Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Aug 4
U.S. Adults Under 35 Living With Parents Hit Record 25.2 Million as Costs Outrun Wages
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Aug 4

U.S. Adults Under 35 Living With Parents Hit Record 25.2 Million as Costs Outrun Wages

3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Aug 4

Summary

  • 25.2 million U.S. adults under 35 lived with their parents in 2025, Realtor.com said, pushing the share above even COVID-19 pandemic levels.
  • Rising living costs and unaffordable housing are driving the move home, with many young adults using family housing to save money because pay has not kept pace with inflation.
  • Roughly 7 in 10 people aged 25 to 34 living at home are employed, underscoring that the trend is tied less to joblessness than to weak purchasing power and high rent or mortgage costs.
  • Housing affordability has deteriorated broadly as home prices and mortgage rates stay elevated, extending a pattern also seen among recent college graduates facing a weak job market and high housing costs.

Insights

Are college degrees losing their value as grads retreat to their childhood bedrooms to escape a shifting job market?
With AI threatening white-collar roles, is the booming trend of multigenerational living a temporary fix or our new normal?
Could moving back home actually be a brilliant financial strategy for young adults facing brutal housing costs?