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Young African-American couple moving

Source: kali9 / Getty

The coronavirus has forced everyone to adapt to a new way of life, and that includes living situations.

So if you’re stuck living with your parents for the first time since you jetted off to college, you’re not alone– many other Americans are in the same situation. In fact, the amount of young adults living with their parents is the highest its been since the Great Depression in the 1930s, with the pandemic being the main reason.

According to a new Pew Research Center analysis of monthly Census Bureau data, as of July, 52% of young adults resided with one or both of their parents, which is up from 47% in February. In real numbers, the number of young adults –which is categorized as  18- to 29-year-olds– living with their parents grew from 2.6 million to 26.6 million.

The retreat back home was, of course, because of job loss and salary reductions– which affected those in their 20s more than most other age groups. This increase didn’t affect just one race or ethnicity– everyone found themselves back in their childhood bedrooms. White people moved home at the highest rate with a jump from 42%  to 49% in July, but Black people (50% to 55%), Asians (46% to 51%), and Latinx people (55% to 58%) all went up too.

Gender also played a part, with more young men coming back to the previously empty nest.

“Young men are more likely than young women to live with their parents, and both groups experienced increases in the number and share residing with mom, dad or both parents since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak,” the study states. “Similarly, a higher share of young adults in metropolitan areas compared with rural ones live with their parents now, but the number in both areas grew from February to July.”

But look at the bright side– the WiFi is free, and there’s no rent.