For the first time since the Great Depression: Most young Americans live with their parents

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed millions of Americans, especially young people, to move in with family members. The proportion of people between the ages of 18 and 29 living with their parents has become the majority after coronavirus cases in the US began to spread earlier this year, surpassing the previous peak during the Great Depression. Pew Research.

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In July, 52% of young people in the US were living with one or both parents, up from 47% in February, according to a new analysis of monthly Census Bureau data from the Pew Research Center. The number of people living with parents rose to 26,6 million, 2,6 million more than in February. The number and proportion of young people living with their parents rose among all major racial and ethnic groups, men and women, and urban and rural residents, as well as in all four major census regions. The sharpest increases were among the youngest adults (ages 18 to 24) and white youths.

The proportion of young people living with their parents is higher than in any previous measurement (based on current research and decennial censuses). Until 2020, the highest measured rate was in the 1940 census at the end of the Great Depression, when 48% of young people lived with their parents. The peak may have been higher during the worst Great Depression of the 1930s, but data are not available for this period.

The proportion of young people living with their parents declined in the 1950 and 1960 censuses and then rose again. The monthly share in the current population survey has surpassed 50% since April this year, reaching and maintaining this level for the first time since Child Protection Services (CPS) data on young people's living conditions became available in 1976.

Young people have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic and economic downturn this year, and they have a higher chance of relocating than other age groups, according to a Pew Research Center study. About 1 in 10 young people (9%) say they have moved temporarily or permanently because of the coronavirus outbreak, and about the same percentage (10%) say that someone from their family moved in with them. Of all adults who moved because of the pandemic, 23% said the most important reason was the closure of their college campus, and 18% said it was due to job loss or other financial reasons.

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These new living conditions could affect not only young people and their families, but the US economy as a whole, reflecting the importance of the housing market for overall economic growth. Even before the outbreak, new household growth lagged behind population growth, in part because people moved with others. Slower household growth could mean lower demand for housing and household goods. The number of renters and homeowners and overall housing activity may also decline. Between February and July 2020, the number of households headed by people between the ages of 18 and 29 fell by 1,9 million, or 12%.

The vast majority of young people who live with their parents—88%—live in the family home, and this group accounts for the growing population of adult children living with their parents. Almost everyone else lives in their own homes with their parents or in homes headed by other family members. These proportions have been relatively stable over the past decade.

Most of the increase in young people living with their parents accounted for young people.

The youngest adults (ages 18 to 24) accounted for most of the increase in 18-29 year olds living with their parents from February to July - 2,1 million of the 2,6 million increase came from them. Most of this younger age group were already living with their parents, but the share rose to 71% in July from 63% in February.

This pattern is in line with the decline in employment since February. The youngest people were more likely than other age groups to lose their jobs or receive a pay cut. The proportion of young people aged 16-24 who do not attend school or work more than doubled from February (11%) to June (28%) due to the pandemic and subsequent economic downturn.

It is worth noting that in the current population survey data, unmarried students living in college dormitories on campus are counted as living in their family home, so any increase in the number of young people living with their parents this year would not be attributed to the pandemic and the closure. college dormitories in the spring.

However, in general, young people living with their parents show a seasonal pattern of movement: their share tends to rise slightly in the summer after college finals. For example, in 2019, the share living with parents increased by less than 2 percentage points in July compared to February. But this year the growth was much sharper - more than 5 points.

Racial and ethnic differences in the proportion of young people living with their parents have narrowed.

In past decades, white adults were less likely than their Asian, Black, and Latino peers to live with their parents. This gap has narrowed since February, as the number of white young people living with their mothers and / or fathers has grown more than among other racial and ethnic groups.

In fact, whites accounted for about two-thirds (68%) of the increase in young people living with their parents. As of July, more than half of Hispanic (58%) and black (55%) youths were living with their parents, compared with about half of white (49%) and Asian (51%) youths.

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Young men are more likely than young women to live with their parents, and since the onset of the coronavirus outbreak, both groups have seen an increase in the number and proportion of people living with a mom, dad, or both. Likewise, a higher proportion of young people in metropolitan areas than in rural areas now live with their parents, but their number in both types of regions increased from February to July.

The number and proportion of young people living with their parents has increased across the country. The sharpest growth was in the South, where the total increased by over a million and the share increased by 6 percentage points, from 46% to 52%. But the North-East retained its status as a region where the highest proportion of young people live with their parents (57%).

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