Majority of U.S. Young Adults Live with Parents for First Time Since Great Depression
The pandemic is sending baby birds back into their nests. For the first time since the Great Depression, more young adults are living with family members than on their own.
In July 2020, 52% of young adults resided with one or both of their parents, up from 47% in February, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of monthly Census Bureau data.
As of July 2020, 26.6 million young adults now live with their parents, an increase of 2.6 million from February.
The vast majority of young adults who live with their parents – 88% – live in their parents’ home, and this group accounts for the growth in the population of adult children living with their parents, according to Pew Research Center.
The number and share of young adults living with their parents grew across the board for all major racial and ethnic groups, men and women, and metropolitan and rural residents, as well as in all four main census regions.
In comparison, 48% of young adults lived with their parents in 1940, according to census data. The share of young adults living with parents declined in the 1950 and 1960 censuses before rising again. The share of young adults living with their parents hasn’t been above 50% since 1976.
Young adults have been particularly hard hit by this year’s pandemic and economic downturn and have been more likely to move than other age groups, according to a Pew Research Center survey. About one-in-ten young adults (9%) say they relocated temporarily or permanently due to the coronavirus outbreak. Among all adults who moved due to the pandemic, 23% said the most important reason was because their college campus had closed, and 18% said it was due to job loss or other financial reasons.
Pew Research Center warned that these new living arrangements may have an impact not just on young adults and their families, but on the U.S. economy overall. Even before the outbreak, the growth in new households trailed population growth, in part because people were moving in with others.
Between February and July 2020, the number of households headed by an 18- to 29-year-old declined by 1.9 million, or 12%. The total went from 15.8 million to 13.9 million.
"Slower household growth could mean less demand for housing and household goods. There also may be a decline in the number of renters and homeowners, and in overall housing activity," the report said.
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