As of 2023, ~26% of 25-29 year-olds in the U.S. live in a household headed by a parent or grandparent. Like most housing stats, geography plays a major role.

Source: 2023 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample via tidycensus.

Note: Excludes 25 to 29 year-olds currently attending any form of school (college, graduate school, etc.).

Tools: R & ArcGIS Pro

Posted by SweetYams0

19 comments

  1. I will never, not ever, understand how any adult can do this *and not lose their fucking minds.*

    I hated living with my parents so much that I was practically ready to be homeless rather than live with them. They weren’t even abusive, weren’t toxic. I just hated the idea of being an adult and still living with mommy and daddy *that* much.

  2. Interesting, especially how much it varies in very small areas in the major metros.

    I’m most familiar with the SF Bay Area and found the peninsula vs east bay patterns puzzling. Perhaps more newer and bigger houses in the east bay vs. more smaller but more expensive on the peninsula? Also, immigrant demographics that often favor certain communities and may have higher rates of multigenerational households?

    Also, surprisingly low rate in the middle America rural areas, but that could be a combination of lower housing costs, higher marriage rates, etc.

    TLDR: I gotta a feeling there is a lot of local factors and nuances underlying these data.

  3. In other words. Where housing is more expensive children live with their parents longer… not really surprising.

  5. What is the role of geography beyond correlation?

    Population, economy and culture would seem to have more of a role.

  6. I think we might have just lived in a blip of society because this was always commonplace throughout history and still is in many parts of the world.

    Bring back the triple-decker. It gives everyone some privacy while still have convenience and economic benefits of shared household.

  7. I’m honestly shocked it’s not higher. With housing as expensive as it is I feel like we are going to see this normalized a lot more

  8. This is very normal in many, many cultures around the world.

  9. TIL – if you live somewhere that’s very expensive or very poor, you are more likely too live with the elders.

  11. Wow, the Austin area is a glaring exception to the general pattern near metro areas.

  12. Time to get these numbers up! These are rookie numbers!

    Seriously, allowing adult children to live with you for as long as possible is highly normal in the rest of the world, and is one of the single greatest contributors to generational wealth that everyone objectively has access to. The dynamic to kick out kids when they turn 18 in the US was nearly institutionalized by corporate greed; landlords that want forced tenants, corporations that want their labor subsidized by the youth, who can’t fight for higher wages.

    Not my kids, not fucking happening. I’m not subsidizing some rich ass-hole with the best years of their lives.

  14. That blob of red on western New Mexico? Navajo and Zuni reservations – traditional multi-generational. + BLM lands.

  17. I lived with my folks during my medical residency and it just made sense. They lived a 30 minute drive away from my work, and the alternative was to pay $54,000 in rent over three years. For an apartment I’d just crash in given I worked 60-70 hour weeks. Couldn’t justify it. And I wish society would normalize it because although I felt embarrassment, it was all external. Personally I wasn’t ashamed to have made that decision.

    Saved up for a down payment on a house instead.

  18. One correlation I’ve noticed that hasn’t been pointed out in the comments; the percentage tends to be higher in places with high Native American and/or Latino populations. That chunk of NM is the Navajo nation. In both cultures, it’s still very normal and accepted if you still live with your parents / grandparents. I’ve personally known people from those cultures who’ve stayed with family, even after getting married or having kids.

    There are exceptions to this observation — namely the Dakotas and some parts of Texas. In Oklahoma, the Native American population is high, but housing is the cheapest in the country.

    I do think the results aren’t that accurate, considering it doesn’t include 25 – 29 year olds attending school. I was in this age group while going to college, and I can’t imagine living on my own during that time.

  19. Rookie numbers! Saudi investors and Blackrock gonna pump those numbers UP!

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