ROCKVILLE, Md. (WUSA) --- Zachary Davis, 27, does not feel the urge to leave his parents' house.
"It's tough to justify spending a lot of money on an apartment when really I'd be moving a couple blocks away, and I have a pretty nice set-up here," he says.
U.S. Census data shows nearly 70,000 adult children are living at home in Montgomery County. That number is up 36 percent from 2000 to 2010.
In Fairfax County, 33 percent of adults live at their parents' house. In Prince George's County, the number is nearly 30 percent.
Two weeks ago, Davis finally landed a full-time job with benefits. He has been living with his parents since college graduation in 2006. His parents agreed to let him live rent-free while he was chasing after his dream of becoming a professional, mixed marital arts fighter.
Sandra Davis, his mom, says she and her husband, Evan, are supportive parents, but the family dynamics can get rough at times.
"It's a tense time at home," she says. Sometimes she admits she finds herself talking to her grown son as if he were a teenager.
She talks about some issues: doing dishes, laundry and taking out the trash.
Family counselor Mark Napack says parents need to have an honest conversation with their adult children about becoming independent.
He says parents should not feel any shame in setting realistic goals and expectations.
"The purpose of it is to empower the young adult rather than them getting stuck [at home]. So you want them to feel supported and empowered. And you want them to feel comfortable, but not too comfortable in the sense of there's nothing that needs to be done," he says.
Sandra says she is happy her son's job seems to be working out so far. She has discussed possible housing options near the job's location.
But Zach seems to have other ideas.
"I see it as a luxury of having my own place, where I don't have to hear the nagging. That might be worth at 100 or 200 bucks. But it's not worth a thousand bucks. It's a value judgment. To me, it's just not worth it yet."
Written by Elizabeth Jia
9NEWS NOW & WUSA9.com