Not since 1880, when the U.S. government first began keeping matrimonial statistics, has the country had more single people between the ages of 25 and 34 than married ones—until 2009 rolled around. As of last year, the rate of unmarried in this prime marital age group reached 46.3%, compared to 44.9% of those who had tied the knot.

 

The U.S. has been trending towards fewer marriages for decades, from 1960 when 72.2% of all adults were married to 2009 when only 52% were hitched.

 

The recession and weak economic recovery have helped push even more young Americans away from marital commitments, with the plan to wait until they’re better off financially. The growing acceptance of couples living together without being married is considered another factor in the declining rate of marriage, as is the fact that more women are working.

 

In many of the largest cities, the vast majority of individuals age 25-34 are not married, such as San Francisco (82%), and Atlanta, New York and Minneapolis, with shares greater than 75%.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

New Vow: I Don't Take Thee (by Conor Dougherty, Wall Street Journal)

Saying No to ‘I Do,’ With the Economy in Mind (by Erik Eckholm, New York Times)

In U.S., Proportion Married at Lowest Recorded Levels (by Mark Mather and Diana Lavery, Population Research Bureau)