Midwestern Metro Is Now a Hub for Solo Living With Nearly 40% Being One-Person Households

The traditional American dream of a home for a family of four is shifting as solo living rises nationwide—with one Midwestern city emerging as a primary hub for this one-person household trend.

During the decade between 2014 and 2024, the nationwide share of households made up of one person saw a modest increase, from 27.8% to 28.9%.

However, in Jackson, MI—a city of 31,000 inhabitants, roughly 65 miles east of Kalamazoo—the percentage of single-person households jumped more than 10%, rising from 28.6% in 2014 to 38.7% in 2024, according to a new National Association of Realtors® analysis of American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample from the U.S. Census Bureau. 

"A decade ago, about one in four households lived alone. Today, it is nearly four in ten," writes Nadia Evangelou, principal economist and director of real estate research for NAR. 

In Jackson, perhaps best known as the place where the Republican Party was formally organized in 1854, single-person households no longer represent a minor segment of the local housing market—they are emerging as a defining feature of the city's demographic composition.

How did Jackson become a singles hub?

Evangelou partially attributes the rise of solo living in Jackson to several factors, including widowed or divorced seniors aging in place. However, because the metro’s median age rose only slightly in 10 years—from 41.2 to 41.8—aging alone does not fully account for the shift.

While retirees make up about 47% of those living alone in Jackson, Evangelou tells Realtor.com® the growth of single-person households has been concentrated among adults aged 25 to 44 years old over the past decade.

A closer look at this demographic segment shows that the share of people ages 25 to 34 living on their own rose significantly since 2014, while the 35-to-44 group nearly doubled.

"Jackson is seeing more younger and midlife adults living independently, which is more about delayed marriage and midlife household shifts than aging alone," says Evangelou.

In other words, as total households in Jackson rose over the years, the share of traditional family households with parents and children declined as more individuals struck out on their own.

According to the NAR economist, affordability may have played a role in this shift. While in pricey metros like New York City or Boston, living alone can be prohibitively expensive. But in more affordable markets like those in the Midwest, creating a household of one is more feasible.

"Housing markets that remain relatively affordable can allow individuals—whether young professionals, midcareer workers, or older adults—to live independently," notes Evangelou.

According to the latest housing data, the median listing price in Jackson was $189,900 in January, up 3.5% year over year but less than half the national figure of $399,900.

The typical condo or townhome in the city came with an asking price of $219,900, higher than the median for single-family homes. Realtor.com senior economist Joel Berner says this disparity in asking prices possibly reflects the surge in single-person households.

Jackson is not alone. Data analysis carried out by NAR reveals that many of the metros with the largest increases in the share of solo households are clustered in relatively budget-friendly Midwestern states like Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

"These are not necessarily the fastest-growing population centers in the country," explains Evangelou. "Instead, they are markets where population growth may be moderate, but household composition is changing."

What does it mean for the housing market?

A surge in one-person households increases the total number of units required to house the same population, potentially straining housing availability.

Evangelou says this dynamic is seen in Jackson, where the metro has not experienced a sudden population boom.

"When household size shrinks, housing demand rises even if the population stays flat," she says. "Jackson’s population barely changed, but smaller households mean more units are needed to house the same number of people."

The economist points out that the rise in solo households in the Midwest is both a sign of economic health, but also a demographic warning sign of declining fertility and marriage rates.

"Living alone can reflect financial independence and the ability to afford their own space," says Evangelou. "But declining births suggest demographic shifts as well."

In Jackson, the birth rate declined from about 11 births per 1,000 residents in 2014 to nearly 10 per 1,000 in 2024, slightly below the national rate, which also dropped over the decade. The NAR researcher says this pullback reflects longer-term shifts in marriage and family formation.

"Regardless of the cause, the housing market still has to adjust to more one-person households and smaller average household sizes," adds Evangelou.

For housing, Berner says growth in single-person households means that younger people will continue living in condos and apartments for longer, requiring a different kind of inventory in the market.

"If this is truly what's happening, we may be oversupplied in single-family homes and undersupplied in apartments and condos," he says. "The solution would be to continue the trends we're already seeing among builders, where they're delivering smaller and more affordable units."