The Value of Moving Back Home in Cities Across the U.S.

The Value of Moving Back Home in Cities Across the U.S.

With mortgage rates as they are, moving back in with the parents is becoming an increasingly likely outcome for many young adults. While it may not be the best-case scenario for many young adults and couples, it does have its perks. For this study, the team at Shane Co. will analyze an array of factors, including the percentage of adults currently living with their parents, unemployment rates, and cost of living to identify where residents are most likely to call their parents roomies.

Key Findings

• Young New Englanders who want to experience everything the great Boston has to offer are better off doing so from their parents’ house. Boston, Massachusetts, is tough on the wallet in all categories, making it our top city to move back home to.
• McAllen, Texas, has the highest unemployment rate in the country, making it extremely difficult for young people to move out on their own despite its low average rent and cost of living.
• If you want to live on your own without worrying about the cost of rent, consider making a move to Wichita, Kansas. The largest city in Kansas has the lowest average rent at only $782.00!

Where Moving Out Isn’t the Move: The Cities That Save the Most by Living at Home

The best city to move back home is Boston, Massachusetts. If you’re dreaming of experiencing everything the famed New England city has to offer, you might be better off doing so in your old room at your parents’ house. Boston is tough on the wallet in almost all categories, with an average monthly rent of nearly $3,800, a monthly utility cost of roughly $300, and the sixth-highest average grocery cost in the country. If you intend to leave the nest in Bean Town, be prepared to live off canned beans for the foreseeable future.

Working from home isn’t uncommon in today’s climate, but new hires in Nevada might want to reconsider moving out as soon as they accept that job offer. Las Vegas has the highest average internet cost in the country at about $85 per month, meaning that your cable provider might soak up some of the money you save on your morning commute. So, if you’re starting out, you might want to consider moving back home to borrow your parents’ Wi-Fi for a little longer.

Young adults seeking the nightlife of New York City should think about settling for something a little farther out. If you absolutely have to be within driving distance of NYC, Poughkeepsie is an alternative to consider. Also located in New York, Poughkeepsie is only two hours away from the Big Apple and has the lowest average utility cost in the country at only $60 on average. When you compare that number to New York City’s average utility cost of nearly $284, a couple of hours on the road doesn’t seem so bad. Besides, it beats moving back home, right?

If the cost of rent is what’s holding you back from moving into your own digs, click your heels three times and say, “There’s no place like Wichita.” Wichita, Kansas, has the lowest average rent out of all the cities on our list at only $782.00 per month and relatively low costs across the board. Surprisingly, the largest city in the Sunflower State features plenty of things to do during your downtime. While it may not have the same glitz and glam as NYC, Wichita has plenty of character to keep you entertained — away from Mom and Dad.

The Cities with the Most Adults Living at Home

In every corner of the country, there’s a city that carries the torch for most adults living at home. Bridgeport, Connecticut, has the highest percentage of young adults staying with their parents up North and in the country at 48.9%. Down in the South, 48.3% of the young adult population of McAllen, Texas, stay with their parents despite the city’s relatively low cost of living. Out West, Riverside, California, comes in third place overall, with 46.7% of their young adult population staying at home.

Bridgeport and Riverside make it difficult for young adults to move out due to their expensive average monthly rents and higher-than-average utility costs. In the case of McAllen, Texas, despite its relatively low rent and cost of living, many young adults find it challenging to move out, likely due to the city’s high unemployment rate. McAllen has the highest unemployment rate out of all the cities listed here, making it extremely difficult for fresh college graduates and young couples to go out on their own.

Closing Thoughts

With the housing market and cost of living increasing steadily, moving out isn’t going to get any easier. If you want to enjoy famous cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and Boston, it might be easier to do so from your parents’ pad. However, if you don’t mind moving farther away from your folks, some smaller charming cities are waiting for you to experience them.

For many couples, moving in with your partner is a big step, but before that young people must use extra caution to plan their finances. An effective way to save up for future planning for many is to cut down on rent costs and move back home. Living with the parents can also help you save for an engagement ring and even plan your dream wedding.

Methodology

We assigned the 100 most populous U.S. cities with a score of 0 to 5 for each factor, with a score of 5 representing the most favorable conditions. We determined each city’s total score from the total of its individual factor scores, which were weighted according to their impact on young adults moving into places of their own. Individual factor scores were then added together to give each city a final score from 0 to 50. The cities ranked at the bottom are not the worst to live with your parents, but rather the best cities to move out.

Ranking factors

Full Data

That wraps up our city ranking of The Value of Moving Back Home in the Cities Across the U.S. Interested in diving deeper into the numbers for all of the cities, or wanting to see how your city stacks up if it’s not listed within the above map? 

We’ve compiled our full data study for all 100 U.S. cities analyzed into the interactive data table below. Search for the city you call home or click on the heading of each column to sort by that category!