25 Million Young Adults Live at Home: How Lease to Own Homes Can Help Bridge the Housing Affordability Gap
A record 25.2 million adults under 35 lived with their parents in 2025, according to Realtor.com Economic Research’s June 2026 report, The Crowded Nest: More Adults Are Living With Their Parents. For families searching for lease to own homes, low down payment home buying programs, and realistic paths to homeownership, that number matters. Realtor.com also reported that roughly 70% of adults ages 25 to 34 who live with parents are employed, which means this is not so much a jobs problem. It is a housing affordability gap, a housing access problem, and a sign that working adults need better pathways into independent housing and homeownership. For years, the easy assumption was that young adults living at home were not ready