Young adults taking longer than ever to fly the coop
The number of young adults living with their parents across the county has shot up by 14% in the last eight years.
And new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show the youngest age at which the majority of people in County Galway were not living with their parents was 27 – above the national average of 24, and eight years more than Galway City, which was 19.
The CSO release shows adult children are delaying fleeing the coop – some are unpaid carers but many more are among the ‘lost generation’ impacted by the ongoing crisis of high rents, high house prices and lack of accommodation.
In the Census taken in April 2022, there were 20,098 people aged 18 and over living with their parents in County Galway (14%). This was an increase of 2,511 (14%) since 2016.
In Galway City, some 5,896 adults, or 9% of all those aged 18 and over, were still living with their parents.
This was an increase of 598 (11%) since 2016 but it was still the lowest proportion of any other city or county nationally.
Across the State, there were 522,486 adult children aged 18 years and above living with their parents (13%).
In Galway City, 363 (6%) of those living with their parents were unpaid carers. In County Galway, 1,189 (6%) were unpaid carers.
Read full coverage of the latest Census statistics for Galway in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.