For a long time, moving out was treated as one of the big signs that you had officially become an adult. Finish school, find a job, get your own place, and start building a life of your own was the path many Americans grew up expecting.

That timeline looks a lot different now. According to a recent Realtor.com analysis, a record 25.2 million adults under 35 lived with their parents in 2025, meaning about one in three young adults was sharing a home with family. Many of them have jobs and could support themselves in other ways, but the cost of living alone has become harder to justify.

For a growing number of families, staying home longer is less about putting adulthood on hold and more about making the money work.

Housing Prices Have Outpaced Paychecks

Finding a job isn’t always the hard part anymore; finding a home that fits the paycheck is. Realtor.com reported that the national median home listing price reached $430,000, about 34% higher than it was in 2019, making buying a first home much harder for many younger adults.

Rent Isn’t Much Easier

Renting can feel like the easier option until you look at how much housing costs each month. Median asking rents are nearly 18% higher than they were before the pandemic, leaving many renters with little room to save for a future home.

Most Young Adults Living at Home Already Have Jobs

Living with your parents can easily be mistaken for a sign that someone isn’t working or trying to become independent. Realtor.com found that about 70% of adults ages 25 to 34 who live with their parents are employed, pointing to housing costs as a major reason they remain at home.

America Simply Doesn’t Have Enough Homes

Higher prices aren’t happening in a vacuum, since the country also has a shortage of homes. Economists estimate the U.S. is short roughly 4 million homes, which puts added pressure on prices for people trying to buy or rent.

The Pandemic Changed the Timeline

The pandemic sent many young adults back to their family homes, and some never moved out again. Mortgage rates and home prices later climbed, making the unusually favorable buying conditions of 2021 and 2022 much harder to find.

Major Life Milestones Are Happening Later

Staying with family can affect more than when someone gets their own apartment. Buying a first home, getting married, having children, and building long-term savings are all happening later for many Americans than they did for previous generations.

Even College Graduates Are Feeling the Pressure

A college degree doesn’t automatically make living alone affordable anymore. Realtor.com’s analysis found that about one in three adults ages 25 to 29 living with their parents has a bachelor’s degree or higher, showing that housing costs are affecting educated workers too.

Parents Are Delaying Their Own Plans

The decision to stay home can also change what parents do with their own money and living arrangements. Some are putting off downsizing, retirement plans, or other financial goals because their adult children still need a place to live.

Buying a First Home Now Takes Longer Than Ever

The age of the typical first-time buyer shows just how much the timeline has changed. Realtor.com reports that the typical first-time homebuyer is now 40, meaning many people are waiting well into adulthood before they can afford to buy.

Living at Home Has Become a Financial Strategy

For many families, living together longer is simply a smarter financial choice than struggling to cover rent alone. Staying home can give young adults more time to pay down debt, build savings, and work toward buying a home without stretching every paycheck to cover housing.