Kids? Marriage? Young adults are delaying these key milestones

Young adults are prioritizing economic security over marriage and having children, according to a report from the Census Bureau. These shifting priorities reflect the burden of rising living costs such as housing, food and travel.

In 1975, about 45% of young adults ages 25 to 34 had moved out of their parents’ home, were working, had married and had had children. Fifty years later, less than 25% of adults that age had done the same.

“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,” wrote Paul Hemez and Jonathan Vespa, census statisticians and authors of the paper. It was published in August.

As of 2024, about 28% of young adults were living on their own with jobs – the most common milestone pattern among people ages 25 to 34. The combination of moving out, having kids and marrying is no longer the most common milestone in young adulthood, the Census Bureau found.

“Experiencing key milestones tied to economic independence and family formation can influence how young men and women develop their identity as adults," Hemez and Vespa wrote.

Young adults having kids

More than two decades ago, the average age of a first-time mother was 24.9. Now the average age for having a first child is 27.5 − a record high in the United States, based on census data.

Over the past few decades, and especially since the Great Recession of 2008, economic factors and societal expectations have led more people to conclude that it’s normal to have children in your 30s, according to Allison Gemmill, a professor of family and reproductive health at Johns Hopkins University, told USA TODAY.

Young adults getting married

The average age for a first marriage in 2024 was 30.2 years for men and 28.6 for women, according to data from the Census Bureau. Fifty years ago, the average age for a first-time marriage was 23.5 for men and 21.3 for women.The data doesn't fully explain whether these shifts are temporary. Factors including growing student debt, remote work and changing views about parenthood could influence these cultural milestones in the coming decades.

Young adults living at home

Rising inflation, increasing student debt and unmanageable housing and rent prices are some indicators of why young people have chosen to live with their parents. 

“Young adults are experiencing the traditional markers of adulthood, such as leaving the parental home, starting a family, and establishing stable careers, later in life than previous generations did,” according to another report from the Census Bureau.

Despite daunting market conditions, America’s youngest generation of adults is managing to break into the housing market in growing numbers.

Members of Generation Z, ages 13 to 28, came of age during the economic upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the years since, home prices have surged and the nation’s housing shortage has deepened − conditions that risk leading some young adults to give up on the dream of homeownership altogether.

While homeownership remains elusive for many, regardless of age, Gen Zers now account for 1 in 4 loans to first-time homebuyers, according to data from financial services company Intercontinental Exchange. A Redfin report from January 2024 found that Gen Z’s homeownership rate is outpacing that of millennials and Gen Xers at the same age, according to a CNN report.