Alberta leads Canada in rise of young adults living with their parents

New results from the 2021 Census revealed that Alberta leads Canada when it comes to young adults living with their parents.

The data showed that 4.4 million people lived alone in 2021, up from 1.7 million in 1981. This represented 15% of all adults aged 15 and older in private households in 2021, the highest share on record.

From 2016 to 2021, the largest growth in the proportion of young adults living with at least one parent was recorded in several large urban centres located in Alberta: Red Deer (+7 percentage points), Calgary (+5), and Edmonton (+4).

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However, the prevalence remained highest in Ontario’s large urban centres, particularly Oshawa, where nearly half (49%) of young adults lived with their parents in 2021.

Statistics Canada says among the provinces and territories, Alberta experienced the largest decline in economic activity in the first year of the pandemic mainly as a result of lower energy prices. In the face of job loss, fewer job opportunities or fewer hours worked, some young adults may have chosen to stay in the parental home or move back in with their parents for a period of time.

Statistics Canada

Nationally following steady growth from 2001 (31%) to 2016 (35%), the share of young adults aged 20 to 34 living in the same household as at least one of their parents was unchanged from 2016 to 2021 (35%).

In 2021, an additional 15% of individuals in their 20s and early 30s lived with roommates—that is, with extended relatives or other non-related people. This was the fastest-growing living arrangement for this age group from 2016 to 2021.

Roommate households—composed of two or more people not in a census family—experienced the fastest growth of any household type from 2001 to 2021 (+54%). This was also true in the last five years: from 2016 to 2021, the number of roommate households increased by 14%, more than triple the growth of households with one census family and no additional people (+4%).

More information regarding the living arrangements of Canadians can be found here.