Multigenerational Households in 2026: Housing Costs, Care Needs and Cultural Drivers
Multigenerational Households by State: 2026 U.S. Snapshot
Hawaii ranks first among the 50 states and District of Columbia, with 7.75% of households classified as multigenerational in the latest released 2024 ACS 1-year estimates. California ranks second at 5.92%, Texas third at 4.66%, and North Dakota has the lowest calculated share at 1.42%.
This is a 2026 snapshot, not a forecast of 2026 household structure. As of September 15, 2026, the Census Bureau says the release date for the 2025 ACS 1-year estimates is still being determined, so the ranking uses the latest released ACS 1-year vintage available for this analysis.
Every ranking value is calculated from official observed ACS inputs using: multigenerational households ÷ total households × 100. Coverage is 51 jurisdictions. Status counts: 51 calculated_value, 0 official_value, 0 official_forecast, 0 modeled_projection and 0 industry_observed_value.
The table is a compiled research dataset based on 7 sources, with row-level source and method notes shown in the ranking table. Metric: share of households classified as multigenerational. Unit: percent of households. Direction: higher share ranks higher. Only official U.S. Census Bureau ACS B11017 counts determine the ranking.
Hawaii: 38,199 multigenerational households out of 493,151 total households.
North Dakota: 4,958 out of 349,705 households.
5,028,256 multigenerational households divided by 132,737,146 total U.S. households.
All 50 states plus the District of Columbia.
Official observed inputs; target is a 2026 snapshot, not a projection.
What counts as a multigenerational household?
The 2024 ACS Subject Definitions define a multigenerational household as a family household containing three or more generations. Examples include a householder living with a parent or parent-in-law and an own child, or a householder living with an own child and grandchild.
This definition is narrower than some population-based studies that include more than one adult generation. Those broader measures are used below only as explanatory context and are not mixed into the state ranking.
Housing Costs, Care Needs and Demographic Context
Housing-cost context
Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies estimates that 43.5 million U.S. households were housing-cost burdened in 2024, equal to about 33% of households. Among renters, 22.7 million households, or 49%, were cost burdened.
Care needs
Federal Reserve data on U.S. households in 2025 show a relationship between caregiving and living arrangements. Among people who cared for an adult child, 61% also lived with an adult child; among people who cared for a parent, 36% lived with a parent.
Demographic context
Pew Research Center's 2026 analysis of 2024 ACS data found that 30% of Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans, 29% of Black Americans and 16% of White Americans lived in multigenerational households under Pew's broader population-based definition.
Housing affordability, caregiving and demographic patterns can provide context for multigenerational living, but none of these sources proves why an individual state holds a particular rank.
Top 10 states by multigenerational household share
Hawaii has the highest point estimate at 7.75%. California follows at 5.92%, while Texas ranks third at 4.66%. All ten jurisdictions in the Top 10 exceed the calculated U.S. benchmark of 3.79%.
Top 10 jurisdictions calculated from official ACS 2024 B11017 counts
| Rank | Entity | Value | Source / Method Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 7.75% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 38,199 ÷ 493,151 × 100; no projection. |
| 2 | California | 5.92% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 816,205 ÷ 13,797,638 × 100; no projection. |
| 3 | Texas | 4.66% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 533,787 ÷ 11,449,769 × 100; no projection. |
| 4 | New Jersey | 4.55% | Northeast; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 161,255 ÷ 3,543,944 × 100; no projection. |
| 5 | Nevada | 4.55% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 56,316 ÷ 1,238,925 × 100; no projection. |
| 6 | Maryland | 4.45% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 106,801 ÷ 2,401,394 × 100; no projection. |
| 7 | Delaware | 4.41% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 18,174 ÷ 412,304 × 100; no projection. |
| 8 | Georgia | 4.38% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 185,018 ÷ 4,220,732 × 100; no projection. |
| 9 | Mississippi | 4.38% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 51,533 ÷ 1,176,690 × 100; no projection. |
| 10 | Florida | 4.26% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 389,223 ÷ 9,141,675 × 100; no projection. |
Ranks use the unrounded calculated percentage. Display values are rounded to two decimals, so jurisdictions that look equal after rounding can still have different ranks.
