If you're a parent in New Jersey and your grown children are still living with you, you have a lot of company.

Nearly 47 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds were still living at home last year, Census data show, making New Jersey the top state in the nation for millennials living with their parents in 2015.

Young adults were more likely to live with their parents than to live with a spouse or partner in their own residence. Only a third of that age group lived independently of their relatives.

Other Eastern states grappled with the same issue -- Connecticut and New York tied for the second-highest rate of parental living. North Dakota and the District of Columbia were the most independent-minded. Overall, 34 percent of the nation's millennials lived with their parents in 2015.

Plenty of explanations have been posited, including young adults marrying at a later age and working towards a college degree. But recent Census data on economic trends reveals that New Jersey dragged behind the nation in wage growth, suggesting that economic factors may be giving millennials an incentive to stay home.

That's not likely to change in the next year. Job growth from July 2015 to 2016 ticked up a measly 1.4 percent in the state, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate hovered above 5 percent in New Jersey, while the rest of the nation and Northeast fell to 4.8 percent.

Meanwhile, recent college graduates are strapped with debt -- with the average debt load of a 2014 graduate topping $28,000, according to the Institute for College Access and Success.

There's a gender divide at work as well. On a national level, women are still more likely to live with a spouse or partner, according to Pew Research Center.

A few 35 to 64 year olds chose to stay home, but the majority lived with their spouse. More senior citizens lived alone than other age groups, as relatives passed away or moved to nursing homes.

The most codependent counties trended north, with Hunterdon, Passaic and Sussex each having more than 55 percent of millennials living with their parents. Hudson and Cumberland had the most millennials living in their own homes.

This situation could hurt each county's economy, since millennials have been put on pause on buying houses and starting families, said Brandon McKoy, a policy analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective.

"It's impossible for them to live full lives," he said.

Erin Petenko may be reached at epetenko@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @EPetenko. Find NJ.com on Facebook.