Home alone
New data published last week reveals that more Americans are living alone than ever before, with single occupants filling out 27.6% of US households in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau.
The latest figure continues a decades-long trend of independent living and the rise of solo households in the states, though the shift may not be entirely without its issues. Indeed, estate agent giant Zillow found in February that the “singles-tax” is costing one-bed renters who live by themselves an extra $7,000 a year on average, not to mention the recent reports on the epidemic of loneliness and isolation.
Going solo
The share of one-person households in the US has increased substantially since the mid-20th century, as cultural norms shifted and people sought greater levels of independence. The move from rural areas into cities has also been pointed to as a key driver of the trend — in Washington DC, for example, nearly 50% of the 320,000 households are filled by single occupants.
In 1940, just 7.7% of occupied US households contained just one person. That rate had nearly tripled just 40 years later, with a 22.7% share in 1980. Since then, the "solo share" has climbed more gently, though it's still risen every decade.
