Family and Living Arrangements - Living Arrangements Of Young Adults

A young person's transition into adult independence does not necessarily occur at age eighteen. The marriage age has risen since the 1950s, and, as obtaining a college education has become the norm, young people have delayed finding employment that allows them to support themselves independently of their parents. A growing portion of young adults older than eighteen continue to live in, or return to, their parents' homes. Some young people live with their parents until their mid-twenties, and others are likely to return home after moving out, especially after college or service in the military. Many young adults also share households with others.

Socioeconomic experts attribute this phenomenon to the rising cost of living in the United States. Wages have not increased at the same rate as the cost of living; therefore, the same amount of money buys less than in previous years. Real estate prices, particularly in the most populous states (New York, California, Florida, and

*Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, children of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
Notes: The number of adoptions reported here do not equal the number of adoption discharges reported under foster care exits because the adoptions reported here include adoptions of some children who were not in foster care but received other support from the public agency. In addition, states have historically underreported adoption discharges. In contrast, states tend to more accurately report the adoptions to the AFCARS adoption database because those are the adoptions used to calculate adoption incentive awards. Some percentages do not total 100% and/or the estimated numbers do not add up to the total number in the category due to rounding.
SOURCE: Adapted from Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), Report Number 8, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, March 2003, http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/afcars/report8.pdf (accessed August 24, 2004)
HOW MANY MONTHS DID IT TAKE AFTER TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS FOR THE CHILDREN TO BE ADOPTED?
Mean months	16
Median months	12
Less than 1 month	3%	1,749
1–5 months	17%	8,683
6–11 months	28%	13,845
12–17 months	20%	9,954
18–23 months	12%	6,153
24–29 months	7%	3,722
30–35 months	4%	2,027
3–4 yrs	6%	2,922
5 or more yrs	2%	945
WHAT WAS THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE ADOPTIVE PARENTS TO THE CHILD PRIOR TO THE ADOPTION?
Non-relative	17%	8,699
Foster parent	59%	29,501
Step-parent	0%	131
Other relative	23%	11,670

Texas), have skyrocketed. This is good news for homeowners but bad news for renters and first-time homebuyers, a large percentage of whom are young adults.

Living with Parents

In 2002 13.7 million young adults between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four lived in their parents' homes. (See Table 2.8. This figure includes those who were living in college dormitories who were still counted as residing at their parental residences.) Males in the age group were more likely (55.3%) than females (46%) to live with their parents. This was primarily because men tend to marry at a later age than women do. Almost all men and women in this age group who lived with their parents had never been married. Table 2.9 shows that the percentage of both men and women ages fifteen to twenty-four and twenty-five to thirty-four that had never married rose steadily from 1950 to 2000, but the percentage of men who had never married was consistently higher.

Young adults who live by themselves for any length of time are unlikely to return home after experiencing independence. Those who move in with roommates, on the other hand, or who cohabit without marrying, are more likely to return to the parental home if the relationship

