Majority Live With Their Parents

The devastating economic impact of the pandemic in the United States is pushing increasing numbers of young people to move back in with their parents. A recently released Pew Research Center analysis has found that a majority of 52 percent of Americans aged between 18 and 29 now live with a parent, the highest share recorded since the Great Depression era. That figure looked set to rise even further as an estimated 30 to 40 million people across the U.S. were thought to be at risk of eviction. Now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has moved to provide tenants with protection until the end of this year, the likelihood of a catastophic homelessness crisis has subsided, temporarily at least.

The share of young adults currently living with their parents is higher than any previous measurement recorded in surveys and decennial censuses. The highest historical value was previous recorded in the 1940 census towards the end of the end of the Great Depression when 48 percent of young adults lived with a parent. The share reached its lowest point in 1960 at 29 percent but it has grown steadily ever since, hitting 49 percent by February 2020. The Pew Research Center states that the number of 18-29 year olds living with a parent increased by 2.6 million since February and the total number stood at 26.6 million in July.