More Than One in Five Millennials Still Live With Mom

Ahead of Mother's Day, Zillow analysis shows the share of young people living with their moms reached the highest level this century

-- 21.9% of millennials live with their moms, nine percentage points higher than those of the same age in 2005.

-- A much larger share of those living with mom have jobs than in 2010, highlighting affordability challenges even as the economy has recovered.

-- The highest share of millennials living with their moms are in Riverside, Miami, Los Angeles and New York, which are all among the least affordable rental markets in the country. Seattle, Austin, Portland, Kansas City and Denver have the smallest shares.

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Zillow

May 07, 2019, 08:00 ET

SEATTLE, May 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- More people age 23-37 are living with their moms than at any time this century, according to a Zillow® analysisⁱ. Nearly 22% of American millennials – more than 14 million in total – live with their mom or both parents, the highest share for this age group since at least 2000.

The share of young adults living with mom has increased steadily since 2001 – more than doubling from 6.8 million (11.7%) to 14.3 million (21.9%).

While the economy has recovered since the housing bust and recession of the mid-2000s, young people living with their moms has continued to rise. The share of those living at home that are unemployed has fallen to 10.3% from 19.5% in 2010, indicating that more young people are struggling to afford independent housing even while holding a job.

"While it might be tempting to stereotype these young adults as lazy millennials bumming off of mom, the data paints a different picture," said Zillow Senior Economist Sarah Mikhitarian. "When the housing market went bust and the economy unraveled into a recession, young adults increasingly returned to their childhood home. And, despite a strong labor market and fairly robust economic recovery, this trend has continued in the face of rising housing costs and deteriorating affordability. Living with mom as an adult can certainly bring its share of headaches, but the benefits go beyond the occasional home-cooked meal – living under mom's roof can allow young adults to save enough money for a down payment, security deposit or some other big expense. Not to mention you won't have to travel far to take your mom out to dinner this Mother's Day."

Rents are on the rise, bringing present-day affordability challenges for those looking to rent and long-term difficulties in saving for a down payment on a first home. Recent Zillow research found today's renters need an extra year and a half to save for a down payment than their parents' generation 30 years earlier.

Those that choose to live with their moms and build up their savings may have a leg up. An analysis from HotPads®, a Zillow Group-owned apartment- and home-search platform, showed that living rent-free with parents can allow you to afford a down payment on a home nearly three years sooner. And a small share of this young adult population is actually hosting mom in their own home – perhaps to take care of her as she ages or to have help raising children of their own.

Among large housing markets, Riverside, Miami, Los Angeles and New York have the highest share of millennials living with their moms – at least 31%. These four metros are all among the seven least affordable rental markets in the country.

Millennials in Seattle, Austin, Portland, Kansas City and Denver will likely need to travel to visit their moms on Mother's Day. The smallest share of young adults live with mom in these markets, below 15% in each case. In these booming, expensive markets, it's likely that fewer young adults live with mom because family is far away rather than because rents are more affordable.

The median monthly rent price in the U.S. is $1,474, up 2.5% from a year earlier, according to the Zillow Rent Indexⁱⁱ. Zillow predicts rents will rise an additional 1.8% in the coming year and reach the $1,500 threshold.

Metropolitan Area	Share of Young Adults (23-37) Living with Mom in 2005	Share of Young Adults (23-37) Living with Mom in 2017	Zillow Rent Index (ZRI)	Rent Affordability (Share of Median Income Spent on Median Monthly Rent Payment)
United States	13.0%	21.9%	$1,474	27.7%
New York, NY	20.4%	31.0%	$2,419	36.4%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	18.6%	32.0%	$2,836	45.7%
Chicago, IL	15.5%	25.3%	$1,691	28.1%
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX	9.8%	19.5%	$1,643	27.7%
Philadelphia, PA	17.3%	27.1%	$1,608	26.7%
Houston, TX	12.9%	22.8%	$1,584	28.6%
Washington, DC	12.5%	21.6%	$2,173	25.0%
Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL	15.7%	34.8%	$1,923	40.2%
Atlanta, GA	10.3%	21.3%	$1,447	25.2%
Boston, MA	14.0%	21.4%	$2,395	31.8%
San Francisco, CA	14.4%	22.5%	$3,450	38.3%
Detroit, MI	15.5%	24.3%	$1,226	24.0%
Riverside, CA	18.0%	35.4%	$1,988	35.8%
Phoenix, AZ	9.2%	21.4%	$1,446	26.2%
Seattle, WA	8.2%	13.7%	$2,233	30.9%
Minneapolis-St Paul, MN	7.8%	15.4%	$1,700	25.2%
San Diego, CA	11.8%	23.8%	$2,647	38.8%
St. Louis, MO	12.1%	18.8%	$1,158	21.5%
Tampa, FL	10.2%	22.7%	$1,442	31.4%
Baltimore, MD	14.0%	25.4%	$1,753	26.3%
Denver, CO	8.0%	14.9%	$2,108	31.1%
Pittsburgh, PA	15.5%	18.9%	$1,102	21.4%
Portland, OR	7.7%	14.4%	$1,870	29.4%
Charlotte, NC	10.3%	19.3%	$1,342	24.9%
Sacramento, CA	12.7%	22.7%	$1,915	31.9%
San Antonio, TX	13.8%	25.8%	$1,368	27.7%
Orlando, FL	10.2%	26.0%	$1,531	31.4%
Cincinnati, OH	10.5%	16.5%	$1,305	24.2%
Cleveland, OH	14.3%	20.1%	$1,165	25.5%
Kansas City, MO	8.6%	14.8%	$1,295	23.4%
Las Vegas, NV	11.6%	22.7%	$1,396	27.1%
Columbus, OH	8.0%	15.2%	$1,363	24.3%
Indianapolis, IN	7.7%	16.2%	$1,235	23.7%
San Jose, CA	14.9%	23.2%	$3,553	34.1%
Austin, TX	6.9%	13.8%	$1,704	26.5%
Virginia Beach, VA	11.3%	18.9%	$1,447	25.8%
Nashville, TN	8.3%	16.0%	$1,518	27.1%
Providence, RI	16.1%	26.2%	$1,695	29.4%
Milwaukee, WI	10.2%	16.8%	$1,337	26.0%
Jacksonville, FL	10.3%	21.0%	$1,395	27.1%
Memphis, TN	12.5%	24.7%	$1,122	25.3%
Oklahoma City, OK	8.1%	16.0%	$1,102	22.4%
Louisville-Jefferson County, KY	11.9%	19.9%	$1,196	24.0%
Hartford, CT	16.5%	23.6%	$1,604	26.0%
Richmond, VA	10.7%	23.6%	$1,428	24.0%
New Orleans, LA	19.3%	25.8%	$1,420	32.2%
Buffalo, NY	16.0%	21.1%	$1,225	25.1%
Raleigh, NC	6.1%	16.4%	$1,460	23.0%
Birmingham, AL	13.4%	20.6%	$1,105	23.7%
Salt Lake City, UT	10.6%	16.5%	$1,616	25.7%

Zillow

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ⁱZillow analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau data from the American Community Survey from 2005-2017. A mom must be living in the household in order to be included in this analysis. The 50 largest U.S. metros were used in this analysis.

ⁱⁱ The Zillow Rent Index (ZRI) is the median Rent Zestimate® (estimated monthly rental price) for a given geographic area on a given day, and includes the value of all single-family residences, condominiums, cooperatives and apartments in Zillow's database, regardless of whether they are currently listed for rent. It is expressed in dollars.

SOURCE Zillow