More Americans are living alone than ever before

More Americans are living alone than ever before

On Monday, the viral app “Sile Me” (which roughly translates from Mandarin as a very literal “Are You Dead?”) became China’s most popular paid Apple App Store download. The app offers just one function: a button that users can press to confirm that they’re alive. If they fail to do so for two consecutive days, the app will reach out to an emergency contact.

Sile Me, myself, and I

The app’s sudden popularity puts a spotlight on the growing cohort of solo dwellers in the Eastern nation. Research suggests that there could be as many as 200 million one-person households in China by 2030 — and while a rapidly aging population explains some of that rise, younger people now also appear to be embracing living alone.

In America, it’s no different. Data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey for 2025 reveals that the number of one-person households in the US is edging close to a record 40 million, with the share of American households made up of just one person hitting an all-time high of 29%.

This includes an estimated ~1.3 million extra one-person households in 2025 compared with the prior year, though the Bureau noted that this may be reflective of methodological updates. Even so, the significant rise over the last decade indicates a broader societal shift that’s been playing out around the globe.

Like China, the surge in US solo dwellings is also being driven at the older end of the demographic spectrum: America’s population aged 65 and older, statistically the most likely cohort to live alone, is expected to keep booming.