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Study: 1 in 5 Atlanta Millennials Still Lives with Mom

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For 25 to 34-year-olds, there hasn't been this much rent-free basement dwelling going on since the Great Recession

A new analysis by Zillow suggests that nearly 20 percent of millennials in Atlanta have yet to ween themselves from the rent-free teat of their mother's house.

The study — which works the Mother's Day angle, and thus makes no mention of dad — zeroed in on Atlantans between the ages of 24 and 34. Researchers found that nearly one in five of them (19.7 percent) are "boomerang kids" who won't have to travel far to express their love to mother this Sunday. Those are levels not seen since about five years ago, during the Great Recession.

The numbers appear to apply to the whole of metro Atlanta, and the region isn't alone. All 35 of the nation's largest metros have experienced a rise in the percentage of millennials living with their mothers in recent years, Zillow found.

Consider that, back in 2005, just 10.3 percent of millennial-age Atlantans lived under mommy's roof.

One reason for the jump could be that median Atlanta rents have climbed to $1,287, per Zillow. Another is likely the cost of homeownership.

Rental marketplace Apartment List recently found that 68 percent of millennial renters in Atlanta believe they can't afford to buy a place right now. When that story published, a young Curbed Atlanta commenter vented the following:

"I am a millennial. I would like to purchase a home, but I cannot afford to at this time. I am going to refrain [from] commenting further on this topic because I get enraged when I think about how screwed I am. #peace"