This is 30

For REALTORS®, the 30-year-old buyer is an important one to pay attention to. According to recent National Association of REALTORS® statistics, 30-year-olds are big: The average age of first-time buyers is 31, and the average age of millennials is 30—and they make up the largest generational category of buyers by a large amount. Thirty-five percent of buyers are millennials, while the next-biggest generation, Gen X, is only 26 percent.

But——and we’re sure you’’ve heard this before——these 30-year-olds are different than previous generations. The U.S. Census Bureau just released a comparison of lifestyle factors for the average 30-year-old in 1975 compared to the average 30-year-old today, and there are some big differences: Today’s 30-year-old is far less likely to be married or have children, but is more likely to have a college degree and be active in the labor force.