Chart: Top 20 multigenerational household shares
Methodology
This is a compiled research dataset based on 7 sources. The ranking values themselves are calculated only from official U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024 Table B11017 inputs; the remaining sources support definitions, release timing, regional classification and explanatory context.
Metric
Share of all households classified as multigenerational under ACS Table B11017.
Formula
Multigenerational households ÷ total households × 100.
Data year
ACS 2024 1-year estimates, presented as a 2026 snapshot.
Direction
Descending. Higher raw calculated percentage ranks higher.
Coverage
50 states plus District of Columbia. Puerto Rico is excluded from this state-equivalent ranking.
Status
All 51 ranking rows are calculated_value from official observed ACS inputs.
Each row uses two official 2024 ACS B11017 inputs from the same geography and survey vintage: the estimate of multigenerational households and the estimate of total households. No growth rate, forecast, imputation or modeled projection is applied.
Example: Hawaii has 38,199 multigenerational households and 493,151 total households. The calculation is 38,199 ÷ 493,151 × 100 = 7.745903%, displayed as 7.75%. The national benchmark uses the same formula: 5,028,256 ÷ 132,737,146 × 100 = 3.788130%, displayed as 3.79%.
Assumptions: numerator and denominator refer to the same geography and the same 2024 ACS 1-year household universe; ranks use point estimates; no margin-of-error propagation or pairwise statistical significance test is used; no value is projected to 2026; display rounding occurs only after ranking from raw calculated values.
ACS estimates are sample-based and the source table publishes margins of error. This ranking orders point estimates only and does not establish that differences between adjacent jurisdictions are statistically significant.
Census regions are used only for filtering and descriptive regional patterns. Contextual housing, caregiving and demographic sources do not alter any rank because they use different measures, populations or research questions.
The metric does not measure housing affordability, household income, caregiving intensity, ethnicity, immigration status, cultural preference, housing supply or causality.
Full ranking: 50 states and District of Columbia
Search by jurisdiction, filter by Census region or status, change sort order, or display the Top 10, Top 20 or all 51 confirmed rows.
Share of households classified as multigenerational, calculated from official ACS 2024 counts
| Rank | Entity | Value | Source / Method Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 7.75% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 38,199 ÷ 493,151 × 100; no projection. |
| 2 | California | 5.92% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 816,205 ÷ 13,797,638 × 100; no projection. |
| 3 | Texas | 4.66% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 533,787 ÷ 11,449,769 × 100; no projection. |
| 4 | New Jersey | 4.55% | Northeast; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 161,255 ÷ 3,543,944 × 100; no projection. |
| 5 | Nevada | 4.55% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 56,316 ÷ 1,238,925 × 100; no projection. |
| 6 | Maryland | 4.45% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 106,801 ÷ 2,401,394 × 100; no projection. |
| 7 | Delaware | 4.41% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 18,174 ÷ 412,304 × 100; no projection. |
| 8 | Georgia | 4.38% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 185,018 ÷ 4,220,732 × 100; no projection. |
| 9 | Mississippi | 4.38% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 51,533 ÷ 1,176,690 × 100; no projection. |
| 10 | Florida | 4.26% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 389,223 ÷ 9,141,675 × 100; no projection. |
| 11 | Arizona | 4.20% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 125,116 ÷ 2,982,475 × 100; no projection. |
| 12 | New Mexico | 4.19% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 35,887 ÷ 856,970 × 100; no projection. |
| 13 | New York | 4.11% | Northeast; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 322,001 ÷ 7,828,074 × 100; no projection. |
| 14 | Rhode Island | 3.81% | Northeast; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 17,094 ÷ 448,318 × 100; no projection. |
| 15 | Alaska | 3.81% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 10,444 ÷ 274,045 × 100; no projection. |
| 16 | Utah | 3.73% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 44,160 ÷ 1,184,428 × 100; no projection. |
| 17 | Massachusetts | 3.61% | Northeast; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 102,258 ÷ 2,829,804 × 100; no projection. |
| 18 | South Carolina | 3.56% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 79,232 ÷ 2,222,890 × 100; no projection. |
