A record number of adults were living in the same home as their parents or grandparents last April, according to a survey from the U.S. Census Bureau analyzed by researchers from Zillow.
32 million American adults lived with a parent or grandparent in April, the highest on record and an increase of 9.7% from last year. The researchers also found that about 2.7 million adults moved in with their parent or grandparent in March, and over 80% of these adults are members of “Generation Z,” or people between the ages of 18 and 25.
“Employment and living situations among this young age group are generally the most in flux even in normal times, and the added uncertainty of the pandemic and future employment prospects makes this group even vulnerable to volatile swings in job and housing markets,” Zillow writes, noting that “an unprecedented level” of young adults were living at home in April.
“While students returning home after the nationwide closure of college campuses this spring is undoubtedly driving some of this surge. Young adults were overwhelmingly driven back home by the major labor market swing in the wake of COVID-19,” Zillow continues. “The number of employed young adults (aged 18-25) fell by more than 25%, or 5.9 million, in March and April.”
Zillow also notes that “almost half (46.5%) of employed young adults already lived in a parent’s home; by this April, the share had risen to 49%. Those who ceased looking for work altogether or were not in the labor force already, including a large number of students, were even more likely to move back home, adding another million-plus young adults to the ranks of homeward-bound movers.”