MW Board games and firepits: Senior communities are pulling out all the stops to lure Generation X. Here's why.

By Jessica Hall

Retirement communities are courting members of Gen X, who will outnumber baby boomers in 2028

The generation that drank straight from the garden hose and roamed on their bikes for hours unsupervised now has a new neighborhood to conquer - the retirement community.

Members of Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, are reaching the age to qualify for 55-and-over communities, and those developments are taking notice.

"Gen X is coming. You have to cultivate it, and we need to understand it," said Jane O'Connor, the chief executive of 55 Plus LLC, a consulting firm that focuses on senior housing and lifestyles. "If you're a builder who wants to remain current, you need to look up and see what's next."

Read: Gen X-ers and millennials are poised to inherit trillions in the coming years

Generation X, sandwiched between the larger baby boomer and millennial cohorts and sometimes dubbed the forgotten generation, may be about to have a moment. While baby boomers have tended to garner the most attention, Gen X members are projected to outnumber boomers starting in 2028, when they will number 63.9 million, while there will be 62.9 million boomers, according to the Pew Research Center.

The Preserve at Hunter's Hill in Dighton, Mass., a 55-and-over community, is building firepits, an outdoor heated swimming pool and bocce and pickleball courts at its clubhouse, which is surrounded by a 255-acre preserve of woods and meadows.

"Gen X is an active 55-plus adult. They want to play pickleball and do laps in the pool," said Chris Long, director of marketing and customer relations at Long Built Homes, which is developing the Hunter's Hill community of 140 single-family homes. "It's nice to be in a community with like-minded adults. There's socialization opportunities, but also you have your own backyard for privacy."

The homes feature "pocket offices" geared toward people who are still working but don't need the large, formal offices filled with filing cabinets of the past. The development also offers residents the ability to age in place, with amenities such as one-floor living and zero-step shower entries, Long said.

Read: It's time for Gen X-ers nearing 60 to give their retirement plans a reality check

Sheila Beausoleil and her husband are building their home at the Preserve at Hunter's Hill because they wanted a gated 55-and-over community like ones they had seen in the South but didn't want to move far from their current home in Massachusetts.

"I wanted a neighborhood where the neighbors are my age. I'm hoping to get involved with the community," said Beausoleil, who said she loved the development's walking trails, pool and clubhouse.

Beausoleil, who is a Gen X member, and her husband, who is a boomer, are building their house with a second floor for when their four kids visit. There will also be a dog-washing station in the garage.

"I'm excited. It's bittersweet to go into the next phase of my life. But I got that community I wanted with all the custom extras that I wanted. I have no hesitation moving to that neighborhood," she said.

Read: Gen X retirement expectations are out of step with savings

The PulteGroup $(PHM)$, one of the largest U.S. home builders, also sees Generation X as an important market, especially for its 55-and-over Del Webb properties.

"Gen X is a fiercely independent generation and we're seeing them reshape everything from how and when they retire to where they want to live and what they expect from a community-living experience," said Sean Strickler, president of PulteGroup's western Florida division.

"They're seeking communities that offer both tranquil spaces for outdoor recreation and physical and mental well-being, alongside casual indoor venues for socializing on their own terms. This generation that grew up exploring neighborhoods unsupervised isn't looking for rigid social calendars," Strickler said. "They want welcoming environments that foster organic connections and preserve their independence, all in the backdrop of the resort-style, vibrant and luxury communities."

Builders are taking note of Gen X's preferences, said O'Connor, the 55 Plus CEO. Those include a desire for more intimate spaces for smaller groups, almost like a cafe setting, so they can socialize on their own terms, rather than a need for big conference rooms at the clubhouse to hold formal parties. Boomers' weekly card games have also morphed into board-game nights for Gen X, she added.

While baby boomers may still have antiques and china collections, Gen X members are not that into tchotchkes, O'Connor said, and model homes should appeal to that aesthetic. Clean, uncluttered designs such as midcentury modern are still in favor among this group, who also want amenities like washers and dryers that are connected to the primary bedroom suite so they don't have to lug baskets of laundry around the house.

Gen X members also want to incorporate outside activities into their lives, O'Connor said, and are looking for things like firepits and fitness bars along walking trails that let them mix up their workouts. What they don't want? Formal dining rooms.

As a sandwich generation with both children and aging parents, many Gen X members are still working, with some providing financial help and other types of caregiving to older and younger generations.

Members of this generation who bought homes in 2023 had a median income of $126,900, according to the National Association of Realtors. They were the generation most likely to purchase a multigenerational home, at 19%, and they bought homes of a median 1,940 square feet, the NAR said.

Gen X members account for 24% of recent home buyers, even though they make up only 19% of the U.S. population, according to the NAR.

The marketing of 55-and-over communities needs to be different for Gen X than for baby boomers, O'Connor said. "For baby boomers, it's all about the lifestyle. For Gen Xers, it's all about the experience," she said. "They're young enough, healthy enough. The vibrancy is there. They want it their way. If they're going to make a change, it has to be something new."

Not everyone agrees that now is the time to focus on Gen X, however.

Arick Morton, chief executive of NIC MAP, which tracks data on the senior housing market, said the housing industry is focusing on "the incredible demographic boom of the first baby boomers turning 80 this year" and not on the up-and-coming Generation X.

"The industry needs to develop at nearly twice its pace each year for the next 20 years to meet senior housing demand," Morton said.

That level of growth means the senior housing industry needs to develop more than $1 trillion worth of new inventory by the early 2040s. At the current pace of development, there will be a supply gap of about $800 billion worth of housing, according to NIC MAP.

But others say they are still keeping Gen X in their sights.

"Gen X has always forged its own path. Now it's redefining community living, and we're proud to be leading the way in creating communities that reflect its unique perspective on the next chapter of life," Strickler said.

-Jessica Hall

This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 21, 2025 12:43 ET (17:43 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.