Housing, Jobs Now Outrank Marriage, Kids
Living independently is now a key marker of adulthood, as fewer young adults marry or have kids amid rising housing and living costs.
WASHINGTON — Moving out of the parental home, getting a job, tying the knot and having kids used to be the most common pathway to adulthood, with almost half of 25- to 34-year-olds having experienced all four milestones in 1975.
Nearly 50 years later, less than a quarter of U.S. adults this age had done the same. A newly released U.S. Census Bureau working paper explores changes in the shares of young adults who reached markers of adulthood.
Using 2005 and 2023 American Community Survey data, the paper examines societal and economic shifts – including higher education levels, more women in the workplace, higher living costs and more varied family structures – that may explain why fewer young adults are meeting these benchmarks.
Findings suggest that young adults today prioritize economic security over starting a family, reflecting the rising burden of housing, food, gas and other costs.
Experiencing key milestones tied to economic independence and family formation can influence how young men and women develop their identity as adults. Over 80% of people surveyed said moving out of their parental home and over 90% said having a full-time job were key to becoming an adult, according to an analysis of General Social Survey questions in a 2017 Census Bureau report.
The Census Bureau updated this report, based on the Current Population Survey, with 2024 data, revealing different patterns in milestones of adulthood.
Most common combinations of young adult milestones in 2024
In 1975, 45% of young adults had moved out of their parents’ home, were working, had married and had children.
Over the decades, the most common milestones shifted from family to economic ones – being in the labor force and living independently but not being married or having kids. This described about 28% of young adults in 2024.
Fifty years earlier, reaching only the economic milestones was the fourth most common experience for young people (6%).
As recently as a decade ago, the share of young adults reaching only economic milestones had not yet overtaken the combined four milestones as the most common experience, according to the 2017 report.
Economic milestones surpass marriage, having kids
The second most common pathway to adulthood in the 1970s was reaching three milestones: marriage, living with a child and living in an independent household. This combination can represent a married parent who stays home to care for children.
However, as women in the paid labor force became more common, this combination dropped out of the top five most common pathways to adulthood. In fact, each of the top five combinations of milestones in 2024 involved participation in the labor force.
Other highlights
- The third most common combination in both 1975 and 2024 was living independently, being in the labor force and having married.
- The combination of living independently, being in the labor force and living with a child was not among the most common in 1975 but became one of the top five experiences by 2024, reflecting more varied family structures that don’t include marriage.
- The higher proportion of the “other” combination shows pathways to adulthood became more diverse over the nearly five-decade span.
- The new working paper added education to the list of milestones to adulthood. Findings echoed that achieving economic markers became more common in recent years.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
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