Apr 12, 2023

Question of the Day: What percentage of adults in the US live by themselves?

How many people choose to live with just Me, Myself, and I?

Answer: 14%

 

Questions:

  • What would be some benefits of living alone?
  • What would be some downsides of living alone?
  • Would you prefer to live by yourself or with a roommate/roommates? Do you think you will always feel this way? Explain why or why not.

 

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

 

Behind the numbers (Federal Reserve):

"Living arrangements can affect family finances and well-being. Eighty-six percent of adults lived with other people, usually a spouse or a partner and frequently their children under age 18. More than half (52 percent) of all adults lived in a household with a spouse or partner or with a child under age 18 and with no one else. Other types of living arrangements were less common. Still, more than one-fourth of adults (28 percent) lived in a household that contains multiple generations of adults, meaning that the adult respondents either lived with their parents or adult children.

Older adults, and older women in particular, were the most likely to live alone. Twenty-one percent of adults age 65 or older lived alone, and 27 percent of women age 65 or older lived alone. In contrast, young adults were very likely to live with their parents. But this rate drops significantly for adults in their mid- and late 20s: 47 percent of 22- to 24-year-olds lived with their parents compared with 27 percent of 25- to 29-year-olds. Fewer adults in older age cohorts live with their parents: 13 percent of 30- to 44-year-olds live with their parents and 7 percent of 45- to 59-year-olds live with their parents. Conversely, the share living with a spouse or partner increased with age, from 26 percent of 22- to 24-year-olds to 52 percent of 25- to 29-year-olds."

---------------

Want to show students how their finances stack up while living with others? Try the Budgeting with Roommates project!

---------------

NGPF's Buying a House mini unit will give you the tools to help your students start thinking about this intimidating financial milestone!

 

About the Author

Ryan Wood

Ryan grew up with and maintains a love for learning. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a degree in Business Administration and worked in sports marketing for a number of years. After living in Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, and Minnesota, the call of education eventually brought Ryan back to his home state of Wisconsin where he was a Business and Marketing teacher for three years. In his free time he likes to spend time with his wife and daughter, play basketball, read, and go fishing. Now with NGPF, Ryan is excited to help teachers lead the most important course their students will ever take.

Mail Icon

Subscribe to the blog

Join the more than 11,000 teachers who get the NGPF daily blog delivered to their inbox: