As a teen and perhaps even into your college years you couldn’t wait to be out on your own, far away from your parents.

Remember how good if felt to have your own dorm room at college followed by your own apartment without the prying eyes of your family.

Apparently, for some this remains true as they enter into adulthood, however, according to an article appearing in the New York Times for some things have changed. Over the last several decades, Americans have become less mobile, and most adults – especially those with less education or lower incomes — have not ventured far from their hometowns.

Analysis from the article says in fact the average adult lives under 20 miles from his or her mother.

And in the same light for some parents who thought their offspring were leaving their apron strings, listen up.  The article also reports that not only are many grown children relocating, staying, and living nearer to their parents, some are moving back under the same roof.

Important facts to take away from the article for those who have no interest in parting from their parents includes various reasons for the change.

As parents before you start packing up your daughter’s old stuffed animals or your son’s model airplanes, think twice. You never know if they will be back home to hang their clothing in their old rooms or simply visit from the neighborhood a few miles across town. Whatever the case may be, they are still your family through thick and thin.

Here is some insight into the article’s findings:

  • The data suggests a country of close-knit families, with members of multiple generations often lean on one another for financial and practical support. Thus, they want to be near in case they need one or the other.
  • Overall, the median distance Americans live from their mother is 18 miles, and about 20 percent are only a few hours’ drive from their parents home.
  • The biggest determinants of how far people stray from home is education and income. Those with college and professional degrees are more likely to live farther from their parents than those with a high school education.
  • More affluent people can afford to pay for services including child and elder care, while lower income families are more likely to rely on nearby relatives. It may mean that the more education an individual has under their belt, the farther from home they head.
  • Families live closest in the Northeast and the South, and farthest from one another on the West Coast and in the Mountain States. This is probably due to cultural reasons — Western families have typically been the least rooted.
  • Married individuals live farther from their parents than singles, and females are slightly likelier than men to leave their hometowns.
  • Except for college or military service, 37 percent of Americans had never lived outside their hometowns, and 57 percent had never lived outside their home states.

All of these reasons are according to the New York Times article mentioned above.

In the end, for some children who once decided to stay clear of their parents at all costs are now changing their tunes. As of late, many of them — now adults — are opting to live close by their mothers, as well as both parents, the article surmises.