Young adults in Columbus aren't staying home

More young adults in Central Ohio are leaving the nest compared to elsewhere in the U.S., a recent analysis finds.

Why it matters: While living at home as a young adult is sometimes viewed negatively as a "failure to launch," it can also reflect economic realities, cultural preferences, caregiving needs and other factors.

By the numbers: In the Columbus area, only 12.5% of adults ages 25 to 34 were living with their parents as of 2023, per a Pew Research Center analysis of census data.

Context: That's well below the national rate (17.7%).

• Nine of the 10 cities with the largest share living at home (all at least 29%) are in California, Texas or Florida.

Zoom out: Pew identifies the Midwest as the region where adults were least likely to live in a parent's home.

• While cities like Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit are slightly above average, most — including Indianapolis (11.9%) and Des Moines (8.9%) — are significantly below.

What they're saying: Even compared to other Midwest notables like Cleveland or Detroit, Columbus' position as a younger city attracting new transplants is likely keeping our numbers down, says Sarah Hayford, an OSU sociology professor and director of the university's Institute for Population Research.

• "Columbus is a city that has more economic growth and population growth," she tells Axios. "As a demographer, population mobility is key. Who's moving to Columbus and who's moving out of Columbus, and how might patterns look different for people who are new residents versus a city where people have grown up and stayed?"

Case in point: Hayford is right; we are a young city.

• Census data shows that in 2022, Columbus' median age of 36.9 was lower than the country's (39) and well below cities like Cleveland (41.8) and Detroit (40.4).

Between the lines: Our figures are also a reflection of our demographics.

• Pew points out that white adults are less likely to live with parents than their Asian, Hispanic or Black counterparts, a major contributing factor in a city with a 53% white population and a newer immigrant population.
• "Those racial differences are also related to racial wealth gaps and differences in housing stock as well," Hayford says.