Post #4151316

🏠 Nearly half of adults under 30 in the US are living with their parents. The number is real, and it's climbing fast. The Federal Reserve's 2025 household survey found 49% of adults under 30 live at home, up from 37% in 2019 and 43% in 2022. That's a 12-point jump in six years. Census data backs this up: a record 25.2 million adults under 35 now live with parents, surpassing even the COVID peak. This isn't a new phenomenon. The trend follows a U-shaped curve dating back to 1940. Living with parents was common in the 1940s, dropped to record lows in the 1960s-80s (as low as 8% for 25-35 year olds), and has been climbing since 2000. By 2014, living with parents edged out living with a partner as the most common arrangement for 18-34 year olds for the first time in 130 years. What's driving it? Housing costs have outpaced incomes. Apartment List found that in 1960, 60% of young adults living at home could afford their own place. By 2022, only 18% could. Student debt and a weak job market make it harder - 25% of people under 30 told the Fed they can't find adequate work. A creator recently went viral using the 49% stat to reassure anyone living at home. Her framing is valid: the data confirms this is normal, not a personal failure. Most young adults who live with parents (64%) say it's had a positive impact on their finances. But the stat also reflects something bigger than individual choices. It's a systemic housing affordability crisis wearing a lifestyle trend as a costume. Sources: https://coloradosun.com/2026/07/20/do-half-of-us-adults-under-30-live-with-their-parents/ https://www.realtor.com/research/adults-living-with-parents-june-26/ https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/09/04/a-majority-of-young-adults-in-the-u-s-live-with-their-parents-for-the-first-time-since-the-great-depression/ #housing #demographics #economy