Here's where young adults are most likely to be living with their parents

New data is examining where young adults ages 25 to 34 live, in a effort to understand living arrangements, particularly across geographic areas.

In its latest analysis, the Pew Research Center drew on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the American Community Survey – the nation’s largest household survey, with a sample size exceeding 3 million addresses.

The study focused specifically on adults aged 25 to 34, excluding those between 18 and 24, a group who may reside in college dormitories rather than in a parent’s home, despite often remaining financially dependent, according to Pew researchers.

Highest number of young adults living with parents in California cities

By the numbers:

In 2023, the two U.S. metropolitan areas with the highest shares of 25- to 34-year-olds living in a parent’s home were in Vallejo, California, and Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, California, each with 33%, according to the data.

Nine of the 10 metros with the highest shares of young adults living at home were in California, Texas or Florida.

At the other end of the spectrum, only about 3% of young adults lived in a parent’s home in Odessa, Texas; Lincoln, Nebraska; Ithaca, New York; and Bloomington, Indiana.

Comparing regions of the country, young adults in the Midwest were the least likely to live at home, followed by those in the South. Those in the West were more likely to live at home than their peers in the South, and young adults in the Northeast were the most likely to live at home.

U.S. metro areas with the highest shares of young adults living in their parent’s home

1. Vallejo, California (33%)
2. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, California (33%)
3. El Centro, California (32%)
4. Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas (31%)
5. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California (30%)
6. Merced, California (30%)
7. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas (29%)
8. Naples-Marco Island, Florida (29%)
9. Racine-Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin (29%)
10. Port St. Lucie, Florida (29%)

See the full report here.

Unemployment, housing costs not linked to living arrangements

Dig deeper:

While unemployment rates have also been linked with young adults’ living arrangements, this new analysis did not find a strong link between unemployment and young adults’ living arrangements across metro areas.

Interestingly, housing costs were also not associated with the rates of young adults living at home. In 2023, the share of 25- to 34-year-olds living with a parent in a metro did not vary based on the median rent in that area.

Share of young adults living with parents falls

The backstory:

After climbing steadily from 2000 to 2017, the data found that the share of young adults living with their parents has fallen somewhat in recent years.

In 2023, 18% of adults ages 25 to 34 were living in a parent’s home. In addition, young men were more likely than young women to live at home (20% vs. 15%).

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A majority of young adults living with a parent said the arrangement was good for their finances, but they were less enthusiastic about its impact on their social life.

According to previous center research, white young adults are less likely than their Asian, Hispanic and Black counterparts to live in a parent’s home.