Moving in with the Kids: A Spatial and Demographic Analysis of Multigenerational Household Formation

• In Event: When Families Fill the Gaps: Intergenerational Support in Aging Societies

Abstract

Multigenerational living has become increasingly common in the United States, but the pathways through which these households form remain understudied. This paper decomposes the various pathways, focusing on one critical dynamic: parent-to-child (PTC) migration among older adults. Using American Community Survey (ACS) data from 2005 to 2024, we show that the rate of PTC migration has increased sharply, particularly among adults aged 50 to 65, both as a share of the population and as a share of movers in that age range. This trend suggests that PTC moves are becoming an increasingly important contributor to multigenerational living, and may reflect intergenerational support needs, changing family arrangements, and housing affordability pressures. We ask three main questions: how important is PTC migration to the growth of multigenerational households, what spatial patterns characterize these moves, and what are the varying mechanisms driving these moves across demographic groups?

We develop a new method to identify PTC moves in the ACS using household composition and migration timing measures. Unlike prior research - that has focused on co-residence more broadly, or on young adults moving back in with parents - the large scale ACS data allows us to take a granular look at the spatial and demographic patterns of parents moving toward their children. We analyze how patterns differ for within- and across-metro moves, and examine the characteristics of movers into multigenerational households to explore potential mechanisms, including eldercare, childcare, and other forms of intergenerational support. 

Our results show that PTC movers differ from other movers in systematic ways. We find that women are much more likely than men to make PTC moves, with further heterogeneity by race and ethnicity, education, income, and immigrant status. As for spatial patterns, relative to other older movers, PTC migrants are more likely to move to destinations with younger populations and with higher area median incomes.  In the long-run, these choices will shape local housing demand and service needs in those areas.

Taken together, we find that parent-to-child migration is a meaningful pathway into multigenerational living. More broadly, our results help clarify how aging, intergenerational support, and housing pressures interact in the formation of multigenerational households, while also shedding light on the spatial sorting of older adults.

Author

• Fabian Leal, New York University
  Presenting Author