Born: 1965 - 1980
Ages 45-60 in 2025
Generation X includes anyone born between 1965 and 1980. This makes Gen X currently between 45 and 60 years old in 2025. Often called the forgotten generation or middle child between Baby Boomers and Millennials, Gen X quietly shaped modern culture while flying under the radar.
Gen X earned the nickname latchkey kids because many came home to empty houses as both parents worked. They learned independence and self-reliance early. This generation is comfortable being alone, solving problems themselves, and does not need constant validation or supervision. This independence shaped their skeptical, self-sufficient nature.
Gen X grew up with rotary phones and learned to code on Commodore 64 computers. They adapted to personal computers, email, mobile phones, and smartphones as adults. This makes them uniquely skilled at both analog and digital worlds. They can fix things themselves, figure things out without YouTube tutorials, and are not intimidated by technology.
Gen X watched their Boomer parents sacrifice everything for work and said no thanks. They prioritized family time and personal life more than previous generations. Gen X introduced the concept that work does not have to consume your identity. They work hard but leave at 5pm without guilt.
Gen X grew up during Watergate, economic recessions, rising divorce rates, and the AIDS crisis. This bred healthy skepticism toward authority, institutions, and corporate promises. They question everything, do not trust easily, and value authenticity over polish. This generation invented alternative culture and grunge precisely because they rejected mainstream phoniness.
Gen X currently holds many leadership positions but leads differently than Boomers:
Gen X is smaller than both Baby Boomers and Millennials, making them less influential in marketing and media. They are sandwiched between two loud, large generations and content to stay under the radar. Gen X does not complain much, solves problems quietly, and does not seek attention. While Boomers and Millennials dominate headlines, Gen X runs things behind the scenes and prefers it that way.
The X represents the unknown, undefined nature of the generation. Author Douglas Coupland popularized the term in his 1991 novel Generation X, describing a generation that rejected labels and definitions.
Millennials or Generation Y come after Gen X. Millennials were born between 1981 and 1996.
If you were born in 1975, you are Generation X, right in the middle of the generation.
Gen X is called the latchkey generation because many children wore house keys around their necks and came home to empty houses while both parents worked. This created an independent, self-reliant generation.