House Sharing Reaches All-Time High, Driven by Affordability Issues

(5/7/25)  If you thought the award-winning comedy show, The Golden Girls, was a piece of fiction, well, think again. According to data released by the National Association of Home Builders on May 5, a record-high 6.8 million households shared their housing with unrelated housemates, roommates or boarders in 2023, the latest period for which statistics are available. And the households cut across all demographic groups.

College-age and young adults were the largest subset of house sharers, with close to 41% in these age groups. But older adults were the fastest-growing segment of house sharers, with folks over 55 representing nearly 30% of all house-sharing households in 2023.

Some of the growth was attributable to the pandemic, which, according to NAHB, redefined living arrangements and made sharing a home with strangers more acceptable. But home sharing is also being driven by the high cost of both rental and for-sale housing, which, for many, makes a home occupied by themselves only out of reach.

According to NAHB, the demographic breakdown of house sharers is as follows. The percentages reflect the share of total house-sharing households.

Young Adults (24 – 34):  23%

College-Age Adults (18-24): 17%

Adults 65+:  15%

Adults 35 – 44:  15%

Adults 45 – 54:  14%

Adults 55 - 64:  14%