| 19 | Virginia | 3.52% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 121,419 ÷ 3,449,307 × 100; no projection. |
| 20 | Tennessee | 3.47% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 101,742 ÷ 2,928,765 × 100; no projection. |
| 21 | Illinois | 3.44% | Midwest; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 175,841 ÷ 5,105,448 × 100; no projection. |
| 22 | Alabama | 3.40% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 70,046 ÷ 2,059,528 × 100; no projection. |
| 23 | Louisiana | 3.38% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 62,571 ÷ 1,848,965 × 100; no projection. |
| 24 | Arkansas | 3.35% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 41,819 ÷ 1,246,754 × 100; no projection. |
| 25 | West Virginia | 3.30% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 24,427 ÷ 740,840 × 100; no projection. |
| 26 | Connecticut | 3.26% | Northeast; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 47,440 ÷ 1,455,235 × 100; no projection. |
| 27 | Washington | 3.23% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 102,262 ÷ 3,168,080 × 100; no projection. |
| 28 | Oklahoma | 3.22% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 51,580 ÷ 1,603,748 × 100; no projection. |
| 29 | North Carolina | 3.13% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 140,801 ÷ 4,496,359 × 100; no projection. |
| 30 | Idaho | 3.12% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 23,418 ÷ 751,181 × 100; no projection. |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | 3.12% | Northeast; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 167,091 ÷ 5,361,724 × 100; no projection. |
| 32 | Kentucky | 3.09% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 57,667 ÷ 1,865,456 × 100; no projection. |
| 33 | Indiana | 2.95% | Midwest; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 81,993 ÷ 2,775,637 × 100; no projection. |
| 34 | Missouri | 2.86% | Midwest; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 73,222 ÷ 2,563,244 × 100; no projection. |
| 35 | New Hampshire | 2.86% | Northeast; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 16,296 ÷ 570,689 × 100; no projection. |
| 36 | Oregon | 2.85% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 49,784 ÷ 1,744,270 × 100; no projection. |
| 37 | Michigan | 2.79% | Midwest; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 115,146 ÷ 4,131,281 × 100; no projection. |
| 38 | Colorado | 2.67% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 66,272 ÷ 2,479,892 × 100; no projection. |
| 39 | Ohio | 2.66% | Midwest; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 131,356 ÷ 4,929,322 × 100; no projection. |
| 40 | Nebraska | 2.53% | Midwest; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 20,819 ÷ 824,012 × 100; no projection. |
| 41 | Montana | 2.47% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 11,605 ÷ 468,981 × 100; no projection. |
| 42 | District of Columbia | 2.35% | South; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 7,751 ÷ 329,687 × 100; no projection. |
| 43 | Kansas | 2.24% | Midwest; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 27,018 ÷ 1,204,374 × 100; no projection. |
| 44 | Maine | 2.06% | Northeast; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 12,682 ÷ 615,235 × 100; no projection. |
| 45 | South Dakota | 2.04% | Midwest; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 7,811 ÷ 382,302 × 100; no projection. |
| 46 | Minnesota | 1.90% | Midwest; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 44,956 ÷ 2,363,442 × 100; no projection. |
| 47 | Wyoming | 1.82% | West; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 4,654 ÷ 256,289 × 100; no projection. |
| 48 | Wisconsin | 1.76% | Midwest; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 44,649 ÷ 2,535,198 × 100; no projection. |
| 49 | Vermont | 1.67% | Northeast; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 4,771 ÷ 285,548 × 100; no projection. |
| 50 | Iowa | 1.61% | Midwest; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 21,686 ÷ 1,343,422 × 100; no projection. |
| 51 | North Dakota | 1.42% | Midwest; calculated_value; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024; target: 2026 snapshot; 4,958 ÷ 349,705 × 100; no projection. |
This main table is part of a compiled research dataset based on 7 sources. Row-level source, source year, target snapshot, calculation inputs and formula basis are shown above. Ranks are calculated from unrounded raw percentages; contextual sources do not alter the ranking.
Insights from the ranking
Key Insight
Hawaii's 7.75% point estimate is 1.83 percentage points above California's 5.92%, creating a larger first-to-second gap than most adjacent differences elsewhere in the ranking.
Notable Pattern
The national benchmark is 3.79%. Fifteen jurisdictions are at or above approximately that level, while Utah at rank 16 is below it at 3.73%.
