75% of Young Adults Stuck in Financial Quicksand—Can’t Afford Milestones Like Moving Out or Marriage

Rising costs are bulldozing the American Dream for Gen Z and millennials. Three-quarters of young adults now can’t hit basic adulthood milestones—thanks to a brutal cocktail of inflation, stagnant wages, and that avocado toast they definitely didn’t buy.

The Price of ‘Adulting’ Just Skyrocketed

Moving out? Marriage? Forget about it. The numbers don’t lie—today’s economy hits different when you’re drowning in student debt and competing with boomers’ third investment property.

Boomer Advice: ‘Just Stop Buying Coffee’

Meanwhile, traditional finance ‘gurus’ still preach cutting $5 lattes as the solution. Pro tip: that 75% shortfall won’t be solved by brewing Folgers at home—unless you’re mortgaging the coffee grounds.

The system’s broken. But hey—at least your crypto portfolio’s decentralized, right?

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Three quarters of young American adults have not met the four milestones typically associated with adulthood: moving out of the parental home, getting a job, getting married, and having children.
• Compared to 1975, more young adults in 2024 were delaying marriage and having children, likely due to increased costs of living.
• Family dynamics are also changing, with fewer parents staying at home and more parents who have never married.

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.