New 2010 census data shows that today’s young adults are greatly struggling to build lives for themselves—nearly 1 in 5 risks living in poverty. They’re also delaying life milestones like moving away, getting married, and buying homes. Part of the reason, the data shows, is that 20-somethings and 30-somethings are forced to eke by with jobs as bartenders, waiters, and other odd jobs as they wait out the stagnant economy, living with their parents to save money. A staggering 5.9 million Americans aged 25-34 reported living with Mom and Pops last year. “We have a monster job problem, and young people are the biggest losers,” one Northeastern University economist told The Associated Press. A Harvard economy professor added, “These people will be scarred, and they will be called the ‘lost generation.’”
