Gen Z Long Islanders live at home to save for houses, apartments, independence

Jade Vila grew up in the Hicksville school district. Now, at 24 years old, she teaches music at one of its elementary schools — and lives in her childhood home.

"It's my whole family" under one roof, Vila said. "So my parents and two siblings."

By doing this, Vila is saving on rent, in hopes of becoming a homeowner on Long Island "within the next five years," she said.

But she and plenty of other Generation Z Long Islanders are up against the truth of the current housing market and the cost of living, with an unclear timeline of when they'll be able to live independently.

"The ultimate goal would be for me to buy a home," Vila said. "But if I want to do it soon, that's not in my favor."

The ultimate goal would be for me to buy a home. But if I want to do it soon, that's not in my favor.

— Jade Vila, 24, of Hicksville

Gen Z is defined as those born between 1997 and 2012. Many Long Islanders in that age group have found themselves moving back home after college, like the generation before them, but this time with uncertainty on when exactly they'll be able to save up enough to move back out.

In 2025, 49% of young adults under the age of 30 lived with a parent in the United States, according to a report by the Federal Reserve. This figure increased by 12 percentage points from 2019, the data shows.

On Long Island, Gen Z is up against steep housing costs: While prices fell slightly in September to a median home sales price of $860,000 in Nassau and $740,000 in Suffolk, they were still up year over year. Long Island was also recently named the strongest seller's market in the country, according to Redfin data.

That leaves limited-yet-pricey inventory, making it especially difficult for first-time buyers to break into the market, experts said. But many Gen Z Long Islanders have not lost hope and are saving up and living at home strategically, until it makes sense for them financially to move out. Some hope that renting will be their next step, while others don't see themselves leaving until it's possible to become a homeowner.

J. Ryan Fuller is a psychologist with New York Behavioral Health, with offices in Manhattan and on Long Island. When it comes to achieving homeownership anytime soon, his clients in this age group have reached "an acceptance that this is sort of the state of the times," he said.

There are several other external factors working against this generation: "They are saddled with higher levels of debt, they are facing housing costs that are astronomical and facing a job market that is one of the toughest we've seen in a very long time," Fuller said.

Compared with previous generations, he said, "I hope that they achieve those same levels of independence soon, but I don't think we know, and I don't think they know, which is one of the things that I think drives and maintains their anxiety."

Building careers, savings from home

In a perfect world, I would [buy a home] now. I'm just not there yet, and the market is just insane.

— Julia Cavanagh, 24, of Rockville Centre

Julia Cavanagh graduated from Hofstra University in 2024 and soon after landed a job at CBS Sports. She lives with her family in Rockville Centre. In a way, this trajectory was determined by the COVID-19 pandemic, as she graduated from high school around its peak.

"I didn't really know what school I wanted to go to because I couldn't really visit anywhere in those last few months before I had to decide," said Cavanagh, 24. "I ended up choosing Hofstra knowing I would live at home, and I was always pretty comfortable living at home."

Cavanagh and her twin brother grew up watching their parents take the train daily into New York City for work (their mother works in advertising and their father is a lawyer). Now, Cavanagh does the same commute.

"It's sort of back to that, like when we were in high school," she said.

Good jobs are hard to come by, and the cost of housing and rent have gone up considerably. So when you put those two together, you have a perfect storm for not buying a home and not moving out.

— Andrew C. Spieler, Hofstra University finance professor

Andrew C. Spieler, a finance professor at Hofstra University, said that in such a high-priced environment like Long Island, the most logical, cost-saving solution — and often the only choice — is to live at home for as long as possible.

"Good jobs are hard to come by, and the cost of housing and rent have gone up considerably," Spieler said. "So when you put those two together, you have a perfect storm for not buying a home and not moving out."

As a teacher, Vila is able to save money in a retirement fund, and she has also been investing in stocks, with guidance from her father. Spieler advises his students and even his own children to do some research and start investing, too, using platforms such as Chase, Charles Schwab or Fidelity.

"I'm just being really aggressive with my savings," Vila said. "I'll save money by staying at home and just doing what I can until I can eventually buy a home."

The smaller ways to save matter, too, such as eating home-cooked meals instead of going out to eat, Vila said.

"In a perfect world, I would [buy a home] now," she said. "I'm just not there yet, and the market is just insane. I think hopefully within the next five years, I can land something. That's the goal."

Gen Z vs. the housing market

A big obstacle a lot of people my age are dealing with is being able to find a balance between saving enough for a down payment and also being able to live your life.