TABLE 2.7

Children waiting to be adopted on September 30, 2001
Notes: Waiting children are identified as children who have a goal of adoption and/or whose parental rights have been terminated. Children 16 years old and older whose parental rights have been terminated and who have a goal of emancipation have been excluded from the estimate. Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, children of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Beginning in fiscal year 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
SOURCE: Adapted from "How Many Children Were Waiting to Be Adopted on September 30, 2001?" in Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), no. 8, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, March 2003, http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/afcars/report8.pdf (accessed August 24, 2004)
WHAT IS THE GENDER DISTRIBUTION OF THE WAITING CHILDREN?
Male	53%	66,175
Female	47%	59,825
HOW OLD WERE THE WAITING CHILDREN WHEN THEY WERE REMOVED FROM THEIR PARENTS OR CARETAKERS?
Mean years	4.7
Median years	4.0
Less than 1 year	26%	33,052
1–5 years	38%	48,026
6–10 years	27%	34,144
11–15 years	8%	10,515
16–18 years	0%	263
HOW MANY MONTHS HAVE THE WAITING CHILDREN BEEN IN CONTINUOUS FOSTER CARE?
Mean months	44
Median months	35
Less than 1 month	1%	725
1–5 months	4%	4,946
6–11 months	8%	9,567
12–17 months	10%	12,889
18–23 months	11%	13,420
24–29 months	10%	13,194
30–35 months	8%	10,692
36–59 months	24%	30,503
60 or more months	24%	30,064
WHAT IS THE RACIAL/ETHNIC DISTRIBUTION OF THE WAITING CHILDREN?
American Native non-Hispanic	2%	2,146
Asian non-Hispanic	0%	484
Black non-Hispanic	45%	56,306
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander non-Hispanic	0%	400
Hispanic	12%	15,253
White non-Hispanic	34%	42,913
Unknown/unable to determine	4%	5,602
Two or more races non-hispanic	2%	2,895
HOW OLD WERE THE CHILDREN ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2001?
Mean years	8.3
Median years	8.3
Less than 1 year	3%	4,206
1–5 years	32%	40,848
6–10 years	32%	40,648
11–15 years	28%	34,724
16–18 years	4%	5,573
WHERE WERE THE WAITING CHILDREN LIVING ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2001?
Pre-adoptive home	12%	15,141
Foster family home (relative)	19%	24,247
Foster family home (non-relative)	59%	73,992
Group home	3%	4,087
Institution	6%	7,638
Supervised independent living	0%	94
Runaway	0%	437
Trial home visit	0%	364

fails. Some young people struggle on their own only to return home for respite from financial pressures, loneliness, or because they need emotional support or security.

TABLE 2.8

Young adults living at home, 1960–2002
(Numbers in thousands.)
	Male			Female
Age	Total	Child of householder	Percent	Total	child of householder	Percent
*Data for March 2001 and later use population controls based on Census 2000 and an expanded sample of households designed to improve state estimates of children with health insurance.
Notes: Unmarried college students living in dormitories are counted as living in their parent(s) home. NA Not available.
SOURCE: Adapted from "Table AD-1. Young Adults Living at Home: 1960 to Present," U.S. Census Bureau, June 12, 2003, http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/tabAD-1.pdf (accessed August 24, 2004)
18 to 24 years
2002	13,696	7,575	55.3	13,602	6,252	46.0
2001*	13,412	7,385	55.1	13,361	6,068	45.4
2000	13,291	7,593	57.1	13,242	6,232	47.1
1999	12,936	7,440	57.5	13,031	6,389	49.0
1998	12,633	7,399	58.6	12,568	5,974	47.5
1997	12,534	7,501	59.8	12,452	6,006	48.2
1996	12,402	7,327	59.0	12,441	5,955	48.0
1995	12,545	7,328	58.4	12,613	5,896	46.7
1994	12,683	7,547	59.5	12,792	5,924	46.3
1993	12,049	7,145	59.3	12,260	5,746	46.9
1992	12,083	7,296	60.4	12,351	5,929	48.0
1991	12,275	7,385	60.2	12,627	6,163	48.8
1990	12,450	7,232	58.1	12,860	6,135	47.7
1989	12,574	7,308	58.1	13,055	6,141	47.0
1988	12,835	7,792	60.7	13,226	6,398	48.4
1987	13,029	7,981	61.3	13,433	6,375	47.5
1986	13,324	7,831	58.8	13,787	6,433	46.7
1985	13,695	8,172	59.7	14,149	6,758	47.8
1984	14,196	8,764	61.7	14,482	6,779	46.8
1983	14,344	8,803	61.4	14,702	7,001	47.6
1982	14,368	(NA)	(NA)	14,815	(NA)	(NA)
1981	14,367	(NA)	(NA)	14,848	(NA)	(NA)
1980 Census	14,278	7,755	54.3	14,844	6,336	42.7
1970 Census	10,398	5,641	54.3	11,959	4,941	41.3
1960 Census	6,842	3,583	52.4	7,876	2,750	34.9
25 to 34 years
2002	19,220	2,610	13.6	19,428	1,618	8.3
2001*	19,308	2,520	13.1	19,527	1,583	8.1
2000	18,563	2,387	12.9	19,222	1,602	8.3
1999	18,924	2,636	13.9	19,551	1,690	8.6
1998	19,526	2,845	14.6	19,828	1,680	8.5
1997	20,039	2,909	14.5	20,217	1,745	8.6
1996	20,390	3,213	16.0	20,528	1,810	9.0
1995	20,589	3,166	15.4	20,800	1,759	8.5
1994	20,873	3,261	15.6	21,073	1,859	8.8
1993	20,856	3,300	15.8	21,007	1,844	8.8
1992	21,125	3,225	15.3	21,368	1,874	8.8
1991	21,319	3,172	14.9	21,586	1,887	8.7
1990	21,462	3,213	15.0	21,779	1,774	8.1
1989	21,461	3,130	14.6	21,777	1,728	7.9
1988	21,320	3,207	15.0	21,649	1,791	8.3
1987	21,142	3,071	14.5	21,494	1,655	7.7
1986	20,956	2,981	14.2	21,097	1,686	8.0
1985	20,184	2,685	13.3	20,673	1,661	8.0
1984	19,876	2,626	13.2	20,297	1,548	7.6
1983	19,438	2,664	13.7	19,903	1,520	7.6
1982	19,090	(NA)	(NA)	19,614	(NA)	(NA)
1981	18,625	(NA)	(NA)	19,203	(NA)	(NA)
1980 Census	18,107	1,894	10.5	18,689	1,300	7.0
1970 Census	11,929	1,129	9.5	12,637	829	6.6
1960 Census	10,896	1,185	10.9	11,587	853	7.4

