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Many young adults have found a way to beat high housing costs: living with their parents.
About a fifth, or 19.1%, of young adults aged 25–34 live with their parents and in-laws, according to a recent report from the National Association of Home Builders.
And some states have a much higher percentage of younger folks living at home than others.
What’s behind the trend of more young adults moving back home (or never moving out, to begin with)?
“Economics plays a part of it,” says Natalia Siniavskaia, a housing policy economist at NAHB.
“The younger generation is [also] more ethnically diverse,” she points out. “In some ethnic groups, living with parents is more common.”
NAHB analyzed Census Bureau data from 2022 to come up with its findings.
Where are the most young adults living with their parents?
As you can probably imagine, more expensive states had higher shares of younger adults living at home.
Some of these folks might also be choosing to live with multiple generations of their family on the same property. This can be a cultural choice, a financial necessity, or both.
The most expensive state for housing, Hawaii, also had the highest percentage of young adults living with their families, at more than a quarter.
About 58% of all renters in Hawaii are cost-burdened, spending 30% or more of their income on housing in 2022, according to Siniavskaia.
“Moving out and starting out your own household is more expensive” in these states, says Siniavskaia. “High housing costs are a barrier.”
How did other states stack up? Take a look at the places where young adults (aged 25–34) are living with Mom and Dad—and how much it costs to buy a home there.
Percentage of young adults living with their families: 28.1%*
Median home list price: $850,000
Percentage of young adults living with their families: 26.2%
Median home list price: $730,000
Percentage of young adults living with their families: 25.9%
Median home list price: $536,875
Percentage of young adults living with their families: 23.4%
Median home list price: $652,520
Percentage of young adults living with their families: 22.9%
Median home list price: $562,450
Where are the fewest young adults living with their parents?
The states with the fewest young adults still living with the ‘rents were in the more affordable Midwest.
The median home list price in every state was well under the national median price of $415,500 in February.
That makes it a lot easier for those just starting their careers to afford places of their own.
North Dakota had the fewest young adults sharing a home with their parents, at just 4.6%.
The median home list price in the state was also about 23.6% less than the national price tag.
“The housing costs are more moderate there,” says Siniavskaia. “It’s much easier to afford rent.”
(Washington, DC, also had a lower percentage of folks staying with their parents, at 7.8%. That might be because the nation’s capital is a place where many people come to work. The median home price in the DC metropolitan area was $599,000 in February.)
Check out the other states with the lowest percentage of young adults living with Mom and Dad.
Percentage of young adults living with their families*: 4.6%
Median home list price: $336,150
Percentage of young adults living with their families: 9.1%
Median home list price: $366,525
Percentage of young adults living with their families: 9.9%
Median home list price: $294,750
Percentage of young adults living with their families: 10.3%
Median home list price: $350,000
Percentage of young adults living with their families: 10.9%
Median home list price: $298,825
* Median home list prices are as of February on Realtor.com.
