.0
  1. Source: ABS 2003-04 Survey of Income and Housing unit record data.

Table 2
Labour force participation rates by gender, age and marital status, 1986-2006
Gender and AgeMarital StatusParticipation Rate
Nov 1996Nov 2001Nov 200610-yr change5-yr change
%%%% points% points
Male
 45-54Married 90.9 90.7 91.9 1.1 1.2
Not married 75.9 75.3 76.1 0.2 0.8
 55-59Married 76.9 75.6 79.6 2.7 4.0
Not married 66.2 58.8 62.2 -4.0 3.5
 60-64Married 46.6 48.9 58.5 11.9 9.6
Not married 33.9 37.7 42.6 8.7 4.9
 65+Married 10.3 11.7 14.8 4.5 3.1
Not married 6.7 6.5 7.6 0.9 1.1
 All ages (15+)Married 75.2 74.5 74.9 -0.3 0.4
Not married 69.5 67.1 66.5 -3.0 -0.6
Female
 45-54Married 68.4 71.9 77.4 8.9 5.4
Not married 69.7 68.6 73.5 3.8 4.9
 55-59Married 40.9 49.2 58.7 17.8 9.5
Not married 46.0 49.8 61.7 15.7 11.8
 60-64Married 18.2 22.6 31.8 13.6 9.2
Not married 16.2 27.6 36.6 20.4 8.9
 65+Married 3.7 4.9 6.9 3.2 2.0
Not married 2.5 2.0 2.8 0.3 0.8
 All ages (15+)Married 54.9 57.6 60.2 5.2 2.6
Not married 51.9 51.3 53.4 1.5 2.2
  1. Source: ABS, 2006b.

Table 3
Proportion of those employed that are working part-time by gender, age and marital status, 1986-2006
Gender and AgeMarital StatusProportion working part-time
Nov 1996Nov 2001Nov 200610-yr change5-yr change
%%%% points% points
Male
 45-54Married4.76.67.42.70.8
Not married10.610.114.03.43.9
 55-59Married10.312.812.21.9-0.6
Not married14.715.617.02.41.4
 60-64Married18.822.224.55.72.4
Not married17.122.826.09.03.2
 65+Married45.841.441.8-4.00.4
Not married36.948.242.65.7-5.6
 All ages (15+)Married6.78.69.73.01.1
Not married20.524.425.14.60.7
Female0.0
 45-54Married45.646.242.3-3.3-3.9
Not married28.532.830.52.1-2.3
 55-59Married53.853.449.7-4.1-3.7
Not married40.334.030.6-9.6-3.3
 60-64Married65.462.358.0-7.4-4.3
Not married36.653.638.82.2-14.8
 65+Married71.873.169.0-2.8-4.1
Not married71.765.657.1-14.6-8.5
 All ages (15+)Married46.346.745.9-0.4-0.8
Not married38.242.942.24.0-0.7
  1. Source: ABS, 2006b.

Table 4
Proportions of baby boomer households having debt by age and household type, 2004
Age GroupHousehold TypeAny debtCredit card debtRental property loansInvestment loansHome mortgageHECS debt
%%%%%%
45-49Couple only83.966.613.73.743.31.9
Couple with children89.076.814.55.553.216.7
One Parent with children70.750.72.20.838.112.4
Lone Male64.049.85.71.834.51.1
Lone Female64.255.76.50.840.47.6
All 45-4981.668.111.54.047.311.8
50-54Couple only79.366.011.53.437.61.7
Couple with children84.268.414.55.845.522.7
One Parent with children64.951.34.3.25.117.6
Lone Male57.439.32.51.630.72.1
Lone Female66.056.75.21.829.53.0
All 50-5476.662.010.73.938.712.0
55-59Couple only72.663.97.73.323.71.0
Couple with children77.762.99.74.930.124.8
Lone Male48.439.61.12.323.81.1
Lone Female60.450.34.82.325.61.0
All 55-5969.458.87.13.525.87.8
60-64Couple only63.759.23.91.510.20.1
Couple with children74.659.48.93.821.922.6
Lone Male47.941.31.40.615.8
Lone Female40.638.40.94.21.3
All 60-6459.453.23.91.511.94.1
AllCouple only72.863.38.22.825.21.0
Couple with children84.470.413.35.444.420.4
One Parent with children68.950.92.90.533.914.1
Lone Male55.342.82.91.627.21.2
Lone Female57.149.74.21.223.62.8
All 45-6473.261.48.83.433.29.5
  1. Note: The percentages represent the proportion of that group that have that form of debt. For example, 66.6% of Couple Only households with a reference person aged 45-59 have a credit debt. Any debt indicates that debt related to credit cards, rental property loans, investment loans, a mortgage or HECS is greater than zero. ‘Baby boomer’ households are colloquially defined here as those with a reference person aged 45 to 64 years.

