Young adults increasingly view marriage and parenthood as later-life milestones achieved after securing financial stability. Many prioritize finding stable work, paying off debt, and living independently before seeking a partner or having children. Rising costs for housing, food, and fuel contribute to this shift, making economic security more important than starting a family. Historical patterns have flipped: a much larger share of 25–34-year-olds now live alone with jobs compared with 1975, and the traditional combination of moving out, marrying, and having children no longer ranks among the most common milestone patterns.
Zoom in: The way young people think about marriage and family is changing. It used to be the first step of adulthood, with financial security and an established career potentially coming after a wedding. Now, it's more commonly the last step. Young people want to find work, pay off debt and live alone before looking for a partner - and these goals are harder to hit than they were for previous generations.
"Findings suggest that young adults today prioritize economic security over starting a family, reflecting the rising burden of housing, food, gas and other costs," Census statisticians Paul Hemez and Jonathan Vespa wrote. Case in point: In 1975, only 6% of 25- to 34-year-olds lived independently, held jobs, but were unmarried and without kids. In 2024, 28% of young adults lived on their own with jobs.
Collection
[
|
...
]