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Fortune • • business
Key Points:
- Men, especially those without college degrees, are nearly twice as likely as women to live with their parents, with rising housing costs contributing significantly to this trend and a decline in male labor force participation.
- Since 1960, real rents in the U.S. have increased by 150%, while wages for noncollege-educated men have stagnated, leading many to move back home and subsequently drop out of the workforce.
- Geographic constraints and zoning restrictions limit housing supply, driving up costs and disproportionately affecting noncollege-educated men’s ability to live independently and maintain employment.
- Living with parents correlates with a 20 percentage point lower labor force participation among men, with housing costs potentially explaining about one-third of the employment decline in this group.
- Declining marriage rates among men reduce financial incentives to live independently, further contributing to increased co-residence with parents and lower workforce engagement.
