Living arrangements among young adults
The 2018 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement from the U.S. Census Bureau highlights some of the changes in living arrangements for those living in the United States. In 2018:
- 15% of young adults age 25 to 34 lived with an unmarried partner, up from 12% in 2008
- Among those ages 18 to 24, cohabitation is now more prevalent than living with a spouse: 9% of these young adults lived with an unmarried partner compared to 7% percent who lived with a spouse.
- There are 35.7 million single-person households, composing 28% of all households. In 1960, single-person households represented 13% of all households.
- Over half (54%) of young adults ages 18 to 24 live in a parent’s home, compared to 16% of young adults ages 25 to 34.
The average age of Texas homeowners
Texas is home to four metro areas with the lowest average homeowner age, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau analyzed by LendingTree. The rankings identify the average age of every householder (the head of the household as designated on the U.S. Census) who owns their home, as well as the average age for householders who rent their homes. Here’s a look at the numbers, along with the average age for all people living in a given metropolitan statistical area (MSA) as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The top 5 metro areas with the oldest average homeowner age are in Florida, with North Port ranking first among all metropolitan areas in the country with homeowners’ average age at 63.3.
The top 3 metro areas with the youngest average homeowner age are in Utah, with Provo’s average homeowner age at 47.3, the lowest of all metropolitan areas.
American middle class is largest in small-, mid-sized metros
Across the nation’s 382 metropolitan areas, the American middle class is most concentrated in small- and mid-sized metros, according to a report from the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization.
The report defines the middle class as the middle three quintiles of the national income distribution based on the 2017 American Community Survey—or between $25,000 and $120,000 in household income—adjusted for prices and household size by location.
Odessa, at No. 4, is the Texas metro highest in the ranking for its share of the middle class, which represents 70.3% of its residents. In contrast, 55.1% of residents in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro meet the definition of middle-class, the lowest share for a Texas metro. Nearly 35% of the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro is defined as low-income, while 18.5% of Odessa residents are classified as low-income. According to the 2017 American Community Survey, 157,087 people live in the Odessa metro area while 860,661 live in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area.
While its relative share is largest in small- and mid-sized metros, the bulk of middle-class households live in large metro areas: 59% live in one of the 42 metros nationwide that have at least 500,000 households.