  2. Source: ABS 2003-04 Survey of Income and Housing unit record data.

Table 5
Average weekly household expenditure by age of the reference person and type of expenditure, 2004
Age of household reference personAll ages
<45 years45-64 years65+ years
$ per week$ per week$ per week$ per week
Housing costs19812269144
Domestic fuel & power24261824
Food & non-alcoholic beverages160171101152
Alcoholic beverages23271122
Tobacco products1213411
Clothing & footwear39401735
Household furnishings & equipment62562953
Household services and operation62553554
Medical care & health expenses38604147
Transport14716470137
Recreation12013271114
Personal care17211117
Miscellaneous goods & services87923578
Mortgage repayments-principal5934238
Other capital housing costs94661668
Superannuation & life insurance1938723
Total expenditure1,1631,1175351,016
Total household Income from all sources1,2531,2705401,111
  1. Note: Total Expenditure includes selected other minor payments and may not be the sum of the items above. Income tax paid is not included within total expenditure. ‘Baby boomer’ households are colloquially defined here as those with a reference person aged 45 to 64 years.

  2. Source: ABS 2003-04 Household Expenditure Survey unit record data.

Table 6
Average weekly household expenditure by baby boomer households by family type and type of expenditure, 2004
Couple OnlyCouple with Dependent ChildrenOne Parent with ChildrenLone MaleLone FemaleAll
$ per week$ per week$ per week$ per week$ per week$ per week
Housing costs101149124104110122
Domestic fuel & power263326171726
Food & non-alcoholic beverages1562461567271171
Alcoholic beverages28361123728
Tobacco products11161015713
Clothing & footwear34625061840
Household furnishings & equipment616438254856
Household services and operation517352263655
Medical care & health expenses707239312960
Transport1552331237177165
Recreation1231831295860132
Personal care20301531321
Miscellaneous goods & services7214284423692
Mortgage repayments-principal235221262234
Other capital housing costs1812053266366
Superannuation & life insurance573813181738
Total expenditure100415499435636311119
Total household income from all sources110118379926835551271
  1. Note: ‘Total Expenditure’ includes selected other payments and may not be the sum of the items above. Income tax paid is not included within total expenditure. ‘Baby boomer’ households are colloquially defined here as those with a reference person aged 45 to 64 years. Note that we believe that there is sampling error in the data for spending by female lone persons on capital housing costs (which includes extensions and renovations and the purchase of other investment properties). There are four outlying observations in the sample data for this group who spend between $2110 and $4251 a week on such capital housing costs: in contrast, there are no values over $2000 a week for single males. The estimates for ‘other capital housing costs’ should thus be treated with some caution, as should the total expenditure for single female households.

  2. Source: ABS 2003-04 Household Expenditure Survey unit record data.

Table 7
Average per adult net worth, by age of the household reference person, Australia, 2004
Age Group of H’hold Reference PersonAverage Per Adult Net WorthShare of total household net worth
1st Quartile (Poorest 25%)2nd Quartile3rd Quartile4th Quartile (Richest 25%)Average within age group
$$$$$%
<252,20012,60031,100111,60039,5000.3
25-3415,40062,700125,900285,900122,5007.4
35-4437,400127,300219,100540,800231,40019.0
45-5461,800191,000323,500784,600340,50026.0
55-6478,400219,000371,8001,077,700437,10024.3
All Baby Boomer Households68,300202,300342,500910,400381,10050.3
65+60,700189,100328,600958,600384,40022.9
All Households48,800153,000265,400701,900292,500100.0
Equity in Home (Value Per Adult)
All Baby Boomer Households29,400114,100179,700320,300161,000
  1. Note: The definition of net worth is based on the ABS definition. This definition includes more assets than were included in previous AMP.NATSEM Income and Wealth Reports. For example, the value of vehicles, contents of the home and collectibles were all previously excluded but are now part of the estimated net worth value. Mixed family households (for example two-family or group households) are excluded. ‘Baby boomer’ households are colloquially defined here as those with a reference person aged 45 to 64 years. Each single person or partner within a couple household within each age range is ranked by their per adult net worth and then assigned to an age-specific wealth quartile. The poorest 25% of adults within an age band are assigned to Quartile 1 and the richest 25% to Quartile 4. The technical notes contain more details. The quartiles are within the specified age groups.

