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Goodbye, mom and dad’s basement: Renting alone on the rise among Millennials

Rebecca Barnabi
(© Andrii Yalanskyi – stock.adobe.com)

Amid rising rental costs and supply not meeting demand in America’s rental market, 16.7 million individuals rent alone.

Renters who live alone must earn an extra $8,600 per year, according to a data from RentCafe.com.

Baby Boomers and Millennials are renting alone the most at 32.4 percent and 29.5 percent, respectively. Few Gen Zers, only 3.9 percent, are renting alone.

The most popular living arrangement has become renting alone in the United States as solo renting has increased by 1.1 million or 6.7 percent in recent years. Renting with a roommate grew by only 324,000 or 5.9 percent. Living with family decreased the most by 3.2 million or down by 4.5 percent.

The highest rise in renting alone has happened in Salt Lake City, followed by Austin, Texas, San Antonio and Charlotte, N.C. Renting alone grew between 20 and 25 percent. Salt Lake City gained 10,000 lonely renters.

Memphis, Tenn. is 12th in rise of solo renters and No. 13 is Virginia Beach. Washington, D.C. is No. 19.

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.