[Survey] 43% of Zillennials are More Unhappy With Their Current Housing Than They Were in College

Graduating college is a big change for young adults — perhaps even more so for “Zillennials” (young Millennials and older Gen Z-ers) whose introduction to adulthood happened around the same time as the COVID-19 pandemic.

While Zillennials were figuring out what they wanted to do after college, they were also faced with the critical question of where to move after getting their diplomas. Moving home after college was already a trend before COVID-19 — according to our survey, college students who graduated without jobs were twice as likely to move back home.

With Zillennials entering the workforce and beginning to financially support themselves, we wanted to discover exactly how they were really feeling about their housing. We surveyed over 2,000 Zillennials to find out if they love or hate their post-college housing situation.

43% of Zillennials aren’t satisfied with their current housing compared to where they lived in college

When you think of college housing, images of cramped dorm rooms and communal bathrooms probably come to mind. You might think that young adults a few years out of college would be happier with their current housing compared to their time in the dorms. But when asked about their current housing situations, more than four in 10 Zillennials said they weren’t happier with their current housing than they were in college. Of the 42.7 percent who were unhappy, 42.6 percent said they hated where they live now.

Men are much less satisfied with their housing than women

We found that while 25 percent of men said they hate where they live, only 11.3 percent of women reported extreme unhappiness with their living situation. On the contrary, over half (52.6 percent) of women say they love where they live now, while only 41.3 percent of men love where they live.

So why are women happier with their homes than men? In general, men and women both report affordability and utilities as their top housing priorities. However, women prioritize security as their third biggest priority, while men prioritize aesthetic finishes, like hardwood floors, as their third priority.

Despite how they feel about their current living situation, Zillennials don’t want to move home after graduation

Although more than four in 10 Zillennials are unsatisfied with their post-college housing situation, they’re not keen to move back in with their parents.

Their main reason for staying away from the nest? Independence — nearly two-thirds of those who aren’t planning to move home said they “need to be independent,” while almost 40 percent said they had the financial means to support themselves.

Of those who moved home, we found that nearly three-quarters did it to save money, while 35 percent wanted to be close to family. A small percentage still lived at home for other reasons, such as staying at home in college and job loss.

According to those planning to move home, the main negative aspects of living with parents include:

1. Delayed independence
2. Lack of privacy
3. Limited freedom
4. Hindered romantic life
5. Embarrassment

Additionally, employed graduates who move back home after graduation plan to stay for three months, while unemployed graduates plan to stay for a year or more.

Fleeing the nest: Over ¾ of Zillennials said sayonara to their parents after graduation

When it comes to post-college housing, 75.2 percent of Zillennials surveyed did not return to their parents’ homes after graduation. Of those surveyed, nearly half (46.2 percent) moved to a new city after receiving their diploma, and 29.0 percent stayed in the same town/city.

Zillennials who graduated with jobs were twice as likely to move out

While only around one in five Zillennials (22.6 percent) who moved out after graduation were unemployed, that number leaps up to over half (52.9 percent) for employed Zillennials, meaning employed Zillennials were more than twice as likely to move out compared to their unemployed counterparts.

Of those employed Zillennials, 56.8 percent moved to a new city, while 43.2 percent put down roots in their college town.

Graduates are looking for new experiences in smaller cities

Digging deeper into the data, we found that nearly 30 percent more graduates moved to a new city rather than staying in the same place after graduation — but the places these grads moved might be different than you think.

The traditional “post-college” cities like San Francisco, Chicago and New York City saw a mass exodus of young professionals over the past year, landing in the top 15 for falling one-bedroom rent prices. Surprisingly, cities where demand trended upward included some unexpected places like Sacramento, Philadelphia and Newark.

Looking forward: Gen Z are more optimistic about their housing than Millennials were

Although the economic outlook remains uncertain for Zillennials, you might be surprised to hear that 50 percent of Gen Z-ers expect to move out by age 24, while only 40 percent of Millennials planned to at that age.

So why is the younger generation so much more optimistic about their housing prospects? Although Gen Z dreams of a big home to call theirs, they’re much more willing to compromise to keep costs down.

While Millennials prioritize tangible amenities like storage space (31.2 percent) and central heating and air conditioning (21.9 percent), Gen Z (sometimes referred to as iGen) wanted intangible amenities like fast Wi-Fi (37.2 percent) most of all.

Zillennials straddle a unique line between Millennials and Gen Z-ers. While millennials grew up with things like DVD players and family computers, Gen Z grew up with iPads, smartphones and Wi-Fi. As the younger generation of Zillennials and Gen Z-ers begins graduating college and searching for their first apartment, it’s worth considering that their needs might be different than before.

Whether it’s prioritizing high-speed internet or having smart technology in their homes, Gen Z is here — and they’re ready to shake up the rental market.

How to find an apartment you’re happy with

Many young people struggle to find the perfect housing and compromise on their wish lists when looking for a post-college home. So how do you know what to look for when you’ve never done it before?

When you’re searching for your first apartment, it can be easy to skip over some of the finer details of apartment hunting that can make a big difference in your overall satisfaction. Here are some of our top apartment-hunting tips for finding a place you’ll be happy with long-term.

1. Figure out your deal breakers

When you’re constrained by budget or need to look for a place with roommates, it can be nearly impossible to get everything you want. While you might prioritize having in-unit laundry, others might prefer to have covered parking or individual bathrooms. If you’re stuck in the middle and looking for your first apartment, it’s essential to consider what you specifically want. Whether you prioritize fast Wi-Fi or in-unit laundry, you should start by filtering out options that don’t have your non-negotiables.

2. Determine your amenity wish list

You may dream of living in an apartment with a rooftop garden or a beautiful cityscape view, but when you’re thinking about what will satisfy you long-term, you’ll probably want to prioritize functional amenities like a dishwasher or laundry machine. When you come up with your list of deal-breakers, create a separate wish list of additional amenities you’d love to have but would be willing to give up.

3. Check out the utilities

Before signing on the dotted line, take a trip to the apartment and check out all of the utilities — heating, air conditioning, laundry machines, dishwashers and water pressure are just a few things you should be testing out.

4. Think of the short- and long-term costs

It may seem like the rent on your dream apartment is just a smidge above your budget, but when you factor in long-term costs like electricity, gas and internet, that number may end up being higher than you can be comfortable with. Take time to crunch the numbers, considering how much you’ll actually end up paying once utilities and other necessities are added into the mix.

You might want to consider using a rent calculator that factors in additional costs, like debts and scheduled payments, so you can get an accurate idea of how much you can afford to spend on rent.

5. Test your commute

Would you be willing to live further away to have more space? Or are you okay with living in a small apartment if it’s close to where you need to be? To figure out if the location works for you, try a “test-run” day — drive from the apartment to where you work during commute times to figure out if it’s something you’d be willing to do each day.

Shaking up the housing market

As Zillennials and Gen Z begin to enter the housing market, it’s clear that their apartment wants are different than what’s been seen before. College graduates are pushing to move out of their parents’ homes and are willing to sacrifice quite a lot for independence from their parents.

Ready to get your own space? Check out our apartment finder to begin your search today.

Survey methodology

• An online survey of 3,000 Americans was conducted for Rent. using Google Surveys in April 2021.
• Zillennials were classified as ages 18–24 as of April 2021. Millennials were classified as age 25–34.
• Post-stratification weighting has been applied to ensure an accurate and reliable representation of the total population.