  2. Source: ABS 2003-04 Survey of Income and Housing unit record data.

Table 8
Distribution of baby boomers, by wealth quartile and type of household, Australia, 2004
Household TypeAverage Net Worth QuartileShare of AdultsShare of Net Worth
1st Quartile (Poorest 25%)2nd Quartile3rd Quartile4th Quartile (Richest 25%)
%%%%%%
Couple only22.225.824.927.137.144.1
Couple with children22.726.527.023.946.148.3
One Parent with children41.218.318.322.12.51.1
Lone Male36.718.720.024.67.13.4
Lone Female36.619.321.123.07.23.2
All25.025.025.025.0100.0100.0
  1. Notes: Mixed households (for example two-family or group households) are excluded. ‘Baby boomers’ are defined here as those adults living in a household with a reference person aged 45-64 (excluding older dependent children still living in the parental home). Each single person or partner within a couple household within this ‘baby boomer’ age range is ranked by their per adult net worth and then assigned to a baby boomer wealth quartile. The poorest 25% of adults are assigned to Quartile 1 and the richest 25% to Quartile 4.

  2. Source: ABS 2003-04 Survey of Income and Housing unit record data.

Table 9
Average financial assets per adult, by age of the household reference person, Australia, 2004
Age Group of H’hold Ref PersonAverage net worth per person quartileShare of total household financial assets
1st Quartile (Poorest 25%)2nd Quartile3rd Quartile4th Quartile (Richest 25%)Average within age group
$$$$$%
<251,3004,4008,10017,4007,8000.3
25-347,20018,50025,20055,60026,6005.8
35-4411,00029,70045,100118,00051,00015.3
45-5414,80044,90086,100235,20095,30026.6
55-6416,80045,100111,600373,600136,90028.0
65+10,20031,30067,600328,500109,50024.0
All11,70033,10064,300210,20079,900100.0
  1. Notes: Mixed households (for example two-family or group households) are excluded. The quartiles are based on per person net worth within each age group (that is, the quartiles are the same as those used in Table 7). Each single person or partner within a couple household within each age range is ranked by their per adult net worth and then assigned to an age-specific quartile. The poorest 25% of adults within an age band are assigned to Quartile 1 and the richest 25% to Quartile 4.

  2. Source: ABS 2003-04 Survey of Income and Housing unit record data.

Table A1
Housing tenure of baby boomers by type of household, Australia, 2004
Household type and age group of reference personTenureTotal homeownersOutright owners as proportion of homeowners
Owner without mortgageOwner with mortgageRenterOther
%%%%%%
Couple Only
 45-49 35.5 43.3 21.2 - 78.8 45.1
 50-54 50.8 37.4 11.1 0.8 88.2 57.6
 55-59 65.7 23.7 9.3 1.3 89.4 73.5
 60-64 81.5 9.6 6.5 2.3 91.1 89.5
Couple with children
 45-49 35.3 52.9 10.1 1.8 88.2 40.0
 50-54 43.5 45.4 10.1 1.0 88.9 48.9
 55-59 57.9 30.1 11.2 0.8 88.0 65.8
 60-64 66.6 21.9 10.5 1.1 88.5 75.3
One Parent
 45-49 18.7 37.2 39.8 4.3 55.9 33.5
 50-54 28.8 25.1 41.5 4.6 53.9 53.4
Lone Male
 45-49 29.3 34.5 34.8 1.3 63.8 45.9
 50-54 25.7 30.7 43.1 0.5 56.4 45.6
 55-59 40.2 23.8 32.1 3.9 64.0 62.8
 60-64 52.3 14.4 28.4 4.8 66.7 78.4
Lone Female
 45-49 21.3 40.4 36.9 1.4 61.7 34.5
 50-54 32.7 29.5 35.2 2.6 62.2 52.6
 55-59 42.7 25.6 29.8 1.9 68.3 62.5
 60-64 66.2 3.5 28.2 2.1 69.7 95.0
ALL
 45-49 31.9 47 19.5 1.7 78.9 40.4
 50-54 41.4 38.7 18.7 1.3 80.1 51.7
 55-59 57.1 25.8 15.5 1.6 82.9 68.9
 60-64 72.4 11.2 13.9 2.4 83.6 86.6
All Baby boomers 48.1 33 17.3 1.7 81.1 59.3
  1. Notes: Mixed households (for example two-family or group households) are excluded from the data above.The sample sizes were too small to provide reliable estimates for one parent households with the reference person aged 55+ and this group has been excluded from the table above.‘Baby boomer’ households are colloquially defined here as those with a reference person aged 45 to 64 years. All of the results are for households.

  2. Source: ABS 2003-04 Survey of Income and Housing unit record data.

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