Grown up children still live at home in nearly a quarter of families in Greater Manchester

Data from the 2021 census, released this year, revealed country-wide increases in the number of children living with their parents into adulthood.

Across England and Wales, the number of families with adult children still living at home increased by 13.8% to nearly 3.8 million between 2012 and 2021.

In Greater Manchester, this translates to over 200,000 families living with their grown up children still at home.

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Between the boroughs, the highest number of adult children still living in the family is in Manchester; with the highest percentage of families being in Oldham.

The city borough also saw the highest percentage change between the 2011 and 2021 census, with an increase of 25.3 per cent of adults living at home than a decade before.

Zooming into Manchester, it’s possible to understand why so many people may be choosing to stay home.

Manchester is a borough that has seen blocks of flats fly up and new housing developments add homes by the thousand in any scrap of land possible.

In 2013, the average house price in Manchester was £118,110. However, ten years later homes have an average price tag of £236,510.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show the average UK house price rose by 73 per cent between 2013 and 2023. In the borough of Manchester, the difference was an increase of 100 per cent.

Many young people cannot fathom ever being in a position to own a home, let alone one that’s average cost has increased by over £100,000 in ten years. Therefore, the rental market has to be relied upon.

In January of this year, the average rental price in Manchester was £1,600 a month. Just six months before that, it was £944.

In Manchester, for someone aged between 22 and 29, the average salary is £26,096, meaning rent takes up 45 per cent of take home income. According to Zoopla, this is more than 10 per cent of the national average.

The ONS said: “Despite Census 2021 being conducted during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and associated lockdowns, the rise in numbers of adults living with their parents appears to be a continuing trend rather than a result of the pandemic.”

Across the other boroughs, the figures paint a similar picture.

Bolton

Number of families living with adult children: 20,980

Percentage increase over the last 10 years: 17%

Bury

Number of families living with adult children: 13,275

Percentage increase over the last 10 years: 10.9%

Manchester

Number of families with adult children: 33,245

Percentage increase over the last 10 years: 25.3%

Oldham

Number of families with adult children: 18,245

Percentage increase over the last 10 years: 21.2%

Rochdale

Number of families with adult children: 16,125

Percentage increase over the last 10 years: 14.1%

Salford

Number of families with adult children: 16,160

Percentage increase over the last 10 years: 14.6%

Stockport

Number of families with adult children: 19,245

Percentage increase over the last 10 years: 2.7%

Tameside

Number of families with adult children: 16,455

Percentage increase over the last 10 years: 8.3%

Trafford

Number of families with adult children: 15,175

Percentage increase over the last 10 years: 5.2%

Wigan

Number of families with adult children: 23,280

Percentage increase over the last 10 years: 4.2%

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