Zillow: More than 1 in 5 millennials in San Francisco, San Jose live with their parents

San Francisco Share of millennials living at home in 2005: 14.1 percent

Share of millennials living at home in 2016: 21.1 percent

Zillow Rent Index: $3,420

Share of income spent on monthly rent: 39.9 percent

Unemployment rate among millennials living at home: 10 percent less San Francisco Share of millennials living at home in 2005: 14.1 percent

Share of millennials living at home in 2016: 21.1 percent

Zillow Rent Index: $3,420

Share of income spent on monthly rent: 39.9 ... more Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Zillow: More than 1 in 5 millennials in San Francisco, San Jose live with their parents 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

How horrible is the Bay Area housing market for millennials? Quite bad. But as a study by Zillow reveals, it's not as dire for locals aged 24-36 as it might be for those of the same age in other American metro areas.

Slightly more than one in five San Francisco millennials — 21.1 percent — were found to be living with their parents in 2016. To the south, in San Jose, that number is a little bit worse; a total of 21.3 percent of those millennials live with mom and dad. And yet, Sacramento millennials seem to have it the worst, with 22.4 percent of them living at home.

But don't equate those statistics with laziness. Of those living at home, only 10 percent or less are unemployed, according to Zillow. Maybe they just can't (or don't want to) spend more than a reported third of their income on monthly rent.

RELATED: Is America's rental market crushing Millennials?

Across the country, those figures actually paint a relatively rosy picture of the financial situation for millennials. More millennials nationwide — 22.5 percent — live at home than millennials in the Bay Area. As Zillow notes, that's not necessarily because those in the Bay Area are more industrious, but rather because their families aren't local.

"In booming Western markets, relatively few young adults live with parents," said Zillow senior economist Aaron Terrazas, "not because rents are cheap but because family is far away."

RELATED: The 10 US cities where millennials can't wait to move

In other American cities, like New York City, Miami and Los Angeles, the number of millennials living at home shoots up to almost one in three. In Los Angeles, where the average rent tends to outpace New York City, young Americans are spending an average of 47.3 percent of their take home income on rent.

The median rent in the United States is $1,447 per month, but in San Francisco, that number is as high as $3,420.

Although all these statistics sound depressing for millennials in the workforce now, it doesn't sound like much will improve for the subsequent Generation Z.

As RENTCafe reported last month, "Gen Z-ers are expected to pay something in the vicinity of $102,000 while in their 20s just to put a rented roof over their head."

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.

