Nearly 1 In 6 Canadian Millennials Still Live With Their Parents

Canada turned to cheap credit to prevent a housing correction, turning a bubble into a generational crisis. Statistics Canada (StatCan) examined housing across generations to compare the living situation of Millennials aged 25 to 39 in 2021 to those of Gen X and Boomers. They found that nearly 1 in 6 Millennials across the country still live with their parents, double the rate among Boomers at their age. The problem is even worse for the youngest Millennials now approaching middle age, with nearly half in Toronto stuck at home. 

The agency’s researchers found nearly 1 in 6 (16.3%) of Millennials aged 25 to 39 lived with their parents in 2021. The share is almost double the 8.2% of Boomers in that age group in 1991. However, it wasn’t a single blow—12.2% of Gen X lived at home in 2006, suggesting this was a long, slow erosion in quality of life. 

Canada’s credit bubble didn’t just manufacture a housing bubble; it manufactured a generational crisis. The share of those living with a spouse, partner, or child fell from 74.4% for Boomers to 62.8% for Millennials. Roughly 2 in 5 young adults aren’t establishing independence, and the composition suggests it’s not their fault. 

All Canadian Cities Have Seen More Millennials Stuck With Their Parents—Even “Affordable” Ones

The researchers found the shift occurred across all cities, but growth was amplified in Canada’s most expensive cities. In Toronto, the share of 25- to 39-year-olds living at home jumped from 11.3% among Boomers to over 1 in 4 (26.1%) among Millennials. Vancouver saw its share rise from 8.3% to just under one-fifth (19.6%) of Millennials.  

The traditional, often-shared suggestion to “just move somewhere cheaper” isn’t helpful. A similar erosion is happening in other major cities, too: 

• Winnipeg: 7.9% for Boomers to 16.1% for Millennials
• Calgary: 5.5% to 12.8%
• Montréal: 9.1% to 14.9%
• Halifax: 7.3% to 10.8%

These numbers reveal a serious erosion of independence among young Canadians, appearing tame only in contrast to Toronto and Vancouver. It’s also worth noting that home prices climbed roughly 50% in Halifax between the study’s data and 2026, meaning the most “affordable” city has likely seen a big erosion since then. 

Canadians under 30 are facing one of the biggest hurdles to independence. The share of Millennials living with their parents reached 31.1%, just shy of doubling the share of Boomers in the ‘90s (15.7%). It’s much worse in the country’s most expensive cities.  

Almost half (48.6%) of Toronto’s Millennials under 30 lived with their parents, more than doubling the 21.8% of Boomers in the ‘90s. It’s not exactly shocking that the region is now seeing young adults flee in droves to other provinces, leaving Toronto with more seniors than kids. 

Toronto’s problems almost make Vancouver seem like an affordability hub, with its share at 36.9%, up from 16.0% for Boomers. This is a little over the national average, but not far off. 

More affordable regions had a lower share, but only one region is significantly under the national average: 

• Winnipeg: 31.9%
• Montréal: 29.5%
• Calgary: 28.3%
• Halifax: 19.2%

Canada’s young adults aren’t just delaying homeownership— economic necessity is forcing them to delay household formation. That is, if they ever form a household. The data shows 11.7% of Millennials aged 35 to 39 still live with their parents or family members, revealing this age group didn’t benefit from roughly 30 years of economic improvements—they’re worse off than their parents. 

The housing industry and policymakers optimistically call this pent-up demand. After all, the wave of stuck-at-home young adults will eventually buy a home or move into the flood of for-profit rental buildings being built by institutional investors, constructed with taxpayer subsidies. 

A less flattering read: a growing share of young adults is stuck before the starting line, unable to form the households Canada keeps saying it needs. While the country historically benefits from strong immigration flows, most immigrants move to Canada so their kids can have a better shot at class mobility. What this data shows is these kids are increasingly facing the same mobility hurdles they likely fled—just with worse weather.