The Kids Are Kind of All Right
Recently, there has been much hand-wringing about downwardly mobile young adults living with their parents into their twenties or thirties. What’s really going on?
The recent trend of young adults living with their parents has been a topic of concern and discussion. In 2025, 49 percent of adults under the age of 30 lived with their parents, a 6 percentage point increase since 2022 and a 12 percentage point increase since 2019. This phenomenon has led to speculation about the state of young people and their future prospects.
The increase in young adults living with their parents has been a long-term trend, not limited to the past seven years. Census data shows that young people have been living with their parents for the past forty years, with some increases during the pandemic. However, the data must be considered in context, as it includes students living in dormitories as "living with their parents."
The SHED study reveals a post-pandemic increase in young adults living with their parents, but the census numbers do not show the same level of spike, particularly among those aged 25 to 34. This demographic should be a primary concern when discussing young people leaving the nest.
While there is a correlation between high rents, low wages, and the unaffordability of living in major cities, the data does not definitively show that this is the primary cause of the increase in young adults living at home. Cultural and demographic trends play a significant role in this shift.
According to Pew analysis, cities with high rates of young people living at home tend to be diverse, with large Latino, Asian, and Black populations. These communities tend to have higher intergenerational living rates than predominantly white areas. The decline in leaving the nest is also attributed to lower rates of marriage and cohabitation, as well as the fact that young people are getting married later in life or not at all.
Overall, the situation of young adults living at home is not necessarily a crisis. While some young people may still be struggling financially, the trend reflects a mix of cultural and demographic factors rather than a widespread decline in young people's ability to become independent.
Written by urgent.news from The New Yorker's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
