(THE PICKET)—A study conducted by Pew Research Center in July shows that more young adults, aged 18 to 34 years old, are living with their families despite improvements in the U.S. labor market.
“It’s easier and cheaper considering I am a full-time student. Since I have school every day, I can only work part time and a part-time job does not pay the bills,” said Emilee Pierson, a senior communications major.
She’s not alone.
Melissa Sherrill, a junior psychology major, said she lives with her family but not by choice.
“After graduating from high school, I planned on attending West Virginia University and living on campus with friends. Plans changed and I ended up having to attend Shepherd and I chose to just live at home. It wasn’t until my second year at Shepherd that I started to give living at home a chance,” Sherrill said.
Sherrill also said that she feels like commuting takes away from the college experience.
Sydney Clark, a junior communications major, said she lives at home but wishes she lived on campus.
“I live close to campus and it is way too much money to live on campus,” Clark said. “Living at home saves money, but if it were up to me I would live on campus.”
Since 2007, the population of young adults has grown by nearly 3 million. Before the recession in 2007, about 42.7 million young adults lived independently from their families. In 2010, 69 percent of adults lived independently. As of the first four months of 2015, the percentage decreased to 67.
In the first third of 2015, the national unemployment rate for adults declined to 7.7 percent, a recovery from the 12.4 percent who were unemployed in 2010. Unemployment figures continued to improve. On Friday, the national unemployment rate dropped from 7.7 percent to 5.1 percent.
As of July 2015, 63 percent of young men live independently in comparison to 72 percent of young women.
Today, 86 percent of college-educated adults are living apart from their family compared to 88 percent in 2010.
Hayley Butler is the Arts and Style Editor for The Picket. She can be reached at hbutle01@rams.shepherd.edu or followed on Twitter @haybutler
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