Leaving and Returning Home in Young Adulthood: Explaining Racial and Ethnic Differences

Lei Lei, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)
Scott J. South, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)

Although black and Hispanic young adults are more likely than their white peers to both move out of the parental home and to return, the source of these racial differences have not been studied thoroughly. We use longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics’ Transition into Adulthood study to examine the ability of racial/ethnic differences in life-course transitions, socioeconomic resources, and family connectivity to explain racial/ethnic differences in leaving and returning home. Findings from event history models show that the bulk of the black-white differences in both home-leaving and home-returning is explained by group differences in making various school-to-work and relationship transitions, the ability to afford independent living, and connections to the origin family. These factors also explain most of the Hispanic-white difference in the timing of leaving home. However, only a small portion of the Hispanic-white difference in returning home is attributable to the proposed explanatory variables.