Adult Children Living with Parents, the New Norm Amidst Housing Challenges
Photo: Antonio Mejías-Rentas
As housing costs soar, an increasing number of adult children find themselves living with their parents, reshaping traditional notions of independence and family dynamics.
Growing up in a Latino household, Monica Tamayo said she never felt like she had to move out. But now, after graduating college and at 27 years old, living with her parents as an adult has brought on feelings of shame and frustration. Living at home also meant living by their rules.
“I was missing out. I felt like I was still a child when I would see them [friends] going out at one in the morning to McDonald's or whatnot. I had to be home because that was my curfew. It did suck. I feel like a part of my growth is stunted. That was really tough,” said Tamayo.
Tamayo is not alone. Many adult children are either choosing or being forced to live with their parents, often after returning from college.
COVID-19 forced millions of Americans, particularly young adults, to relocate and live with family members. According to an analysis conducted in 2020 by the Pew Research Center, the majority of individuals aged 18 to 29 were residing with their parents, surpassing the previous peak observed during the Great Depression era.
That number continues to grow. A 2024 Pew Research Center report shows that 57% of young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 are living in their parents' households, as opposed to 53% that did in 1993. With this and an already rising cost of living, some feel like this reality might be lifelong.
Tamayo still remembers feeling like a burden and having to have difficult conversations with her mom.
“I remember telling her, ‘When I turn 24, I need to be out of here,'" Tamayo said. "I don't have much stuff. I'll just take my bed, and I'll see where I can move.”
According to housing economists last year, Americans’ ability to afford a typical home deteriorated to its worst level in nearly 40 years.
Only 15.5% of homes for sale last year were affordable for the typical US household, the lowest level since Redfin began tracking the data in 2013. That’s down from the typical level of 40% seen before the pandemic home buying frenzy began and the 21% recorded in 2022.
“I always tell my mom, ‘I can't believe you were 23 when you bought this house back in the year 2000’,” said Tamoya.
Tamayo’s mother bought her family home in San Gabriel Valley for $150,000 in 2000. According to Zillow, the home is now valued at $650,000- an increase of half a million dollars in just 24 years.
With home buying out of reach for many young people and the high cost of living in Los Angeles, some feel this reality might be lifelong.
“All of my friends live with their parents. My partner lives with his parents. Out of all the friends that I have, maybe three of them have either their own apartment or their own studio,” said Tamayo.
She said that of her few friends who have their place, most live in fear of not being able to afford their rent next month.
While some young people might feel pressure to live independently, it’s not as achievable as it was in previous generations. The high price of rent is even surpassed by what it now costs to own a home.
A California Legislative Analyst Office report found that purchasing a 2-bedroom home in California is now much more expensive than renting. In LA, there tends to be a $2,000-a-month disparity between renting and owning.
Twenty-six-year-old Isaac Ceja hopes to rent his own place but said it hasn’t been easy to find decent houses within his budget.
“For the past couple of months, I have been looking at Zillow and Trulia,” said Ceja. ”The places that are within my budget are just depressing. A lot of them won't have a kitchen, or they won't have a fridge.”
In addition to the fact that many houses for sale and rentals are out of reach, Jose Loya, an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, believed banks are not being fair when lending to low-income neighborhood residents.
“It's a double-edged sword if you're Latino and you're trying to find a loan company. Latinos are less likely to get access to a mortgage than whites. [It] also happens when you're trying to buy a house in a low-income neighborhood, like Boyle Heights,” said Loya. “A lot of banks don't want to lend. They don't want to explicitly say it, but the data shows that they're less likely to lend in those areas.”
As young residents look for solutions to their housing obstacles/hurdles, East Los Angeles Community Corporation hopes to educate first-time homebuyers and renters through its monthly workshops.
“Developing healthy financial habits is key to achieving financial and housing goals. Whether renting or looking to buy, we always recommend starting by creating a budget,” said Elba Serrano, Associate Vice President at ELACC.
“I always recommend starting to think about where you want to live, looking at how expensive it is, and figuring out what you need to do with your finances to hopefully get there,” Loya said.
Many young adults are having to come to terms with the fact that living with their family members might not be the worst solution to the current housing situation.