New homeowner photo by Zachary Kadolph on unsplash.com

Adult Gen Zers and Millennials have difficulty moving away from their childhood homes. A study from RentCafe showed that 23% of Millenials and 63% of Adult Gen Zers in Fresno live with family, delaying financial independence.

Nationally, 20% of Millennials — people born from 1981 to 1996 —  have yet to leave their parents’ homes, but in most metro areas in California, the percentages surpass this and reach as much as 35%.

With Fresno having 23% of millennials living at home, other cities in Central Valley, including Stockton (30%), Bakersfield (23.7%), and Sacramento (25%) show high levels of young adults living with family. 

The Los Angeles area has one of the highest rates in the country of young adults living with family, with over 35% of them — more than 1.3 million out of 3 million — living with parents or other relatives.  

 For Gen Zers — people born between 1997-2012 — 60% of adults live with family, but in California, there are cities where numbers surpassed 70% or even 80%. In Fresno, 63% of adult Gen Zers live with their parents or grandparents.

The reasons one might stay home vary, but a lot of it has to do with either financial- or health-related circumstances, according to the study. With the cost of living in California constantly increasing, the typical Millennial living with a family member at the age of 32 shares their home with three or four other people. They are also likely to be employed in food services, construction or education.

The difference between generations can be attributed to younger generations finding it more appealing to continue living in the parental home to save money on expenses such as childcare, utilities, rent or a future down payment, according to the study. Another factor is that more Millennials and Gen Zers might choose to remain home to care for family members.

Some 18% of Baby Boomers and 17% of Gen X lived with their parents at the same age as today’s average Millennials, who are slower when leaving the nest than previous generations. By 22-years-old, 66% of Millennials, 65% of Gen X and 61% of Baby Boomers were still at home, which was surpassed by a 68% share of Gen Z.