Rhode Island's housing affordability crisis is increasingly changing when young adults are able to leave home, with a growing share continuing to live with their parents or other family members well into their 20s.

A new report published August 10 by Realtor.com highlights how rising housing costs are affecting young adults across Rhode Island. The latest data shows that by age 22, nearly half — 49.3% — of young adults remain living at home, up from 46.1% before the pandemic. Among 24-year-olds, the share living with family reached 35.2% in 2025, compared with 29.6% in 2019.

The trend reflects a broader affordability problem facing the state. Young adults who might traditionally move into their own apartments, purchase starter homes, or begin building equity are increasingly delaying those decisions because housing costs have risen faster than many entry-level incomes.

Homeownership Is Becoming Harder to Reach

For young Rhode Islanders hoping to buy their first home, the challenge extends beyond saving for a down payment. Higher home prices, mortgage rates, property taxes, insurance costs, and limited inventory have all increased the financial barrier to homeownership.

That can create a chain reaction throughout the housing market. When younger households delay moving out, they may remain renters longer or continue living with family instead of forming independent households. That, in turn, can affect demand for apartments, starter homes, and entry-level properties.

Rhode Island has already been dealing with a shortage of housing across multiple price ranges, making it particularly difficult for first-time buyers to find affordable options.

The Rental Market Is Feeling the Pressure Too

The problem is not limited to homeownership.

Rhode Island renters are also facing significant affordability challenges. Recent housing data found that a worker needs to earn approximately $33.95 per hour to afford a typical two-bedroom apartment in the state without becoming housing cost-burdened.

For younger workers entering the market, that can make renting independently difficult even before they begin saving toward a future home purchase.

As a result, more young adults are remaining in family households while they save money, pay down debt, or wait for housing conditions to become more manageable.

What It Means for Rhode Island Real Estate

For real estate professionals, the trend could have long-term implications.

Young adults eventually become first-time buyers, renters, homeowners, and sellers. If high housing costs continue delaying those transitions, Rhode Island could see changes in household formation, rental demand, starter-home demand, and future homeownership rates.

The numbers also reinforce why state officials have continued pushing for additional housing construction and programs designed to expand entry-level homeownership. Rhode Island's Executive Office of Housing is currently accepting applications for the second round of its Housing 2030 Entry-Level Homeownership Program, which is intended to help increase the supply of homes available to buyers.

The Bottom Line

Rhode Island's housing affordability problem is increasingly affecting not just where people live, but when they are able to establish independent households.

With 49.3% of 22-year-olds still living at home and more than one-third of 24-year-olds doing the same, the latest figures show how rising housing costs are pushing major life and real estate decisions further into the future.

For Rhode Island's housing market, the challenge is clear: building more affordable rentals and entry-level homes could be critical to helping the state's younger residents move out, enter the housing market, and eventually become homeowners.