Quarterlife Crisis

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Statistics on the Quarterlife Crisis™, Twentysomethings, and Young Adults

The following are documented statistics. Some of these statistics can be found in Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis: Advice From Twentysomethings Who Have Been There and Survived. If you are a member of the media who would like to print any of these statistics, please contact Alexandra Robbins for the full citations.

On Home:

  • 65% of 2005 college seniors expect to live with their parents after graduation.
  • 56.8% of men and 43.2% of women ages 22-31 live with their parents.
  • More than 50% of all 18-24 year-olds and 27% of 18-34 year-olds were living with their parents in 2003.
  • In 2004, 64% percent of college students planned to move back in with their parents after graduation. 38% expected to stay for more than seven months.
  • 64% of 20 to 24 year-old men and 52% of 20 to 24 year-old women live with their parents. These numbers have been steadily rising since 1981.
  • The number of young adults living at home has increased 50% since the 1970s.
  • In 2001, individuals younger than age 30 spent $9,881 of their $30,811 in after-tax income on housing.

On Work:

  • The average number of jobs a person has in his 20s has jumped to 8.6 jobs between the ages of 18 and 32.
  • In a university poll, the majority of seniors surveyed believed they will have their first significant job within 3 months of leaving school. Two-thirds of them believe they will remain at their first job between 1-5 years.
  • 10.9% of 20-to-24-year-olds were unemployed in September 2003 vs. 6.7% in September, 2000. The jobless rate for 25-to-34-year-olds rose to 6.3% from 3.7% over the period.

On Marriage:

  • The average age of marriage has shifted from 21 for women and 23 for men in 1970 to 25 for women and 27 for men.
  • In a major poll, 94% of never-married twentysomethings singles stated that their future spouse must be their soulmate; 87% believe they´ll find that person.
  • Before age 17, one in three of today´s twentysomethings saw their parents divorce.

On Finances:

  • We are the first generation not projected to do better financially than our parents.
  • More than 40% of college students graduate owing more than $20,000 in student loans. Among students graduating with doctoral degrees, more than 60% have more than $30,000 in student-loan debt. Overall, 39% of students with loans graduate with "unmanageable debt," meaning loan payments that are more than 8% percent of monthly income.
  • Student loan debt has nearly doubled over the past eight years to $16,928.
  • Among youth aged 18-24 in 1973, 1985 and 1997, earnings in 1997 were the lowest of all three periods.

On School:

  • The number of bachelor's degrees awarded between 1987 and 1997 rose by 18 percent, the number of master's degrees by 45 percent and doctorates by 35 percent.
  • About 80% of 18-34 year-olds have a high school degree, 61% have attended college, and 20% have an education level of at least a four-year college degree.
  • Between 1960 and 2000, the percentage of Americans aged 20, 25, and 30 who were still enrolled in school more than doubled.
  • In a 2005 poll of young adults between 18 and 29, just 32% of those who attended college graduated by age 21.

On "Adulthood":

  • In 1960, 77 percent of women and 65 percent of men had achieved what are considered the traditional hallmarks of adulthood: leaving home, graduating school, becoming financially independent, marrying, and having a child. In 2000, those numbers dropped to 46 percent of women and 31 percent of men.
  • According to a poll, most Americans believe that "adulthood" begins at age 26. According to a poll specifically of college­educated Americans, being "grown-up" begins at 28 or 29.
  • In 2000, there were 67 million Americans between 18 and 34.
  • In 2003, there were 37.4 million Americans between 20 and 29.

Miscellaneous:

  • 41% of 20-29-year-olds say they feel significantly pressured or "almost more stress than they can bear."
  • Approximately 10% of U.S. college students have been diagnosed with depression, the National Mental Health Association says. Suicide has become the third-leading cause of death for people aged 15-24, behind accidental deaths and homicide.
  • Approximately one-third of drivers in their 20s are on auto insurance policies paid for by someone at least 20 years older.

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