More young adults living with parents, even after finding a job, new report shows

A new report shows that nearly a third of young adults still live at home, despite the fact that many of them, especially those between 25 and 34, are employed.

Why you should care:

The findings by Realtor.com challenge a prevailing narrative that many of those between 25 and 34 years old who are still living with their parents are suffering through a weak job market and having trouble beginning their careers. For Hannah Jones, who authored the study, the results demonstrate that getting a paycheck is not the key to independence that it once was.

What they're saying:

"Roughly 70% of 25- to 34-year-olds living with parents are employed," said Jones, a senior economist at Realtor.com. "That share held steady even as the overall co-residence rate has climbed—meaning the growth is coming from working adults, not people waiting to find jobs."

By the numbers:

Just over 1 in 5 adults between 25 and 29 years old (20.4%) lived with their parents last year, according to Realtor.com. That’s nearly six points higher than it was a quarter-century ago. The older half of the young adults in the survey, those between 30 and 34 years old, have seen the share of those still at home nearly double, from 7.1% in 2000 to 12.7% last year. 

Why they are staying

The realty website identified the cost of buying a home as one of the main factors that is keeping young adults from staking their claim on a home. It noted that the median home price in 2025 was $430,000, which was up 34.4% from 2019, which was right before the COVID-19 pandemic ramped up. Rent, meanwhile, has not risen as much, but is still nearly 18% higher than the pre-pandemic era.

Debt loads also play a role in preventing young adults from finding their own place to live. Young adults between 18 and 29 tend to owe less than their older counterparts, but their debts are often tied up in student loans, auto loans, and credit cards, the New York Federal Reserve found. Older individuals have more debt, but it is typically wrapped up in mortgages, which can build wealth.

Dig deeper:

Living at home does not always mean living for free. In fact, it seldom does, the report found.

The Pew Research Center found that more than 7 in 10 young adults (72%) still living at home are contributing somehow to the households. Just under two-thirds (65%) help pay for groceries, utilities, or other expenses, while nearly half (46%) are helping with rent or the mortgage. 

While not establishing their independence can weigh on the futures of the young adults in question, it can also strain the parents. Vulcan 7 real estate agent Jim Chamberlin told Realtor.com that some people have started asking if a home can support three generations, as opposed to just two. Additionally, having the kids at home can also delay the parents’ plans to downsize their home. By keeping their larger homes, they are potentially still having to pay the higher mortgage, utilities, and taxes on the property. 

 

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