Young Adults in Texas Are More Likely than Average to Live with their Parents
The public health and economic toll the coronavirus pandemic caused are well documented. Perhaps less understood are the social impacts. According to a report from Pew Research Center, young adults in the United States were more likely to be living with at least one parent in July 2020 than at any time since the Great Depression.
The historic numbers of young adults either moving back home or choosing to remain there during the pandemic appears to have been a continuation of a broader trend. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 34.4% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 lived with at least one parent, grandparent, or former guardian in 2019 — compared to 31.5% in 2010.
The likelihood of young adults residing with their parents varies considerably from state to state.
In Texas, 35.6% of residents between the ages of 18 and 34 live with a parent or grandparent, a larger share than in most other states. Since 2010, the share of young adults in the Lone Star State living with their parents has increased by 5.0 percentage points, well above the comparable 2.9 percentage point uptick nationwide.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, that share has likely climbed even more as Texas’ job market was hit especially hard. As of March 2021, unemployment in the state stood at 7.2%, a full percentage point above the national jobless rate that month.
To determine the states where the most young adults live with their parents, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on family and household type from the Public Use Microdata Sample summary files of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. States were ranked on the percentage of adults 18 to 34 years old who live with their biological parents, adoptive parents, steparents, foster parents, or grandparents in 2019. Supplemental data on the median age at first marriage of the 15 to 54 year-old cohort came from the Census Bureau’s 2019 ACS. Data on regional price parity used to calculate cost of living came from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and is for 2019.
RankState18-34 year-olds living with parents (%)Median age at first marriage (years)March 2021 unemployment (%)1New Jersey45.130.37.82Florida40.530.35.33California40.230.38.24Mississippi39.727.36.35Connecticut39.631.18.36Maryland39.530.26.07Rhode Island38.831.27.28New Mexico38.330.18.09New York37.730.78.510Hawaii37.429.68.611Georgia36.829.04.012Illinois36.229.97.113South Carolina36.029.24.814Louisiana35.729.26.615Texas35.628.47.216Alabama35.427.93.417Michigan35.029.55.218New Hampshire34.929.63.219Delaware34.330.56.620Arizona34.129.56.521Pennsylvania34.129.87.322Massachusetts32.930.76.623North Carolina32.928.94.624Virginia32.729.25.125West Virginia31.727.56.126Nevada31.429.27.627Tennessee31.327.85.128Alaska31.028.77.129Ohio30.429.14.930Arkansas30.426.44.831Indiana29.928.54.732Kentucky29.627.75.033Utah29.525.82.934Missouri28.828.14.435Maine27.829.25.436Oklahoma27.326.84.137Oregon26.729.66.538Wisconsin26.428.84.839Minnesota26.329.04.540Washington26.128.86.141Idaho26.026.74.042Vermont25.930.03.343Montana25.228.34.444Kansas25.227.43.845Colorado24.628.96.546South Dakota21.526.83.347Nebraska21.427.32.848Iowa21.127.84.449Wyoming20.326.05.950North Dakota14.327.44.8
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