Thank you for the series on dayclubs. Very informative about a scene I knew nothing about. My question can probably be applied not just to Vegas but other destinations as well, but I'm very curious about where these 20-something GenZers get $5,000 to rent a cabana on a Saturday afternoon. They're probably spending more in a day, what with the hotel room, restaurant meals, and nightclubs after the dayclubs, than I made in a month when I was their age! Where does it come from?
Yes, this question is applicable to every destination in the U.S. and even abroad. It's certainly not Las Vegas-specific.
We also know that we run the risk of lapsing into intergenerational friction, a trap that has played out repeatedly throughout recorded history (known as the "kids these days" effect), in which an older generation believes that a younger one is entitled and lazy, narcissistic, impulsive, disrespectful of tradition, lacking in practical communication skills, radically progressive, and with GenZ specifically, tech-addicted and isolated. Certainly, The GI Generation harbored similar sentiments about Baby Boomers. (For brevity's sake, we won't get into what the younger generation believes about the older one.)
The other pitfall here is jumping to conclusions about an entire generational cohort, as if the nearly 71 million GenZers, the oldest of whom are still in their 20s and the youngest have just entered their teens, can be summed up in a few hundred words.
All that said, we took on this question because we too were curious about where GenZ 20-somethings get the money to party in Las Vegas like it's ... 1999. Here, presented as objectively as possible, are our findings.
Many GenZ young folk work in standard retail, hospitality, tech, and entry-level corporate positions -- in the normal fashion. But a significant portion (some estimates we saw are as high as 50%) inhabits the "side-hustle" economy, making money outside of traditional 9-to-5 work. Compared to Baby Boomers and even GenX, Gen Z are up to five times more likely to hold multiple jobs, known to economists as "income stacking."
These "gigs" involve online platforms such as Uber, Lyft, Door Dash, and Instacart for delivering people and products; Upwork, Fiverr, Behance, and Dribble for freelance editing and proofreading, graphic design, video editing, and social-media management; YouTube and TikTok for content creation and influencing; eBay for buying and selling everything under the sun and Depop and Poshmark for buying and selling secondhand clothing, shoes, and accessories.
So some certainly make enough money to finance expensive experiences. We note that according to Forbes, there are 13 self-made 20-something billionaires worldwide, having already earned their fortunes in e-commerce, AI, and prediction markets. And for every one of those, no doubt thousands of GenZ work for them and others like them, taking down six-figure and even seven-figure salaries/bonuses.
For those who don't earn quite that nice a living, they trade better cars, clothes, furnishings, etc. for these Vegas experiences. Research consistently shows that more than 70% of GenZ prefer spending their disposable income on experiences, such as travel, concerts, and dining, rather than on material possessions. They prioritize identity, social connection, and lasting memories, creating Instagrammable and TikTok-worthy moments, seeking out unique experiences as a way to build their "personal brand" and connect with peers online.
A few who aren't monied or into personal branding are simply celebrating special occasions and figure: YOLO.
Then there are the heirs, kids with rich parents. They can fire up $100 bets at roulette, their favorite casino game, and pay for dayclub bottle service when their folks make their rent, car and insurance, and student-loan payments. If they do work, that money pays for food, gas, and various entertainments.
Some kids, of course, are maxing out credit cards, financing their high-roller weekends with debt. We see bankruptcies in their future, but that's their row to hoe.
Finally, here's another wrinkle on it. Social media puts the spectacle right in front of us. Fifty years ago when Baby Boomers first started going to Vegas, they might have seen the wealthy crowd for a few minutes while walking through a casino. Today, your phone can show you an endless stream of the most extravagant 1% of visitors, especially the young partiers, making it seem like everyone is living that way.
So that's out take on it. Again, we did the best we could under the somewhat fraught circumstances.
