Younger generations in the Hartford metro area are below the national average when it comes to living in their family homes, according to a study conducted by RentCafe, and over the last five years, more and more young people in the Hartford area have been transitioning to living on their own.

Nineteen percent of millennials, with a typical age of 32, continue to live with family members in the Hartford area, one percent below the national average, marking a 40 percent decrease in multi-generational living over the last five years, according to an email from RentCafe, separate from their online published study.

Similarly, 63 percent of Gen Z – also called Zoomers in the study with a typical age of 22 – continue to live with family, compared to the national average of 68 percent. The Hartford area has seen a 19 percent decrease in Zoomers living with family over the last five years, according to the data.

The study also found that the typical Millennial or Zoomer living in a multigenerational family, lives with three to four other people and works in either food service, retail, construction, or education.

Although the study claims it is taking these younger generations longer to move out on their own, RentCafe’s data shows the difference between Millennials and Gen Z from Generation X and Baby Boomers when it comes to moving out is small.

According to the study, 18 percent of Boomers and 17 percent of Gen X lived with family at the age of 34, compared to 20 percent of Millennials.

The difference between Gen Z at age 22, compared to previous generations is more pronounced, with 61 percent of Boomers living with family at the same age and 65 percent of Gen X, but the numbers have shown a steady incline over the generations. 

Furthermore, a high percentage – more than 40 percent for both generations – expect to continue living with family for the next two years. 

RentCafe indicates the higher numbers may be reflective of the cost of living or health issues, either individuals remaining in the family home to save money on rent or childcare, or perhaps to care for a family member with health problems. The metro areas with the highest rates of younger generation living at home were typically along the West Coast with an exceptionally high cost of living, but also included New York City, Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Buffalo, New York.

Interestingly, Raleigh, North Carolina and Providence, Rhode Island saw some of the highest rates in the country for Gen Z living with family.

The cost of living in Connecticut, particularly apartment rental and real estate prices, is considered high, which can make it difficult for younger people to leave the nest, particularly if they are working in lower-wage jobs.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the largest percentage of jobs in the Hartford metro area was in office and administrative support with 13.7 percent, followed by sales at 9 percent. Food service and serving was 8 percent of jobs, education was 5.8 percent and construction was 4.2 percent.

Although Connecticut may have a high cost of living, the BLS data also shows the state pays more than the national average, with some jobs paying between 15 and 22 percent more than the national average.

Another reason Hartford sees a lower percentage of younger generations living at home could be that apartments are more affordable in Hartford compared to the rest of the state, according to Partnership for Strong Communities’ Housing Data Profile for the City of Hartford. 

The “housing wage” – or the hourly rate needed to afford a two-bedroom rental home without spending more than 30 percent of one’s income on housing – was $25.04 per hour for the Hartford Metro area, nine percent less than the state as a whole, median rent was roughly $200 less, and the city had a much higher concentration of affordable housing.

Nevertheless, PSC found that 52 percent of renters and 42 percent of homeowners in Hartford are “cost-burdened,” meaning they spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. 

Lawmakers, including Gov. Ned Lamont, have made increasing Connecticut’s housing stock a primary goal, particularly as the state has recently seen an influx of new residents from states like New York and Massachusetts, which has driven up real estate and rental prices.

The study found Millennials in Cincinnati, Nashville, Raleigh, Memphis and St. Louis had the easiest time leaving the nest, while Gen-Z was more likely to move out of their family home in Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Virginia Beach, Las Vegas and Jacksonville, Florida.

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