NC in Focus: Young Adults Living with Parents, 2000 v. 2012

“In 2012, 36% of the nation’s young adults ages 18 to 31—the so-called Millennial generation—were living in their parents’ home… This is the highest share in at least four decades and represents a slow but steady increase over the 32% of their same-aged counterparts who were living at home prior to the Great Recession in 2007 and the 34% doing so when it officially ended in 2009….

The steady rise in the share of young adults who live in their parents’ home appears to be driven by a combination of economic, educational and cultural factors. Among them [are declining employment, rising college enrollment, and declining marriage].” – Richard Fry, “A Rising Share of Young Adults Live in Their Parents’ Home,” Pew Social Trends

Among North Carolina’s twenty-something young adults, 30% were living in their parents’ home in 2012, compared to 18% in 2000. In both 2000 and 2012, older young adults (ages 25 to 29) were less likely to live with their parents than young adults between the ages of 20 and 24. Between 2000 and 2012, the share of NC young adults ages 20-24 who lived with their parents grew by 59%, from 25% to 40%. The share of young adults ages 25-29 who lived at home increased by 71%, rising from 11% in 2000 to 19% in 2012.

Data used in this analysis were drawn from the 2000 Census and 2012 American Community Survey via IPUMS-USA. Analysis used Pew’s definition of “living at home” or “living with parents”: “An adult is considered to be “living at home” or “living with parents” on the basis of the adult’s relationship to the head of the household. The adult is living at home if and only if the adult is the child or stepchild of the head of the household. So, for example, for a married couple residing in the house of the husband’s mother (and the mother is the head of the household), the husband is considered to be living at home. Alternatively, if the husband is the head of household (and thus owns or leases the dwelling), he is considered to be living independently and is not living at home (regardless of the presence of his mother).”