San Diego young adults live at home above the national average
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Young adults in San Diego live with their parents more often than the national average, per a recent analysis.
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.
The big picture: Of the five metropolitan areas with the highest share of young adults living at home, four are located in California, a Pew Research Analysis of Census data found.
- Most young adults who live at home say it's good for their finances, but Pew did not find a strong link between metro areas that rank high on the list and housing prices.
By the numbers: 18.5% of 25- to 34-year-olds live with their parents in San Diego, compared with 17.7% nationwide, according to the Pew research.
- The national share has fallen from its post-pandemic peak of 20%, though, after gradually increasing from 2000 through 2017.
Zoom in: The New York Times in 2023 found home prices were pushing Gen Z San Diegans back to their childhood homes, but Pew's analysis of metro areas instead found a correlation with race and ethnicity.
- White young adults are less likely to live at home than their Asian, Hispanic and Black peers, and disproportionately white metro areas tend to have a lower share of 25-to 34-year-olds living at home.
- That's reflected in California's heavy representation among regions with the highest shares of young adults living at home. In Merced, for instance, 30% of young adults live at home, and its share of young adults who are white (18%) is well below the share across the 258 metro areas analyzed (48%).
Zoom out: Gen Z isn't alone. Millennials are also moving home, and the overall share of multigenerational households is increasing, too.
- Multigenerational households are those with three generations under one roof — and San Diego is above the national average there, too.