Determining the amount of bedrooms in a home is one of the first decisions buyers and renters have to make, and in some metros it can be hard to find the perfect fit. To help determine which metros are most likely for homebuyers and renters to bunk up in a room, Trulia released a new report, titled the “Bunk Bed Generation.”
Decades ago, sharing a bedroom was a commonality. Two, three kids to a room was the reality for many families, but as homes began to grow and modernize, that way of life became less common. In 2009, 14.2 percent of households had fewer bedrooms than family members. Today, that figure is 0.5 percent higher, at 14.7 percent of households.
Trulia used the U.S. Census 2014 5-year American Community Survey data to determine which cities have people facing a space crunch. Married couples and children were assumed to need a bedroom each.
Accoridng to the report, renters are squeezed into a space without having a bedroom for each individual or couple more often than homeowners. Only 8.1 percent of households who own have a space crunch, but 26.4 percent who rent experience the tight squeeze.
Throughout the country, some metros are more common than others for residents to share rooms. The West had the largest percentage of space issues, with Los Angeles leading the charge. Overall, 29.2 percent of households in L.A. have to share a room.
Renters in L.A. are the ones that suffer most, with 41.8 percent of renter households sharing a room, and 15.9 percent of homeowners sharing space. New York City was right behind L.A., with 35.8 percent of renters sharing space and 12.9 percent of homeowners in a tight squeeze.
Of the top five, NYC is the only city not in California. Anaheim, Riverside and San Francisco were ranked in succession. In San Francisco, 33.5 percent of renters share space, and 11 percent of owners share.
Miami ranked in the no. 6 spot. The Sunshine State city has 31.8 percent of its renter households in a tight crunch and 13.5 percent of renters in the same situation.
Chicago is the highest Midwestern city on the list, but Minneapolis and St. Louis also made appearances. In Chicago, 29.5 percent of its renters share a space, and 10.5 percent of homeowners share.
Ranking just below Chicago is Houston and Dallas. According to the report, 11.1 percent of Houston residents have to share a tight space, and 28.8 percent of renters are in a tight squeeze.
In Washington D.C., residents who own aren’t likely to be in a tight squeeze, as only 6.6 percent of them were reported to be in a crunch. Renters are a different story, though, with 24.6 percent of them sharing at least one room.
