Cost Pressures Push Record Number of Young Adults Back to Living with Parents

A 2025 Realtor.com/Census analysis shows more than 25 million adults under 35 live with their parents, about one in three, the highest on record. The shift stems from housing costs—medians around $430,000 for homes and $1,673 for rent, with mortgage payments rising sharply—which keeps many employed young adults at home to save for a future purchase. First-time buyers remain scarce (a record low share), and marriages are delayed, further boosting two-income or shared-parent-home living as the path to independence becomes harder.