By Jane Han

NEW YORK ― In America, adult men who live with their parents are easily labeled losers, a social segment snubbed by single women. So it may be bad news for bachelorettes that this crowd is only getting bigger in the U.S.

Now, one in five American men aged 24 to 35 live under the same roof as their mother and father, according to a new analysis from the U.S. Census Bureau. The proportion of men relying on their parents rose from 14 percent in 2005 to 19 percent in 2011.

In Korea, young adults living off their parents are more widely accepted as ``kangaroo kids,’’ but not so much in the U.S., where kids are encouraged to become independent at the age of 18.

So why the sudden lifestyle change? Blame the economy.

``They’re jobless without money to pay rent, so what’s the next smart step? Move in back home where they even get free food as bonus,’’ says Robert Chellis, a financial advisor based in Connecticut.

The U.S. jobless rate edged down to 9 percent in October from 9.1 percent in September, but young adults are still largely saddled with college and credit card debt.

He says individuals can save at least $1,000 to $1,500 ― or a lot more depending on the area ― by not spending on rent, utility bills and groceries.

``Once guys see the money involved, they quickly get over the humiliation,’’ said Chellis. And parents, for the most part, don’t seem to have a problem welcoming home their kids again.

The Census Bureau says the wealth gap between younger and older Americans is the widest ever. A typical U.S. household headed by a person aged 65 or older has a net worth 47 times greater than a household headed by someone under 35, according to new data released early this month.

Young adults are slammed with debt even before they get a chance to enter the workforce, economists say.

Men may be taking a bigger blow than women as fewer women shack up with their parents.

Data shows that only 10 percent of women aged 24 to 25 are living at home this year, up from 8 percent in 2005.

Experts say young male adults might have it tougher since the manufacturing and construction industries that had the steepest job cuts during the recession traditionally since they hire more men than women.