Young Adults Are Headed Back Home

More adults are choosing to save money and move back in with their parents. According to a recent analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the National Association of Home Builders, 32.5% of adults between the ages of 18 and 34 lived with their parents in 2024. This figure represents an increase from the 31.8% of adults recorded in 2023. However, it’s still below the pre-pandemic peak of 34.5% in 2017.

In some regions, that figure is even higher. Southern and Northeastern states have some of the highest shares of young adults living in their parents’ homes. In New Jersey, 44% of young adults live with their parents, and in Connecticut, 41% of adults live with their parents. California and Maryland place third and fourth, with a respective 39% and 38% of young adults who moved back into their parents' homes. 

At the opposite end of the spectrum are states with less than a fifth of young adults living with parents. The fast-growing North Dakota records the nation’s lowest share of 12%, while the neighboring South Dakota registers 18%. In the District of Columbia, where the job market was relatively stable in 2024, less than 13% of young adults lived with their parents. The cluster of north-central U.S. states completes the nation’s list with the lowest percentages of young adults remaining in parental homes.

The elevated shares of young adults living with parents in high-cost coastal areas underscore the role of housing affordability in driving this trend. Statistical analysis confirms a clear link between prohibitively expensive housing, especially rentals, and the high prevalence of young adults residing with their parents. The states with higher shares of renters paying 30 percent or more of their income on housing, and therefore considered cost-burdened, tend to register higher shares of young adults living with parents.