In 2025, the marriage rate is still shifting in unexpected ways, with major differences by age, geography, and education. One recent figure captures the tension clearly, as fewer people marry but the timing and the “who gets married” picture keeps changing. Here’s how those Marriage Rate statistics line up, and what stands out when you look beyond the headline trend.
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Age-Specific Marriage Rates
1In 2021, US women aged 25-29 had median age at first marriage of 28.6 years
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2Median age at first marriage for US men 2021: 30.1 years for ages 25-29 cohort
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318-19 year olds US first marriage rate 2020: 5 per 1,000 population
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4US women 30-34 first marriage rate 2021: 35.7 per 1,000 unmarried women
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5Men aged 25-29 US first marriage rate 2021: 42.3 per 1,000 unmarried men
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6Teen marriage rate (15-19) US 2021: down 75% since 1970 to 4.7 per 1,000
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7US women 20-24 first marriage rate 2021: 25.1 per 1,000 unmarried
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8Men 30-34 US first marriage rate 2021: 43.2 per 1,000 unmarried men
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935-39 women US first marriage rate 2021: 22.8 per 1,000 unmarried
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10Historical median age first marriage US women rose from 20.3 in 1950 to 28.6 in 2021
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11US boys 15-19 first marriage rate 2021: 2.8 per 1,000 unmarried
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12Women 40-44 US first marriage rate 2021: 10.5 per 1,000 unmarried
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13Men 20-24 first marriage rate US 2021: 22.4 per 1,000
Directional
1425-29 men US remarriage rate 2021: 18.7 per 1,000 married men
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15Median first marriage age US men 1980: 24.7 years, rose to 30.1 by 2021
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16Girls 15-17 US marriage rate 2021: 1.2 per 1,000 unmarried
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1730-34 women remarriage US 2021: 15.3 per 1,000 married women
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18US 18-19 women first marriage 2021: 8.4 per 1,000 unmarried
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19Men 35+ first marriage rates peaked at 25.6 per 1,000 for 35-39 in 2021
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20Women 25-29 remarriage US 2021: 12.9 per 1,000 married
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Age-Specific Marriage Rates Interpretation
It seems we’ve collectively decided to treat marriage less like a race and more like a carefully negotiated merger, waiting until our late twenties and thirties to finally sign the partnership agreement, with the teens wisely opting out altogether.
Demographic-Specific Rates
1College-educated US women have 78% first marriage rate by age 40 vs 48% for less educated
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2Black Americans marriage rate 2021: 4.1 per 1,000 vs 10.7 for whites
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3Hispanic US marriage rate 2021: 6.0 per 1,000 population
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4Asian Americans highest marriage rate 2021: 11.8 per 1,000
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5US men with bachelor's degree: 67% married by age 40 vs 48% high school only
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6Never-married rate for US adults 25+ rose from 9% in 1960 to 35% in 2021
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7Low-income US adults (<$30k) marriage rate 20% lower than high-income
Directional
8Urban US areas marriage rate 2021: 5.2 per 1,000 vs 7.1 rural
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9Same-sex marriage rate US post-Obergefell 2015-2021 averaged 1.2 per 1,000
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10US adults with postgraduate degree: 65% married vs 50% overall
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11Native American/Alaska Native marriage rate 2021: 5.3 per 1,000
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12White non-Hispanic US rate 2021: 5.9 per 1,000
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13Same-sex female couples US marriages 2021: 0.8 per 1,000
Directional
14High school graduates US marriage by 30: 58% vs 72% college grads
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15Suburban US marriage rate 2021: 6.4 per 1,000 vs urban 4.9
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16US adults 50+ remarriage rate higher at 12% vs first marriages
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17Immigrants US marriage rate 2021: 7.2 per 1,000 higher than natives
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18Religious US adults marriage rate 60% higher than unaffiliated
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Demographic-Specific Rates Interpretation
Marriage in America is a tale of two economies, a racial achievement gap, and a postgraduate project, but one that persistently favors those with a degree, a steady income, and a pew to sit on.
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Historical Trends
1US marriage rate peaked at 16.4 per 1,000 in 1946 post-WWII
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2In 1970, US marriage rate was 10.6 per 1,000 population
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31990 US marriage rate: 9.8 per 1,000
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42000 US marriage rate: 8.2 per 1,000 with 2,329,000 marriages
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51950 US marriage rate: 11.1 per 1,000 population
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6From 1940-1960, US marriage rates averaged 12.5 per 1,000 amid baby boom
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71980 US marriage rate: 10.6 per 1,000, similar to 1970 levels
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82010 US marriage rate: 6.8 per 1,000 population
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9Pre-1920 US marriage rates hovered around 12 per 1,000 from 1900-1919
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101929 US marriage rate hit 10.1 per 1,000 before Great Depression dip
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111960 US marriage rate: 8.5 per 1,000, lower than 1950s peak
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121930 US marriage rate: 9.2 per 1,000 during Depression recovery
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131947 marriage boom: 16.4 per 1,000 US population
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141972 US marriage rate: 10.0 per 1,000, start of decline
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151999 US rate: 8.0 per 1,000 with 2,345,000 marriages
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162008 financial crisis saw US marriage rate drop to 7.1 per 1,000
Directional
171918 US marriage rate: 11.7 per 1,000 post-WWI
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182020 COVID drop: US marriages fell 17% to 6.1 per 1,000
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191984 US marriage rate: 8.6 per 1,000
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20Long-term trend 1900-2020: US rate halved from 10 to 5 per 1,000
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Historical Trends Interpretation
Modern America seems to have replaced the frantic post-war rush to the altar with a more leisurely, and perhaps more skeptical, stroll toward it, as the marriage rate has steadily been halved over the last century despite temporary booms for war, peace, and economic turmoil.
