Multigenerational Households on the Rise

I was reading a recent report from Pew Research Center’s FactTank about the rise in multigenerational households. The data might surprise you. A record 60.6 million Americans live in multigenerational households notes that almost 20% of folks in the U.S. live in a multigenerational household (“defined as a household that includes two or more adult generations, or one that includes grandparents and grandchildren….”)  The article reminds us of the downturn in multigenerational households back in the 1950s through the 1980s, but these households have been on the rebound since then.  The increase is across the spectrum of ages, ethnicity, etc. As far as elders, “more than a fifth live with multiple generations under one roof, including Americans ages 55 to 64 (23% in 2014) and 65 and older (21%). The rise in multigenerational living among these older Americans is one reason why fewer now live alone than did in 1990.”  Not unsurprisingly, the most typical household is parents and adult children.  However, grandparent-parent-adult children households are growing as well. “Three-generation households – for example, grandparents, parents and grandchildren – housed 26.9 million people in 2014.”