Not so empty nesters: record-high number of US adults under 35 live at home, new data says

A record number of the US’s young adults were living with their parents last year, according to new data from Realtor.com , as high housing costs pushed the milestone of independent living out of reach. A third of young adults between the ages of 25 and 35 – 25.2 million people – were living with their parents in 2025. Of those, 70% had jobs, and many held college degrees, highlighting that the increase in at-home living stems from high housing costs rather than labor market conditions. The national median asking rent is 18% higher than pre-pandemic levels, while the national median home listing price is 34% higher, according to data from the real estate company. “Every adult still in a childhood bedroom is a household not formed, a lease unsigned, a starter home unpurchased,” said Hannah Jones, a senior economist at Realtor.com . The latest data reflects how the US economy, particularly since the pandemic, has proved especially difficult for young people and recent college graduates. Roughly 40% of recent graduates are underemployed , meaning they are working jobs that do not require a degree. College graduates have experienced higher rates of unemployment than all other workers since 2020, a reversal in a longstanding trend. And many young people are reporting deep economic turmoil, from finding a job to progressing in their current one. …