The number of people between 25 and 34 years of age defined as the head of their own households remains at a historic high, standing at nearly 44%, a significant level over 2017 when that figure stood at just 40.2%.
The latest numbers were crunched by the National Association of Home Builders using data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Although the latest figures are on the high side for the 24 to 34 age group, the household rate remains higher for Generation X members at 45%, and members of the Baby Boom generation, just below the 48% mark.
Regionally, the household head rate of the 24 to 34 age crowd is highest in the Plains States, with South Dakota and North Dakota coming in at 53% and 55% respectively. Nebraska and Iowa, meanwhile, recorded rates of 52% and 51%.
Rates tended to be lower in the most expensive real estate states, with California showing a 36% rate, New Jersey at 37%, and New York coming in at 41%.
The picture in the West, at the same time, was mixed: Arizona had a 43% rate, New Mexico stood at 44%, and Colorado registered 49%.
According to a narrative accompanying the survey, “states with higher rental and homeownership burdens typically show lower headship rates and high proportions of young adults living with parents or sharing housing with roommates.”
The narrative also notes that a “heightened preference for space and independence and low mortgage rates” led to an increase in young heads of home during the months of the Covid 19 pandemic, resulting in the highest rates seen since the 2008 housing crash.
“Persistent housing shortages and builders’ limited ability to expand production,” have both worked to keep the numbers down in the last several years.
A separate report recently completed by the site Redfin reveals that 27.1% of those in Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, now own their own home; compared with 54% in the Millennial Generation, born between 1981 and 1996.
Just under 73% of Generation X members, born between 1965 and 1980, are today homeowners. Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964 continue to represent the largest homeownership category, notes the Redfin survey, with just under 80% owning a home.
February 26, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
