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growing number of working adults are choosing to live with their parents, a trend that's becoming increasingly common. According to a study by LendingTree, 11.8% of working adults in the US still reside with their parents, a figure that's likely influenced by economic factors.

    Cities like Riverside, California, and Miami, Florida, have high rates of adult children living at home, with over one-fifth of working adults in these cities making this choice. In Riverside, the prohibitively high cost of living is a major motivator for adults to stay under their parents' roof, while in Detroit, low wages and limited job opportunities may be driving more grown-ups to live with their parents.

    On the other hand, cities like Austin, Texas; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Denver have lower rates of adult children living at home, ranging from 5.8% to 7%. These cities' relatively low cost of living and ample job opportunities make it easier for adults to move out and live independently.

    The study found that the rate of parent-adult child cohabitation actually fell by 8.3% between 2018 and 2023, with only 13 metros seeing increases. The growth of remote work may have contributed to this trend, allowing people to move to more affordable areas and afford to live independently.

    Interestingly, many adults living at home are not lazy or unmotivated. In fact, one-third of them hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and they tend to earn less than their more independent peers. According to the study, working adults living at home would need to allocate over 40% of their monthly income to rent a one-bedroom apartment, making it difficult for them to afford housing on their own.

    Experts advise working adults to take advantage of their parents' generosity while they can, but also to use this time to save and position themselves for independence. As Matt Schulz, LendingTree's chief consumer finance analyst, notes, "It is really important that people take advantage of the time they have living with their parents, financially... But it's also important not to get so comfortable and settled that they end up overstaying their welcome."