According to a recent policy brief by the MacAurthur Foundation, there has been a 50-percent increase in the number of young adults living at home during the past years. This directly led to a 19-percent increase in parental financial contributions.

An analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by Bizjournals.com ranks Seattle as the smartest city in the country.

Forty-seven percent of Seattle's adults hold bachelor's degrees, the strongest proportion of college-educated residents in any big American city. It's nearly double the U.S. average of 24.4 percent.

Patrick Pineda, a UW alumnus and Gateway Center employee, believes most students move back home for financial reasons.

"I know a lot of people who live with their parents," he said. "[However], most people I know who live with their parents after graduation already did so before they graduated. Some have always lived with their parents, and others moved back after living [near campus] for a while. Others had two homes. They'd have a place at the dorms [and] continue to spend time at their parents'."

Teja Dyamenahalli, a UW alumna now attending medical school, is one graduate who has taken advantage of her family home.

"I live in a house my parents own, but not with them," she said. "It makes sense. ... It's home, I don't pay rent [and] it's in the area. Once in a while [my parents] check on me and my brother."

Dyamenahalli has friends from high school who, after leaving the area for college, are returning to live with their parents.

"They are back ... and are trying to figure out what to do," she said. "It doesn't make sense to try and find a place if you don't know if you want to stay in the area."

Recent graduate Lisa Best said the job market also plays a role in the decisions.

"Sometimes it comes down to if there are jobs where your parents live. I have friends who are planning for it when they graduate, ... for example my roommate. She decided against it because her parents live in central Washington and it's harder to get a job out there," Best said.

Best works in human resources and said this is one of the best job markets in the last five years.

"It's hard to find companies here that aren't hiring," she said.

The Bizjournals.com analysis found that Seattle is second to Washington, D.C., in the share of people with advanced diplomas.

Twenty-one percent of the District of Columbia's adults have earned graduate or professional degrees, followed by Seattle at 17 percent. The national average is 8.9 percent.

"I think what's changed is the needs and higher standards," Best said. "If someone expects to make $60,000 out of college, they're going to be disappointed."

Some people may think it would be hard to move back in with parents after living on their own. However, Dyamenahalli said it is about adjustment.

"I wouldn't call them problems," she said. "It's just a matter of adjusting. Your parents will always be your parents. If you've been used to living on your own for a while, it may take some getting used to having some form of rules again."

Contrary to that opinion, Best said she would choose to live on her own over moving back in with parents.

"I'm from out of state, ... but if I had the option, I'd prefer to live on my own because I'm independent," she said. "For most people who decide to move back in, the most difficult part, I'd say, would be the personal space and freedom. There's also the availability of advice, which can keep you from developing as an adult."

However, Best pointed out that advice and support can be great advantages available when living at home.

"It's nice to have that support base to come back to," she said. "There's also the obvious financial [part] if your parents pay for room and board."

Opinions vary on the subject of whether a recent grad should move back home or stake out on his or her own.

"Most of my friends are living on their own, but of those, most don't have jobs, so their parents are already helping them out in a way," Best said. "Living at home is mentioned in passing. ... I don't know that it holds the same stigma it used to. As adults I believe we should have self-sufficiency. Still, I understand for some people it's the only option after college."