Young adults-those between 18 and 34-represent 30.9% of all adults in the US and over 70 million customers. The segment is among the most ethnically diverse in the US, comprising 26% of the white population, but 33.9% of all Hispanics and large portions of the black and Asian segments of the US population. This generation is on the leading edge of the trend toward multiculturalism.

While this segment is a potentially lucrative target for many companies, it is also complex and must be examined carefully. As such, this report addresses a variety of questions regarding large-scale product development, brand building and communications efforts:

• What are the typical living arrangements of young adults?
• What type of lifestyles do young adults lead, and what leisure activities do they prefer?
• What are the average checking and savings account balances of young adults?
• What proportion has a credit card, and how much credit card debt do young adults typically have?
• What are the annual expenditures of young adults in various product categories?
• Where do young adults prefer to shop?
• How are 18-24s distinct from 25-34s?
• How do the spending patterns of various race and ethnic groups differ?
• How are advertising firms currently pitching to the segment?