Zillow: Houstonians are doubling up as rent costs rise

Nationally, nearly one-in-three adults live with a roommate or parent, according to a new Zillow report. >>>See h igh vs. low: Apartment rent costs in the Houston area. Nationally, nearly one-in-three adults live with a roommate or parent, according to a new Zillow report. >>>See h igh vs. low: Apartment rent costs in the Houston area. Photo: David Zalubowski, STF Photo: David Zalubowski, STF Image 1 of / 36 Caption Close Zillow: Houstonians are doubling up as rent costs rise 1 / 36 Back to Gallery

About a third of adults are living with a roommate or parent in Houston, mirroring the trend for the U.S. as housing costs have shot up, a new Zillow report showed.

"As rents have outpaced incomes, living alone is no longer an option for many working-aged adults," Zillow senior economist Aaron Terrazas said in an announcement.

"By sharing a home with roommates -- or in some cases, with adult parents -- working adults are able to afford to live in more desirable neighborhoods without shouldering the full cost alone."

In the Houston metro, 32.8 percent of adults lived in doubled-up households in 2016. That's up from 24.3 percent in 2000. Houstonians pay a median of $1,578 in rent, and can expect to spend 28.8 percent of their income to afford it, the study found.

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Nationwide, 30.2 percent of households had roommates, up from 22.1 percent in 2000. Americans making the median income can expect to spend 29.1 percent of their pay on the median rent of $1,432.

Residents were even more likely to have roommates in high dollar markets such as New York (40 percent), Los Angeles (45.5 percent), and Miami (41 percent), according to Zillow.

"Unless current dynamics shift and income growth exceeds rent growth for a sustained period of time, this trend is unlikely to change," Terrazas said.

Many Houston residents are living with friends or family in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey while their homes are being repaired. Demand for single-family rentals rose by 6.8 percent in November, according to the Houston Association of Realtors.

The doubled-up households in Zillow's study reflect two or more working-aged adults that live together but aren't married or in a relationship. It could mean two millennial roommates or an adult living with parents.