Extended Families On The Rise In The U.S., And It’s Not A Temporary Trend

A variety of factors – economic, social and demographic – are working together to push more and more families to share living space at least temporarily, and often permanently. The recession has had a major impact, of course. But beyond that, people are waiting longer to marry and men and women are living longer. Immigration has risen steadily, and immigrant family members are more likely to live together. It’s an ongoing trend, analysts say. According to the 2010 Census, 5.1 million households in the U.S. (4.4 percent) are multigenerational – a 21 percent increase from 4.2 million (3.7 percent) in 2000. Between 2005 and 2011, the proportion of young adults ages 25 to 34 living in their parents' home rose from 14 percent to 19 percent for men and from 8 percent to 10 percent for women.