Multigenerational Households Increasingly Common in the U.S.

A report from the Pew Research Center by D’Vera Cohn, Juliana Menasce Horowitz, Rachel Minkin, Richard Fry and Kiley Hurst analyzes the makeup of multigenerational households, which are on the rise in the United States. "Multigenerational living has grown sharply in the U.S. over the past five decades and shows no sign of peaking," the authors write, noting that financial considerations and caretaking are cited as major reasons. "According to an analysis of census data from 1971-2021, the number of people living in multigenerational family households quadrupled during that time period, reaching 59.7 million in March 2021. The share more than doubled as well, to 18% of the U.S. population."

Some key takeaways from the report:

• "Among young adults ages 25 to 29, nearly a third (31%) live in multigenerational households, often in their parents’ home."
• "Americans living in multigenerational households are less likely to be poor than those living in other types of households. This is especially true of some groups that are economically vulnerable, such as unemployed people."
• "A third of U.S. adults in multigenerational households say caregiving is a major reason for their living arrangement, including 25% who cite adult caregiving and 12% who cite child care."
• "Upper-income adults in multigenerational households are more likely than those in other income groups to see the arrangement as temporary."
• "For the most part, the reasons for living in a multigenerational household do not vary between men and women."