Spatial Distance Between Parents and Adult Children in the United States
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional analysis of national survey data (by design analogy, not clinical CEBM)
OpenAlex W2899457775 · doi:10.1111/jomf.12606
What was done
The authors analyzed 2013 Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) data to measure residential spatial distance between US adults aged 25 and older and each of their living parents and adult children. They assessed two proximity outcomes: distance to the nearest parent or adult child, and the proportion of adults having all parents and adult children living nearby (defined as within 30 miles), alongside sociodemographic and geographic variations.
What was found
Among adults with at least one living parent or adult child, 74.8% lived within 30 miles of their nearest parent or adult child, while 35.5% had all parents and adult children living within 30 miles. Socioeconomically disadvantaged groups were significantly more likely to have parents or adult children living nearby. Sociodemographic disparities were notably wider when evaluating proximity to all family members rather than just the single nearest relative.
Why it matters
This study updates decades-old US national estimates on parent-child geographic distance and demonstrates that evaluating proximity to all family members captures socioeconomic disparities in family clustering that nearest-relative metrics overlook.
Limits
The abstract does not report the exact sample size. The analysis is cross-sectional from 2013 data, preventing causal conclusions regarding family solidarity or residential choice, and it does not report measures of actual contact frequency or relationship quality.
Cited by
- supports Approximately 60% of adults in the United States live within 50 miles of their parents.