DC ties for second nationwide in percent of solo households

[Anonymous]

Despite the high cost of living, DC ties for second nationwide in percent of solo households. Do people think it's because of single people moving here for work? People have higher salaries so the don't need to take on roommates? Any other theories?

"Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Cleveland were next on the list for share of single-member households, each with 47 percent. Here, too, people living alone made up roughly a quarter of the population."

Share of solo-living households: 47%
Share of solo-livingpopulation: 23%

Gift link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/realestate/living-alone-expensive.html?unlocked_article_code=1.SlA.1Dfx.jNdYuLZgucQH&smid=url-share

[Anonymous]

Precisely why when DCUM posters drone on and on about how important good schools are to property values I shrug and think they're living in a bubble. Many buyers couldn't care less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Despite the high cost of living, DC ties for second nationwide in percent of solo households. Do people think it's because of single people moving here for work? People have higher salaries so the don't need to take on roommates?

Any other theories?

Yes

"Housing costs, culture and age are the main factors in the level of solo living in a particular region. Nine of the 10 cities with the smallest share of single-resident homes were in California, which makes sense: It has one of the highest costs of living in the U.S. And seven of those 10 cities had predominantly Hispanic residents, who are more likely than other groups to share homes, including multigenerational households, according to the Pew Research Center. Topping the list were Moreno Valley, Calif., and Fontana, Calif., where roughly 90 percent of all households were shared, and where Hispanic residents make up a majority of residents.

Overall, though, fewer people are living in multigenerational households than in past eras, while an increase in life expectancy and a decrease in marriage rates is causing older people to live alone longer, according to a recent study on American living arrangements."

- https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/realestate...gucQH&smid=url-share

- 170 years of change in living arrangements in the United States using expected years of life: A research note
https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/wbc45_v2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Despite the high cost of living, DC ties for second nationwide in percent of solo households. Do people think it's because of single people moving here for work? People have higher salaries so the don't need to take on roommates?

Any other theories?

Yes

"Housing costs, culture and age are the main factors in the level of solo living in a particular region. Nine of the 10 cities with the smallest share of single-resident homes were in California, which makes sense: It has one of the highest costs of living in the U.S. And seven of those 10 cities had predominantly Hispanic residents, who are more likely than other groups to share homes, including multigenerational households, according to the Pew Research Center. Topping the list were Moreno Valley, Calif., and Fontana, Calif., where roughly 90 percent of all households were shared, and where Hispanic residents make up a majority of residents.

Overall, though, fewer people are living in multigenerational households than in past eras, while an increase in life expectancy and a decrease in marriage rates is causing older people to live alone longer, according to a recent study on American living arrangements."

- https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/realestate...gucQH&smid=url-share

- 170 years of change in living arrangements in the United States using expected years of life: A research note
https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/wbc45_v2

So you're saying DC has an especially high number of older and unmarried people compared to other large cities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Despite the high cost of living, DC ties for second nationwide in percent of solo households. Do people think it's because of single people moving here for work? People have higher salaries so the don't need to take on roommates?

Any other theories?

Yes

"Housing costs, culture and age are the main factors in the level of solo living in a particular region. Nine of the 10 cities with the smallest share of single-resident homes were in California, which makes sense: It has one of the highest costs of living in the U.S. And seven of those 10 cities had predominantly Hispanic residents, who are more likely than other groups to share homes, including multigenerational households, according to the Pew Research Center. Topping the list were Moreno Valley, Calif., and Fontana, Calif., where roughly 90 percent of all households were shared, and where Hispanic residents make up a majority of residents.

Overall, though, fewer people are living in multigenerational households than in past eras, while an increase in life expectancy and a decrease in marriage rates is causing older people to live alone longer, according to a recent study on American living arrangements."

- https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/realestate...gucQH&smid=url-share

- 170 years of change in living arrangements in the United States using expected years of life: A research note
https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/wbc45_v2

So you're saying DC has an especially high number of older and unmarried people compared to other large cities?

