An old saying that two can live as cheaply as one appears to have a corollary brought on by the recession: Two or more generations can live more cheaply together than apart.
A recent report from the Pew Research Center looked at data from the 2010 Census and concluded that bringing multiple generations under one roof is at a historic high. Multigenerational households went from 46.5 million to 51.4 million between 2007 and 2009, Pew found.
The Census Bureau said multigenerational households nationally comprised 3.8 percent of all households. In states, mixed-generation households ranged from 1.1 percent in North Dakota to 7.2 percent in Hawaii.
Bloomberg News said in a report earlier this month that the bump in generations living together has created a niche market for homes designed for them and that PulteGroup, Inc., Lenar and KB Homes are responding.