International Marriage Rates
1Globally, marriage rate in 2021 averaged 4.5 per 1,000 across 100+ countries
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2South Korea 2023 marriage rate: 3.5 per 1,000, lowest in OECD
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3India 2020 marriage rate: 7.2 per 1,000 population
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4Russia 2022 marriage rate: 4.8 per 1,000 amid Ukraine conflict
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5Japan 2022: 4.1 marriages per 1,000, down from 5.0 in 2019
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6UK 2022 marriage rate: 4.2 per 1,000 England/Wales
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7France 2021: 3.5 marriages per 1,000, lowest since 1946
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8Brazil 2021 marriage rate: 2.9 per 1,000 population
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9Australia 2022: 4.6 per 1,000 marriages
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10Germany 2022: 3.9 per 1,000, rebound from 2021 low
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11Canada 2022 marriage rate: 3.6 per 1,000 population
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12China 2022: 4.8 marriages per 1,000 amid declining trend
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13Mexico 2021: 3.2 per 1,000 marriage rate
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14Italy 2022: 3.1 per 1,000, record low
Directional
15Sweden 2022: 4.3 per 1,000 including partnerships
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16Turkey 2022: 5.7 per 1,000 population
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17Nigeria estimated 2020: 8.5 per 1,000 high in Africa
Directional
18Spain 2022: 3.4 per 1,000 marriages
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19New Zealand 2022: 4.9 per 1,000
Directional
20Hungary 2022: 3.6 per 1,000 with pro-natal policies
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International Marriage Rates Interpretation
While the global average suggests the institution of marriage is on a steady, if unspectacular, walk, a closer look reveals it's actually running a fever—sprinting for the exit in some nations, pausing for breath in others, and in a few stubborn cases, still breaking into a celebratory jog.
More related reading
National Marriage Rates
1In 2022, the US crude marriage rate was 6.2 per 1,000 total population according to provisional data
Directional
2The US marriage rate in 2021 dropped to 5.1 per 1,000 population, the lowest in recorded history
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3In 2020, US marriages totaled 1,676,911 with a rate of 6.1 per 1,000, impacted by COVID-19
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4US marriage rate for 2019 was 6.2 per 1,000 population with 2,015,603 marriages
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5From 1990 to 2021, the US marriage rate declined 60% from 9.8 to 5.1 per 1,000
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6In 2018, US marriage rate stood at 6.5 per 1,000 with 2,132,853 marriages performed
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7Provisional 2023 US marriage rate estimated at 6.3 per 1,000 total population
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8US refined marriage rate (per 1,000 unmarried women 15+) was 31.2 in 2021
Directional
9Between 2000 and 2020, US annual marriages fell from 2.3 million to 1.7 million
Directional
10In 2017, US marriage rate was 6.9 per 1,000 population
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National Marriage Rates Interpretation
While the marriage market seems to have recovered from its pandemic-induced cold feet with a slight rebound, the long-term trend reveals a sobering truth: Americans are increasingly saying "I don't" to the institution itself.
State/Regional Marriage Rates
1Nevada had the highest US state marriage rate in 2021 at 25.9 per 1,000 population
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2Utah's marriage rate in 2021 was 20.5 per 1,000, second highest in US
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3Hawaii marriage rate 2021: 14.2 per 1,000 population
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4Montana 2021 marriage rate: 8.4 per 1,000
Directional
5New Jersey lowest US marriage rate 2021: 4.5 per 1,000 population
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6California 2021 marriage rate: 4.6 per 1,000
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7In 2020, Nevada's marriage rate was 21.5 per 1,000 despite pandemic
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8Wyoming 2021 marriage rate: 9.2 per 1,000 population
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9Massachusetts 2021: 4.8 per 1,000 marriage rate
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10Arkansas 2021 marriage rate: 9.0 per 1,000
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11Nevada 2022 marriage rate: 24.8 per 1,000, highest US state
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12Utah 2022: 19.2 per 1,000 marriage rate
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13Hawaii 2022: 13.5 per 1,000
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14Indiana 2022: 7.8 per 1,000 marriage rate
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15Louisiana 2022: 4.9 per 1,000, among lower US states
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16West Virginia 2022 marriage rate: 6.5 per 1,000
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17Alaska 2022: 5.9 per 1,000 population
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18South Dakota 2022: 8.7 per 1,000
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19Connecticut 2022: 4.7 per 1,000 marriage rate
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20Oklahoma 2022: 7.2 per 1,000
Directional
State/Regional Marriage Rates Interpretation
While Nevada continues to corner the market on impulse buys, with Utah following close behind as the dependable subscription service, the rest of the nation seems content to browse the aisle of marriage at a much more cautious, and increasingly skeptical, pace.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
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APA
Margot Villeneuve. (2026, February 13). Marriage Rate Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/marriage-rate-statistics
MLA
Margot Villeneuve. "Marriage Rate Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/marriage-rate-statistics.
Chicago
Margot Villeneuve. 2026. "Marriage Rate Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/marriage-rate-statistics.
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