Washington, D.C. has the highest labor force participation rate for those aged 65 and older among major U.S. metro areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Precisely why when DCUM posters drone on and on about how important good schools are to property values I shrug and think they're living in a bubble. Many buyers couldn't care less.

Huge overlap between schools and housing values. What works for you doesn't work for others and vice versa. Your bubble of expensive with bad schools aka DC is definitely a bubble, much more so than suburban families looking for good schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Precisely why when DCUM posters drone on and on about how important good schools are to property values I shrug and think they're living in a bubble. Many buyers couldn't care less.

Aw, some one live in Manassas or Woodbridge. Sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Precisely why when DCUM posters drone on and on about how important good schools are to property values I shrug and think they're living in a bubble. Many buyers couldn't care less.

Huge overlap between schools and housing values. What works for you doesn't work for others and vice versa. Your bubble of expensive with bad schools aka DC is definitely a bubble, much more so than suburban families looking for good schools.

Not in the DMV. And no one said "bad" schools either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Precisely why when DCUM posters drone on and on about how important good schools are to property values I shrug and think they're living in a bubble. Many buyers couldn't care less.

Aw, some one live in Manassas or Woodbridge. Sad.

Logan Circle

[Anonymous]

I'm a solo household, and I don't care about schools, but I do care about having respectful neighbors who don't engage in illegal or obnoxious behavior, and those tend to be the expensive areas with good schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a solo household, and I don't care about schools, but I do care about having respectful neighbors who don't engage in illegal or obnoxious behavior, and those tend to be the expensive areas with good schools.

Just to follow up, if anyone is aware of close-in neighborhoods with low crime (including no package theft), lower housing costs, and that are so quiet that you can hear a pin drop, please do share because I'm looking to move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Despite the high cost of living, DC ties for second nationwide in percent of solo households. Do people think it's because of single people moving here for work? People have higher salaries so the don't need to take on roommates?

Any other theories?

Yes

"Housing costs, culture and age are the main factors in the level of solo living in a particular region. Nine of the 10 cities with the smallest share of single-resident homes were in California, which makes sense: It has one of the highest costs of living in the U.S. And seven of those 10 cities had predominantly Hispanic residents, who are more likely than other groups to share homes, including multigenerational households, according to the Pew Research Center. Topping the list were Moreno Valley, Calif., and Fontana, Calif., where roughly 90 percent of all households were shared, and where Hispanic residents make up a majority of residents.

Overall, though, fewer people are living in multigenerational households than in past eras, while an increase in life expectancy and a decrease in marriage rates is causing older people to live alone longer, according to a recent study on American living arrangements."

- https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/realestate...gucQH&smid=url-share

- 170 years of change in living arrangements in the United States using expected years of life: A research note
https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/wbc45_v2

So you're saying DC has an especially high number of older and unmarried people compared to other large cities?

Nope. The source OP provided is saying that.

[Anonymous]

perhaps they are ugly.

[Anonymous]

Does it mean DC is relatively underpriced or affordable to single people? Atlanta and Cleveland are affordable markets compared to other major cities. DC metro must have enough well paying jobs for the young people to live alone while costs to live alone are not the highest. I'd say it's good news?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a solo household, and I don't care about schools, but I do care about having respectful neighbors who don't engage in illegal or obnoxious behavior, and those tend to be the expensive areas with good schools.

Just to follow up, if anyone is aware of close-in neighborhoods with low crime (including no package theft), lower housing costs, and that are so quiet that you can hear a pin drop, please do share because I'm looking to move.

Look at the crime maps? There is theft everywhere BTW, even $$$$ suburbs. There are cars stolen from people's private driveways in the priciest areas, that are quiet and have no people with obnoxious behavior And package theft isn't uncommon anywhere. I"d say prioritize violent crimes in finding a place to live, you won't find a place with no crime at all