American Families Reunite Under One Roof, Spurred by Inflation and Guilt Trips

KEY POINTS

•Pew Research found that between 1971 and 2021, multigenerational households in the US quadrupled from 7% to 18%.
•The National Association of Realtors and Zillow report increasing interest in properties designed for multigenerational living, such as granny flats.
•Experts highlight the need for intergenerational communities, like One Flushing in Queens, while noting affordability challenges for middle-income families.

Between 1971 and 2021, multigenerational living in the US didn’t just rise—it quadrupled, soaring from a quaint 7% to a whopping 18%, according to Pew Research. Millennials, Gen Xers, and Boomers, united by sky-high rents and an uncanny ability to save by splitting mortgage payments, are now cozying up in granny flats and in-law suites, often scouted on Zillow like rare Pokémon. Bob Kramer of the National Investment Center for Seniors reminds us solo-agers—the independent elders with no kids or marital backup plans—can’t crash at family HQ. Newfangled intergenerational communities like Queens’ One Flushing (231 apartments, 66 are golden-agers’ nests) offer computer lessons from teens, possibly saving Grandma’s WhatsApp dignity. Still, middle-income folks feel squeezed, stuck between government benefits and market rates, with Robyn Stone lamenting the lack of modest-income options, because apparently, even shared fridges have income brackets now.