NY Times: As Gen X and Boomers age they confront living alone (no paywall) [View all]

[Tomconroy]

As Gen X and Boomers Age, They Confront Living Alone https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/27/us/living-alone-aging.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuonUktbfqYhlSVUZBCbIRp8jrwOHg_eKybg7gHK7JSeUTzkEz_gQB8LI3XbxUpdZRol52SWHFpgGOaUzRfd2w6hTNhFmFQP1896JlJ9eZng79t72Vz9o09ecA-5mrWPjPmK0eO41jKeysBOnHGruWq3a2HImIB804sc2MAH3hgFbg_vNAeV32dJh3f8-BZEcRDYIZCCCvPKAGAwpcZzdLUmasl9qLrkfDTLDntec6KYDcxFRCj_ERXB84GU867BMKZRQp1SHeVBmWGRxCnMuWSw

In 1960, just 13 percent of American households had a single occupant. But that figure has risen steadily, and today it is approaching 30 percent. For households headed by someone 50 or older, that figure is 36 percent.

Nearly 26 million Americans 50 or older now live alone, up from 15 million in 2000. Older people have always been more likely than others to live by themselves, and now that age group — baby boomers and Gen Xers — makes up a bigger share of the population than at any time in the nation’s history.

In many ways, the nation’s housing stock has grown out of sync with these shifting demographics. Many solo adults live in homes with at least three bedrooms, census data shows, but find that downsizing is not easy because of a shortage of smaller homes in their towns and neighborhoods.

Compounding the challenge of living solo, a growing share of older adults — about 1 in 6 Americans 55 and older — do not have children, raising questions about how elder care will be managed in the coming decades.

Part of the problem is the country no longer builds small houses.