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Several demographic trends are occurring simultaneously, and some may contradict each other. For example, on one side, American households are getting smaller. Single-person households have been rising while the average household size continues to decrease. That trend mostly stems from aging baby boomers living longer on their own or young adults delaying marriage.

But at the same time, another pattern is also emerging in many parts of the country: Multigenerational living is becoming more common. Nationally, the number of multigenerational households grew from 4.49 million in 2014 to over 5 million in 2024 – about a 12% increase. However, as a share of all households, the change has been minimal, and in fact, it slightly declined from 3.83% in 2014 to 3.79% in 2024.

Despite the national number, the share of multigenerational households has increased in about 46% of metro areas over the past decade (2014-2024). One metro that illustrates this particularly well is Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario, California. In 2024, nearly 9% of households in Riverside (8.9%) were multigenerational, well above the national average. A decade ago, that share was 7.7%. In a market with nearly 1.5 million households, that increase is meaningful.

Why Riverside? Affordability seems to be a major factor in the explanation. As housing costs have increased across coastal Southern California, many families have relocated inland in search of more affordable housing. Even in Riverside, home prices and rents have increased substantially over the past decade. Specifically, the median home sales price has increased by about 120%. The typical home has now surpassed the $600,000 benchmark, compared to less than $275,000 in 2014.

As a result, households have needed to adjust. For some families, that means adult children staying at home longer with their parents. For others, it means aging parents moving in. In many cases, it’s both—three generations under one roof, sharing mortgage payments, utilities, childcare, and caregiving responsibilities. But multigenerational living is not new, and in many communities it is part of their culture. But in markets like Riverside, economics are amplifying the trend. What makes this especially interesting is that shrinking households are rising nationally, while some local trends show households expanding. In high-cost markets, higher rents and home prices encourage “doubling up” – roommates, multigenerational living, or adult children staying longer. Riverside’s numbers confirm once again that housing affordability doesn’t just influence whether people move but also how they choose to live.