Three Quarters of Young Adults Fail To Hit Milestones Like Moving Out and Marriage Due to Rising Costs

In 1975, almost half of young American adults, 25 to 34-year-olds, had met four milestones typically associated with adulthood: moving out of the parental home, getting a job, getting married, and having children. Almost 50 years later, less than a quarter had experienced all of these milestones.

That data, found and examined by the Census Bureau, reflects the increased cost of living that makes all of these things harder. In the 1970s, the majority of young adults had met all four major milestones, but in 2024, it was most common for young adults to have only experienced two: moving out of their parents’ home and being in the labor market.

This suggests that young adults prioritize economic security over having children, especially as the cost of having children has outpaced inflation. Consumer Price Index data between 1975 and 2025 indicates that overall costs are up by 614.7%. Comparatively, the cost of childcare has increased by 1,548.3% over that same time period.

Nearly fifty years ago, the second most common combination was ever being married, having children, and living away from home, likely displaying mothers who stayed home to take care of their children. However, as women joined the labor force, this combination dropped out of the top five. Now, every top five combination includes having a job.

In 2024, a new combination of these milestones was among the most common: living away from home, being in the labor force, and having children. This reflects varied family structures that don’t include marriage. It also comes as the average cost of a wedding hit $33,000 in 2024, and is still climbing, according to Zola, a wedding planner site.