A growing number of families are choosing to live together across multi-generations to save money as more and more Americans face financial strain.
The number of multigenerational homes in the United States has climbed by 700,000 in a little over 10 years to 4 million households, according to a new study from Realtor.com. A multigenerational home typically refers to mom, dad, kids and grandparents all living under the same roof.
This amounted to a 4.5 percent share of the market in 2024, up from 4.3 percent in 2019. In America’s 50 largest cities, this share jumped to an average of 6.1 percent.
"Multigenerational living is a meaningful force in the housing market," Realtor.com Senior Economic Research Analyst Hannah Jones said in a statement. "A sense of shared purpose and care is at the heart of multigenerational living, a housing arrangement that is quietly shaping American family life.”
Multigenerational homes capture the biggest share of home listings in California cities. The state’s high share of multigenerational homes is likely due to its cultural diversity, Realtor.com noted.
Los Angeles’s housing market has the biggest share of multigenerational homes at 23.7 percent followed by San Diego (22.7 percent); San Jose (18 percent); San Francisco (17.4 percent) and Riverside (14.9 percent).
The tendency for Asian and Hispanic populations to have multiple generations living together have contributed to California’s high multigenerational housing rate, the study said.
The study classifies homes as “multigenerational” based on keywords in property listings rather than analyzing the ages of those who live in the homes.
While multigenerational home listings dominate the West Coast markets, the Midwest is home to the highest markups.
Homebuyers will pay a 120 percent premium for a multigenerational house in Detroit, while Cleveland and Buffalo residents will pay 107 percent and 94 percent more, on average.
The shift toward multigenerational living comes as homebuyers grapple with the double sting of high housing prices and mortgage rates.
The average sale price of a listed home was $514,600 from January to March, according to the Federal Reserve, remaining within $30,000 of the highest average on record at the end of 2025.
At the same time, mortgage rates for a 30-year, fixed-rate loan have stayed above 6 percent for all but one week dating back to September 2022. Previous to that month, rates remained under 6 percent for 14 years.
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