One third of young people in the USA live with their families
The rate of young people under the age of 35 living with their families in the USA rose again due to the sharp increase in housing and rent prices and reached a record level.According to Realtor.com analysis, the main reason for this situation is not employment problems, but as the housing accessibility crisis and accumulated student debts.
The rate of young adults under the age of 35 living with their families in the USA has reached a record level. The new analysis by Realtor.com revealed that in 2025, about one in three young people, a record number of 25.2 million people, lived in the family home.
The rate of living with their families of young people between the ages of 18 and 34, which showed a slight decrease after the peak during the pandemic period, climbed to 33 percent again.
This rate marks an increase of 6 percentiles in the last twenty years.
According to the report, it seems that the main factor behind this trend is not employment problems. About 70 percent of young people in the 25 to 34 age group living with their families have a job, and this rate has been relatively stable for the last 25 years.
Realtor.com Senior Economist Hannah Jones said this situation was “most likely primarily due to the housing accessibility crisis.”
There have been significant increases in housing costs in recent years. In 2025, the average price of housing for sale in the USA increased by 34 percent compared to 2019 and reached 430 thousand dollars. The average requested rent increased by approximately 18 percent to 1673 dollars.
Realtor.com estimates that there is a housing deficit of about 4 million in the market, which limits the realistic options for many young adults to establish independent households.
It is considered that the increase in university attendance rates in the last 25 years may also play a role in this picture. “Student debts that are becoming more common may be limiting the opportunities that an entry-level salary can buy for an independent life,” Jones said.
Almost half (49 percent) of the age of university graduates who have historically entered the rental market continue to stay at home. This rate was 46 percent before the pandemic.
However, this trend is not limited to those who are new to adulthood. The rate of those who live with their families among those in the 30 to 34 age group increased to about 13 percent in 2025.
This rate corresponds to almost twice the level in 2000.
Realtor.com bases the increase in the rate of adults living with their families on two distinct periods: the Great Recession and the Covid-19 pandemic. Both periods led to economic disruptions that made it difficult for the younger generations to live independently.
"Every adult who continues to stay in a childhood room means an unestablished household, an unsigned lease and an unbought first home," Jones said.