Even if they do not settle into careers immediately, most young adults living at home work for wages. Those young people who lived away from home and then moved back were more likely to pay rent or make some financial contribution to the household

TABLE 2.9

Percentage of the population aged 15 and over, by sex, age, and marital status, 1950–2000
(Data based on sample)
SOURCE: Rose M. Kreider and Tavia Simmons, "Table 4. Percent of the Population Aged 15 and Over by Sex and Age in Specified Marital Status: 1950 to 2000," in Marital Status: 2000, U.S. Census Bureau, October 2003, http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-30.pdf (accessed August 24, 2004)
	15 to 24 years, never married	25 to 34 years			35 to 59 years		60 years and over
Sex and year		Never married	Divorced	Separated	Divorced	Separated	Married	Divorced or separated	Widowed
Men
1950	77.4	18.7	1.9	1.6	2.7	2.0	68.6	3.8	19.1
1960	77.2	16.2	2.0	1.6	2.9	1.8	73.1	4.1	15.1
1970	77.9	15.5	3.1	1.9	3.7	1.9	74.8	4.8	13.2
1980	82.8	23.9	7.6	2.7	7.4	2.4	79.1	5.5	11.4
1990	88.0	36.1	7.3	2.5	11.8	2.7	76.3	7.1	11.4
2000	87.5	39.1	6.4	2.1	13.2	2.5	74.9	9.3	11.2
Women
1950	56.4	11.3	2.8	2.5	3.4	2.5	42.2	2.7	46.5
1960	58.6	8.6	2.9	2.8	4.0	2.5	43.3	3.6	44.8
1970	63.8	10.0	4.6	3.4	5.4	2.9	42.7	4.9	44.5
1980	70.9	16.3	10.1	3.9	10.0	3.3	44.9	6.0	44.1
1990	78.9	25.0	9.8	3.8	15.0	3.5	44.5	7.7	42.5
2000	81.8	29.7	8.5	3.3	16.3	3.4	46.4	10.3	38.9

than those who never lived on their own, even if they were employed.

HOW LONG DO THEY STAY? Young men are more likely than young women to stay with their parents indefinitely. This may be because young men typically lose less of their autonomy when they return home than young women do. Young women report that they have more responsibility to help around the house and more rules to obey than do their young male counterparts.