Sacramento Bee: The economy is improving, the unemployment rate is dropping, but hundreds of thousands of Californians between ages 25 and 34 still can’t seem to leave their childhood home.
About 1.3 million Californians between the ages of 25 and 34 lived with their parents in 2014, new census figures show. That’s about 22.7 percent of Californians in that age group, down less than a percentage point from 2013 but well above levels seen before the last recession.
The simplest explanation for the phenomenon is a lack of economic opportunity. A large proportion of young adults still living with their parents continue to struggle to find jobs that pay enough for rent, a Bee review of census data found. Roughly 70 percent of young adults living with their parents made less than $30,000 last year.
California young adults living with parents are more likely to be men, to be unemployed, to be in a minority ethnic group, to lack a four-year college degree, to never have served in the armed forces or to work part-time, census figures show.
But some young adults are making good money and choosing to stay at home. About 340,000 Californians between ages 25 and 34 earned at least $30,000 last year – and still lived with their parents, the Bee’s review found.
See the charts that summarize the characteristics of Californians between 25 and 34 living with their parents here.
DCG