Mapped: Where Young Adults Live With Their Parents Most

Mapped: Where Young Adults Live With Their Parents Most

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For many young Americans, moving out is becoming harder to afford.

This map shows the share of 18–34-year-olds living with their parents in each U.S. state, using rounded 2025 U.S. Census Bureau data via FinanceBuzz.

Nationally, the figure now stands at 33%, meaning one in three young adults still live at home. That is slightly below the 2020 pandemic peak, but still far above historical norms and a sign of how sharply housing costs have reshaped the path to independence.

Ranked: States Where the Most Young Adults Live at Home

New Jersey leads the country by a wide margin, with 44.1% of young adults living with their parents, followed by Connecticut (41.3%). Several other high-cost states—including California and Maryland—also approach or exceed 38%.

The pattern is clear: states with higher housing costs and tighter supply consistently rank at the top. In these markets, renting or buying is significantly less attainable for young adults, increasing the likelihood of living at home.

The following data table reflects the percentage of young adults living with their parents in each U.S. state.

Rank	State	Young adults living with parents (%)
1	New Jersey	44.1%
2	Connecticut	41.3%
3	California	39.1%
4	Maryland	38.5%
5	Delaware	37.0%
6	Florida	36.6%
7	New Hampshire	36.5%
8	New York	35.9%
9	Massachusetts	35.7%
10	Illinois	35.1%
10	Nevada	35.1%
12	Pennsylvania	34.7%
13	Georgia	34.4%
14	Rhode Island	33.8%
15	Hawaii	33.3%
16	New Mexico	33.2%
16	Texas	33.2%
18	Mississippi	33.0%
19	Michigan	32.5%
20	Virginia	32.0%
21	Alabama	31.8%
22	Arizona	30.7%
23	Louisiana	30.2%
24	South Carolina	29.6%
25	Ohio	28.5%
26	Indiana	28.4%
27	North Carolina	28.3%
27	West Virginia	28.3%
29	Tennessee	27.5%
30	Minnesota	27.1%
31	Utah	26.8%
31	Washington	26.8%
33	Missouri	26.6%
34	Kentucky	26.5%
35	Vermont	26.4%
36	Alaska	26.2%
36	Maine	26.2%
36	Oregon	26.2%
39	Oklahoma	26.1%
40	Idaho	25.4%
41	Arkansas	25.3%
41	Wisconsin	25.3%
41	Kansas	23.3%
41	Montana	23.3%
45	Colorado	22.8%
46	Iowa	21.6%
47	Nebraska	20.4%
48	South Dakota	17.7%
49	Wyoming	16.2%
50	District of Columbia	13.3%
51	North Dakota	12.3%
—	U.S. Average	33.0%

This geographic divide mirrors housing costs: high-cost Northeastern and coastal states consistently rank at the top, while more affordable states fall to the bottom.

The States With the Most Independent Young Adults

At the other end of the spectrum, lower-cost states show dramatically lower rates of co-residence. In North Dakota (12.3%), the share is nearly one-quarter of New Jersey’s, highlighting how affordability shapes independence. 

Washington, D.C. stands out as an outlier, with just 13.3% of young adults living with their parents. This likely reflects the influx of young professionals who relocate to work in the capital.

By and large, however, the states with the lowest rates of “full nesters” are more affordable states like South Dakota (18%) and Nebraska (20%).

Nationwide Shifts: A Timeline Since 1960

Young adults may stay with their parents while studying, which would help to explain higher rates in leading educational centers like California or Maryland (both 39%). However, the increase seen at the national level in recent decades reflects a changing economic reality for young adults.

In 1960, less than a quarter of young adults lived with their parents. This rate increased to 30% by 2010, following the outbreak of the 2008 financial crisis, and peaked at over a third in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even after the pandemic, rates remain historically elevated—suggesting this is no longer a temporary shift, but a structural one. Rising housing costs continue to delay independence, and the data shows young men are more likely than young women to live with their parents.

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• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-where-young-adults-live-most-with-their-parents/