More Americans Living With Mom and/or Dad

Even President Obama is in on this trend: A record number of Americans are living in multigenerational households as the recession forces young adults and retirees alike to move in with family. After 40 years of such households declining—from 25% in 1940 to just 12% in 1980—they’re back on the upswing, with 16.1% of the population—or 49 million people—living in close quarters, a report shows.

Unemployment, foreclosures, increased immigration, and people waiting longer to get married are all factors contributing to the trend, USA Today reports. The research found that from just 2007 to 2008, the number of Americans living in a household with at least two adult generations grew by 2.6 million.
(More multigenerational household stories.)