Times have changed since 1975, but for one specific age group the figures are staggering.

According to a recent report from the United States Census Bureau, 30-year-olds in 1975 were more likely to be living on their own, be married and own their own home than their 2015 counterparts.

In 1975, 90 percent of 30-year-olds were living on their own compared to 70 percent of 30-year-olds in 2015. Likewise, in 1975, 89 percent were married, 56 percent owned a home and 71 percent were earning a moderate income. Statistics show that only 70 percent of 30-year-olds in 2015 lived on their own, only 57 percent were ever married, 33 percent owned a home and 55 percent earned a moderate income.

Why has such decline in these areas occurred for 30-year-olds?

Randy Hohle, State University at Fredonia assistant professor of sociology, said there are a variety of reason behind the shift. Hohle said when you look at 1975, it was a much different time period than today.

“(In 1975), you start seeing the end of an era of being able to get a job without an education,” he said, adding it was more common to find a job with less education in 1975.

However, in today’s job market, jobs that require less skills are few and far between, Hohle said. The 30-year-olds of today were given the impression that after high school, they had to attend college while the same was not true of 30-year-olds in 1975. This lends itself to the Millennial generation starting their lives a bit later, Hohle said.

“If you get a four-year degree, you’re not starting your life until 21 or 22,” he said.

After they graduate and find jobs, Hohle said many Millennials are working more and more hours.

“Their life is their job. You know how many hours you’re working at a job it’s not just 40 hours a week anymore,” he said. “If work is your life, when are you going to start a family or move out of your (parents’) home?”

Hohle pointed out those who don’t attend college also face a conundrum.

“If you didn’t go to college, you might find it would be hard to move out of your parents’ house,” he said. “You might not be able to afford rent in an unskilled job making $12 or $15 an hour.”

Facing these types of obstacles, Hohle said Millennials almost have to start their lives later.

“(Looking at being) 30 today might be what it was to be 18 or 20 in 1975,” he said.

Hohle said he didn’t agree with the assumption that Millennials have less ambition or work ethic than previous generations.

“Millennials get a bad wrap. I think what’s going is on is we’ve been living in a state of economic insecurity,” he said. “(The 30-year-olds) did everything they were supposed to do but they’re not really getting the types of jobs they were promised.”

Hohle said Americans are still enamored of the American Dream, but working hard isn’t the fix-all for every problem anymore.

“Young people are still very much working hard but there’s almost a disconnect between them and their parents,” he said, adding parents are seeing their children have done everything they were supposed to, but they still aren’t “succeeding” by traditional measures. “It’s almost easier to say they’re lazy than to confront some of the issues.”

Despite these challenges, there are some 30-year-olds who have managed to marry, have a house and a moderate income. Hohle said these success stories could possibly amount to a luck of the draw situation.

“It does kind of matter what family you’re born into. Families that are well-to-do are more imbedded in social networks,” he said, adding well-connected and affluent families may make it easier for their children to succeed through connections or financial backing.

Hohle said this isn’t something young adults had to contend with so much in 1975.

“I don’t think you had to worry about that luck of the draw as much,” he said.

By working hard, showing up on time and keeping their noses to the grindstone, 30-year-olds in 1975 could be successful and make a decent living.

“We don’t have an economy where you can make a living wage by working hard,” Hohle said, adding soft skills, training and more are necessary in today’s workforce. He said the future could hold even more changes for 30-year-olds decades from now.

“I think they are going to live in a world where we have a 30-hour work week. Now, with the number of people, you don’t need to work 40 hours-a-week. Eventually, we’ll need to scale down,” Hohle said. “I also think you’ll see the trend continuing that people will have less children.”

He said what is considered young adulthood might also shift.

“Young adulthood might deteriorate from 21 to 30 as you figure out what you want to do with yourself,” Hohle said.