Regional Concentration
The Top 10 contains six Southern jurisdictions, three Western states and one Northeastern state. No Midwestern state appears in the Top 10.
Outlier
Hawaii's calculated share is about 5.46 times North Dakota's share. This describes the range in point estimates, not the cause of the difference.
What the ranking means
A higher percentage means a larger share of households meets the ACS three-generation definition; the ranking does not establish whether housing costs, caregiving, migration, age structure or family preferences caused the difference.
National evidence shows that housing-cost burdens remain widespread and that caregiving is related to living arrangements. Those findings provide context but do not estimate how much either factor contributes to an individual state's B11017 percentage.
Pew's broader 2024 population-based measure also shows substantial differences by race and ethnicity, but those descriptive differences are not state-level measures of culture and are not used to calculate this ranking.
Close ranks should be treated cautiously because ACS values are survey estimates with margins of error. This page does not test pairwise statistical significance between jurisdictions.
FAQ
Which U.S. state has the highest multigenerational household share?
Hawaii has the highest point estimate at 7.75%, calculated from 38,199 multigenerational households divided by 493,151 total households in the 2024 ACS.
Are these official published percentages?
No. The numerator and denominator are official U.S. Census Bureau ACS estimates. The percentages are calculated from those official observed inputs using multigenerational households ÷ total households × 100.
Are these 2026 survey values?
No. This is a 2026 snapshot using the latest released ACS 1-year vintage available for the ranking, 2024. No state value is projected forward to 2026.
Why is 2024 used instead of 2025 ACS data?
As of September 15, 2026, the Census Bureau says the release date for the 2025 ACS 1-year estimates is still being determined.
What does the ACS mean by a multigenerational household?
Under the 2024 ACS Subject Definitions, it is a family household consisting of three or more generations, such as a householder, child and grandchild or a householder, parent or parent-in-law and own child.
Why can two states display the same percentage but have different ranks?
Ranks use unrounded raw values. New Jersey and Nevada both display 4.55%, for example, but their calculated values are approximately 4.550157% and 4.545554%.
Does a higher rank prove that housing is less affordable?
No. Housing-cost data provide national context, but this ranking does not estimate a causal relationship between housing affordability and each state's multigenerational household share.
How do care needs relate to multigenerational living?
Federal Reserve survey evidence shows that people providing care to adult children or parents are more likely to live with those relatives. That measure is broader than ACS B11017 and is used only as context.
What does the latest demographic context show?
Pew Research Center's 2026 analysis of 2024 ACS data reports multigenerational living among 30% of Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans, 29% of Black Americans and 16% of White Americans under Pew's broader population definition. These are descriptive demographic differences, not proof of state-level causation.
Are small differences between neighboring ranks statistically significant?
Not necessarily. ACS estimates have margins of error. This page ranks point estimates but does not conduct pairwise statistical significance tests.
Sources
This is a compiled research dataset based on 7 sources. Official U.S. Census Bureau ACS B11017 counts provide every ranking input; Census definitions and geography support interpretation and filtering; Harvard, Federal Reserve and Pew sources provide housing, caregiving and demographic context without altering the ranking.
U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2024 Table B11017 Summary File
Primary numeric source for total households, multigenerational households and margins of error used in all 51 calculated ranking rows.
U.S. Census Bureau — 2024 ACS Subject Definitions
Official definition source for multigenerational households and household concepts used by the ACS.
U.S. Census Bureau — 2025 ACS release update
Supports the 2026 snapshot note on the pending release timing for the 2025 ACS 1-year estimates.
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/iphi-acs-media-advisory.html
U.S. Census Bureau — Regions and Divisions
Official reference for Northeast, Midwest, South and West region assignments used in the filter.
https://www.census.gov/data/data-tools/survey-explorer/geo.html
Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies — Housing Unaffordability in 2024
Context for national housing-cost burdens in 2024; not used to calculate state ranks.
https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/housing-unaffordability-soared-new-highs-2024
Federal Reserve — Living Arrangements and Care Work, 2025
Caregiving context for living arrangements among adults caring for adult children or parents; not used to calculate state ranks.
Pew Research Center — The United States at 250
2026 analysis of 2024 ACS data providing current population-based multigenerational household context by race and ethnicity; not used to calculate state ranks.
