More young adults residing with roommates, relatives

More young adults are residing with roommates and housemates than ever before.

The National Association of Home Builders recently released a report that found that 7.5 percent of young adults aged 25 to 34 are residing with non-relative roommates in their homes as of 2016. This has nearly doubled (from 4 percent) since 1990. More than 21 percent of young adults live with their parents, and 5.2 percent live with a relative, meaning more than one-third, or more than 15 million, of adults aged 25-34 live with a roommate, housemate, non-relative, relative or parent. This is an increase of 14.1 percent from 1990.

The number of young adults residing with relatives, parents or others, grew from 11.6 percent in 2000 to 21.1 percent in 2016, increasing each year. Similarly, those residing with a roommate, housemate or other non-relative has also grown over the years, rising from 5.1 percent in 2000 to 7.5 percent in 2016. Residing with a non-parent relative has grown from 3.7 percent in 2000 to 5.2 percent in 2016.

In Pennsylvania, the percentage of young adults living with a roommate, housemate or other non-relative is between 5-7 percent, below the national average. However, a 2017 study found that in Philadelphia in 2000, 23.9 percent of adults (all ages) lived with a roommate, and that increased to 33 percent in 2016. In Pittsburgh, the number increased from 18.5 percent in 2000 to 24.5 percent in 2016.

Across the country, it should come as no surprise that the highest percentage of younger adults residing with unrelated roommates or housemates are California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, New York and Washington, DC, where both rent and house prices are above the national average.