Young adults (18-29) living with parents (US)

American states with feral-hog populations expanding and the share of American young adults living with their parents also expanding. Two completely independent migration patterns, two completely different generations on the move. One is moving into more states; the other is, in fact, not moving at all.

US states with established feral hog populations grew from about 30 in 2004 to over 38 by 2020 as the species expanded its range across the South, Mountain West, and into the Midwest. The share of US young adults (18-29) living with parents grew from about 27 percent in 2004 to over 47 percent during the pandemic, lifted by housing costs, student debt, and shifting cultural preferences. Two completely unrelated migration trends sharing a window because the same sixteen years happened to be productive for one species' range and unproductive for one generation's housing independence.

Two populations in slow geographic shift. The hogs colonised; the young adults stayed put.