Living with a parent is the most common living arrangement for 18- to 34-year-olds in the United States, the first time on record that that has been the case, according to the Pew Research Center.
“In 2014, for the first time in more than 130 years, adults ages 18 to 34 were slightly more likely to be living in their parents’ home than they were to be living with a spouse or partner in their own household,” the center said in a report released May 24.
By 2014, 32.1 percent of young adults were living in the home of their parent or parents. That was greater than the 31.6 percent of young adults living with a spouse or partner in their own household. Fourteen percent of adults 18 to 34 headed a household in which they lived alone, were a single parent or lived with one or more roommates. And the remaining 22 percent lived in the home of another family member, a non-relative or in a group living arrangement, such as college dormitories.
The decline in the proportion of young Americans forming a household with a romantic partner is largely propelling this shift in living arrangements, the report said.
“Dating back to 1880, the most common living arrangement among young adults has been living with a romantic partner, whether a spouse or a significant other. This type of arrangement peaked around 1960, when 62% of the nation’s 18- to 34-year-olds were living with a spouse or partner in their own household, and only one-in-five were living with their parents.”
The Pew Research Center report cited a number of factors behind the change, among them:
♦ The postponement of marriage. “The median age of first marriage has risen steadily for decades. In addition, a growing share of young adults may be eschewing marriage altogether.”
♦ Employment and wage trends, particularly as they affect young men. “Employed young men are much less likely to live at home than young men without a job, and employment among young men has fallen significantly in recent decades. The share of young men with jobs peaked around 1960 at 84%. In 2014, only 71% of 18- to 34-year-old men were employed. Similarly with earnings, young men’s wages (after adjusting for inflation) have been on a downward trajectory since 1970 and fell significantly from 2000 to 2010. As wages have fallen, the share of young men living in the home of their parent(s) has risen.”
♦ The Great Recession and the modest recovery. “Initially in the wake of the recession, college enrollments expanded, boosting the ranks of young adults living at home. And given the weak job opportunities facing young adults, living at home was part of the private safety net helping young adults to weather the economic storm.”