Married couples have been more likely to live with roommates in recent years, according to the real estate site Trulia. However, only a small fraction of couples had this type of living arrangement and it was more likely to apply to renters than homeowners.

Trulia used census data to determine how frequently married couples lived with someone who was not a family member. A total of 3.28 percent of all households in the United States had a roommate present in 2018, representing about 4.2 million households.

Just 0.46 percent of married couples lived with a roommate last year, representing about 280,000 households. This was an increase of about 28 percent from a historical average of 0.36 percent between 1995 and 2018. While just 0.34 percent of married homeowners had a roommate living at their residence, this was up almost 40 percent from the historical average.

Trulia also found that married couples were more likely to take on roommates in more expensive markets, especially in the West. Of the major metro areas included in the study, Honolulu had the highest share of married couples living with roommates at 2.31 percent. The share stood at 2.06 percent in Orange County, Calif. and 1.89 percent in San Francisco.

The analysis also determined that every $100,000 increase in median home value in a market was associated with a 0.25 percentage point increase in the share of married households living with a roommate. Trulia says that in markets with higher housing costs, a roommate can help shoulder some of the burden of rent or mortgage expenses.

Married couples who were renting their residence were more likely to have a roommate. The three-month rolling average for this type of household rose from 0.17 percent in 1995 to peak at 1.06 percent in 2012. The average fell to 0.84 percent in 2017, but increased to 0.91 percent in 2018.

Among married homeowners, the three-month rolling average for households with a roommate stood at just 0.05 percent in 1995. It gradually increased over the next two decades, reaching 0.38 percent in 2013 before dropping to 0.28 percent in 2017. In 2018, 0.29 percent of married homeowners had a roommate living with them.

Marianne Hayes, writing for the financial site Learnvest in 2016, offered several tips for homeowners considering a roommate. These included making sure your relationship is strong, since a divorce would leave the roommate's housing arrangements in limbo; establishing certain rules and responsibilities; and understanding that the living arrangement will require compromise.