20 Business View - February 2015
National Association of
Home Builders
Boomerang millennials a promising sign for housing
A recent study of “boomerang millennials” who move
out of their parents’ home only to move back in may
have important implications for this key demographic
and what it means for the housing market.
The National Association of Home Builders examined
recent research conducted by Judith Dey and Charles
Pierret using data from the National Longitudinal
Study of Youth 1997. The examination found higher
incidence of “re-launch” for millennials with a bach-
elor’s degree compared to those with a lower educa-
tion attainment and higher incidence of “re-launch”
for millennials from higher parental income household
compared to lower parental income households. A “re-
launch” occurs when a young adult moves out, returns
to the parental household, and then leaves again.
“Understanding the makeup of those who return home
could shed light on the timing of the release of what
we know is quite a bit of pent-up demand,” said NAHB
Chief Economist David Crowe. “The data may indicate
that while this age group is delaying what we think of
as typical milestones, the combination of resources
and education and what we have found about their
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