— Trudy Losee, Blue Island Homes real estate agent

Gen Z accounted for just 4% of homebuyers across the country from July 2024 to June 2025, according to the National Association of Realtors 2026 Generational Trends report, which defined Gen Z as those born between 1999 and 2011.

But renting on Long Island can also break the bank: As of Oct. 20, the average asking rent is $3,292 per month in Nassau County, and $2,959 per month in Suffolk County, according to CoStar data. 

Trudy Losee is a Gen Z real estate agent with Blue Island Homes, which has offices in Greenvale and Bellmore. Long Islanders in this age group looking to become homebuyers should take their time to prepare, she said.

"A big obstacle a lot of people my age are dealing with is being able to find a balance between saving enough for a down payment and also being able to live your life," said Losee, 28.

Losee sees that it's easy for Gen Z Long Islanders to get discouraged by a market characterized by its speed and costliness. "Starting the search when you're comfortable and ready is the best thing you can do now," she said.

But, Spieler said, it's a matter of supply and demand, along with waiting for interest rates to drop.

"There are older homeowners that have been here for a while and are not in any rush to leave," he said. "So if they don't get their price, they're not selling."

Living at home at this age, depending on the amount of time spent there, can potentially delay other personal milestones, such as marriage or career moves, Fuller said. It can also take an emotional and cognitive impact, "because they haven't been able to demonstrate their confidence and their sense of control over the world," he said.

"The belief that they can do things has sort of been injured," Fuller added.

It's also easy for Gen Zers in these situations to compare themselves with where their parents were in life at this age. "From a psychological perspective, it can register for them as inadequacy and a lack of self-efficacy, and a lack of control," Fuller said.

Speaking up

I think we've all been instilled with this idea that you go to college for four years, get your degree and you're almost guaranteed a job. And I think that a lot of us have been hit with the reality that that's not how it works anymore.

— Brianna Mitchell, 22, of Elmont

Brianna Mitchell, 22, graduated from Boston College in May. She is now living at home with her parents and siblings in Elmont while interning at an assemblywoman's office.

As she is figuring out her next steps, one thing is certain: "I don't think I have an interest in leaving New York."

Mitchell, who studied political science, is hoping to land a role in government. "The goal was to get a job out of school," she said.

But she and many of her classmates are in the same boat: They weren't able to find jobs in their fields after graduation in the surrounding area of their college, forcing them to move back home and re-evaluate their plans. The timeline Mitchell had in mind "has kind of dissolved," she said.

"I think we've all been instilled with this idea that you go to college for four years, get your degree and you're almost guaranteed a job," she said. "And I think that a lot of us have been hit with the reality that that's not how it works anymore, and no one has prepared us for how to approach this. We're all being put in situations that are very new and frustrating and have created, honestly, a lot of emotional stress."

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the unemployment rate for Long Islanders between 20 and 29 years old was 6.8% in 2024, which was double the region's overall rate of 3.4%.

Fuller has noticed that, in many cases, parents tend to set high expectations for their Gen Z children while simultaneously "overparenting" them. This can only add more stress to these situations, especially while everyone is living under the same roof.

"They've been really injured by COVID's isolation and lack of opportunity," Fuller said.

To fight against any kind of hopelessness or apathy that might arise while living at home or dealing with unemployment, Fuller recommended that those in this age group hit "gradual milestones" by setting "very realistic, achievable goals." For example, attending networking events or setting aside time to look for jobs online.

I would say a lot of Gen Z clients I'm working with are definitely looking more towards eastern Suffolk, just because you do get a little bit more for your money out there, compared to Nassau.

— Trudy Losee, Blue Island Homes real estate agent

For Gen Z Long Islanders who feel they're in the right position to start looking for a home, Losee has noticed a trend.

"I would say a lot of Gen Z clients I'm working with are definitely looking more towards eastern Suffolk, just because you do get a little bit more for your money out there, compared to Nassau," she said.

Losee, of Babylon, is also still living with her parents.

"I always joke with a lot of my clients, I think it's kind of ironic and funny, I help people buy and sell their biggest assets, I help people get into million-dollar homes, and I still live at home," she said.

Despite high earnings from her career, she acknowled ged, it's still difficult to comfortably afford buying property on Long Island.

It's something that has been on Mitchell's mind a lot, especially while working in local government — she feels particularly disheartened by seeing megamansions continuing to be constructed on certain parts of the Island.

"If younger people are also concerned about that, they should reach out to their representatives and let them know," she said. "I think it's important that we're letting them know this is the situation we're facing, and we want some kind of solution and, I don't know, maybe get some peace of mind that someone's looking out for us."