43 Adults Who Clearly Missed The “How To Be Grown Up” Lesson

Of course, there's a gray area when it comes to defining what makes someone an adult. Different people have different values, and not everyone measures maturity by the same standards.

Traditionally, though, researchers often highlight four common milestones: moving out of the parental home, securing full-time work, getting married, and having children.

In the United States, for example, nearly half (or 45%) of 25- to 34-year-olds had checked all four boxes back in 1975.

But a newly released U.S. Census Bureau working paper suggests the picture looks very different today.

Over the decades, the most common milestones shifted from family-centered to economic ones. In 2024, only about 21% of 25- to 34-year-olds had achieved all four traditional markers of adulthood—living independently, working, being married, and having children.

Fifty years earlier, reaching only the economic milestones (securing employment and moving out of your parents) was the fourth most common experience for young people (6%). Now, it has become the dominant path: 28% of young adults fall into this category.

The researchers mention societal and economic shifts — including higher education levels, more women in the workplace, higher living costs, and more varied family structures — as the possible explanations for why fewer young adults are meeting these benchmarks.

Either way, the manner in which we hit (or don't) these and other similar milestones can absolutely influence how we develop our adult identities.