The Rise of "Shared Households"

Here's a trend that may explain the nation's slow household growth and the outright decline in the number of households headed by 25-to-34-year-olds: the rise of the "shared household." A shared household has at least one "additional adult"—defined as a household member aged 18 or older who is not in school nor the householder, spouse, or cohabiting partner. Take a look at the trend in shared households since 2007...

Number of shared households (and percent of total households)
2014: 23.5 million (19.1%)
2007: 19.7 million (17.0%)

Number of adults living in shared households (and percent of total adults)
2014: 74 million (30.9%)
2007: 62 million (27.7%)

Between 2013 and 2014, the number of additional adults in shared households grew by 1.8 million. Among adults aged 25 to 34 in 2014, fully 25.2 percent (10.7 million) were additional adults in a shared household, explaining the decline in the number of households headed by 25-to-34-year-olds.

Source: Census Bureau, Income and Poverty in the United States: 2013