25% of Seattle millennials live with their parents, study finds

It’s part of the stereotype about millennials: They’re still living with their parents. But does this ring true in Seattle?

A report by rental listing site Abodo found that 25 percent of millennials in the Seattle, Bellevue, and Tacoma metropolitan area are still living with their parents. Seattle young people are comparably independent, though—that’s nearly ten percent below the national average.

In their research, Abodo looked at young adults ages 18-34 in Seattle using the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2015 one-year estimates.

The study paints a pretty clear picture about why so many would live at home: The median monthly income for those still living at home was about $1,245, less than the $1,263 median rent at the time.

Even after they leave the house, the financial prospects don’t look much better, with an median income of $2,637 for Seattle millennials overall—not even coming close to making that median rent affordable.

Still, at number 39 out of 40 cities studied, Seattle millennials are for the most part on their feet.

Unsurprisingly, the survey found that younger millennials were more likely to live with their parents. Nationwide, about 41 percent of 18 to 21 year olds live with their parents, compared to about 34 percent for all millennials.

These numbers aren’t set in stone. A survey conducted by Forterra in 2016 of people 20-35 in Pierce, King, and Snohomish counties found that 37 percent of respondents lived with their parents.

Some of their conclusions were similar, though: Despite having a higher education attainment rate than any generation before them, millennials aren’t getting paid like their predecessors—and have trouble affording soaring rents.

• Not so empty nests [Abodo]
• Millennials love dense, green, progressive Seattle, but worry about getting priced out [Forterra]