(NEXSTAR) — Life was undoubtedly different in 1975. The American dream still seemed attainable, qualifying for an eagle plaque on your home was relatively within reach, and becoming an adult had four simple milestones.
A new working paper from the U.S. Census Bureau suggests young adults aren’t reaching adulthood quite as easily as their parents or grandparents may have in 1975.
Reviewing Census data, the paper’s authors considered four benchmarks that those in their 20s and early 30s hit as they start their adult lives: moving out of their parents’ house, getting a job, getting married, and having kids.
In 1975, nearly half of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 had achieved all four of those milestones. Now, five decades later, less than a quarter of Americans in that age group can say they’ve done the same.
Nearly the same percentage of adults, about 22 percent, had moved away from their parents, been married, and had children in 1975. This group of adults was largely comprised of women, most likely, as it was more common then for them to stay home with the children.
That has changed over the last 50 years, researchers noted, making this combination of milestones — living away from parents, married, with children — vastly less common in 2025. Less than 8 percent of young adults have completed only those milestones.
The five most common combinations of adulthood milestones among young adults today all include having a job. Most common among 2025’s young adults, comprising 28 percent of those between the ages of 25 and 34, is being a member of the labor force and living away from parents, according to Census data.
The second-largest group of young adults, about 21 percent, has achieved all four major milestones. That’s less than half of the percentage who had reached it in 1975.
Between 1975 and 2025, one milestone combination comprises roughly the same-sized portion of young adults: being married, living away from home, and working. In 1975, about 15 percent of young adults had reached only those milestones. Today, it’s about 14 percent.
More adults are at least in the labor force today at 9 percent, up from 3 percent 50 years ago. Living away from parents with a job and children now sits at 8 percent, way down from 22 percent.
The working paper also points to several factors that can impact your path to completing the common adulthood milestones today. Economic pressures and the desire to feel financially stable may shuffle your priorities, causing you to live with your parents longer and forego marriage, for example.
A recent study found that a family of four with a household income under $200,000 could only afford to live comfortably in seven states. Another shows that, if you can only put up a 10 percent down payment on a home, just 11 metro areas may still fit into your budget. Yet another analysis determined more than 30 percent of American households aren’t earning enough to be considered middle class. Studies have also found a decline in the belief that having children is necessary for adulthood.
“One’s decisions to marry, for example, may be impacted by their economic circumstances,” the paper reads. “Or becoming a parent may influence decisions to participate in the labor market.”
The working paper also considered another factor: education. Attending college, especially programs that take longer than four years to complete, has also grown in popularity. Pursuing such a path may delay some or all of the four adulthood milestones.
Researchers noted that “the milestones to adulthood are often interrelated” and may include stages your parents or grandparents may not have experienced.
Nonetheless, the milestones necessary to reach adulthood may only continue to change in the coming years, especially in the face of declining birth rates, increasing housing costs, a tough job market, and changing financial priorities.
The full paper can be viewed on the Census Bureau’s website.
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