From soaring Vegas chapels to quiet Northeastern vows, the story of American marriage is being rewritten by surprising new trends, as the latest data reveals everything from dramatic post-pandemic rebounds to sharp generational declines and surprising state-by-state disparities.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the U.S. marriage rate was 6.2 per 1,000 total population, up from 6.1 in 2021
- The number of marriages in the U.S. in 2021 totaled 2,077,000, a 12% increase from 2020's 1,850,000
- From 2012 to 2021, U.S. marriage rates declined by 22%, from 6.8 to 5.3 per 1,000 before rebounding slightly
- In 2021, U.S. divorce rate was 2.5 per 1,000 population, down from 3.6 in 2010
- Number of divorces in 2021 was 689,308, a 14% decline from 2019's 746,000
- Divorce rate peaked at 5.3 per 1,000 in 1981
- Mean age at first marriage for men rose from 22.5 in 1950 to 30.2 in 2022
- Women's mean age at first marriage increased from 20.1 in 1950 to 28.4 in 2022
- In 2021, 30% of men aged 25-29 never married, up from 11% in 1970
- 17% of adults 50+ ever remarried in 2021
- 40% of marriages are remarriages for at least one partner
- Second marriages comprise 29% of all U.S. marriages
- 64% of U.S. adults married or living with partner, 36% single in 2021
- 52% of adults 25+ married in 2021, highest for ages 45-54 at 65%
- College grads 65% married vs 50% high school only
The U.S. marriage rate has declined long-term but is experiencing a recent post-pandemic rebound.
Age at Marriage
- Mean age at first marriage for men rose from 22.5 in 1950 to 30.2 in 2022
- Women's mean age at first marriage increased from 20.1 in 1950 to 28.4 in 2022
- In 2021, 30% of men aged 25-29 never married, up from 11% in 1970
- Median age first marriage men 30.1 years in 2020
- Women median 28.6 at first marriage in 2020
- By age 35, 75% of women born 1980-84 had married vs 85% born 1960-64
- 35% of Gen Z adults 18-25 married in 2021, down from 50% Boomers at same age
- College-educated women first marry at 27.1 average vs 23.9 non-college
- Black women first marriage age 30.9 vs 26.1 white women in 2018
- Hispanic men first marriage 27.4 years median in 2020
- Asian women average first marriage age 29.2 in 2019, highest by race
- From 1970-2020, men's first marriage age rose 6.1 years
- 50% of women marry by age 28 today vs age 22 in 1970
- Never-married share for ages 25-34: 35% men, 27% women in 2021
- Urban women first marry at 28.9 vs 27.2 rural
- Midwest men first marriage 29.3 average vs Northeast 30.8 in 2019
- High school only men marry at 26.2 vs postgrad 31.5
- 40-year-olds never married hit 25% record in 2021
- Boomer women married by 30 at 82% rate vs Millennial 60%
- Same-sex men first marriage median age 34.5 in 2019
- Same-sex women 32.1 median first marriage age
- During WWII, men married at 24.3 average, post-war 23.1
- 2022 data: men 30.5, women 28.6 first marriage
- By age 45, 85% Millennial men married vs 90% prior gens
- Never-married men 25-50 income <$30k: 52%
- Women with children first marry younger by 2.1 years
- Northeast highest first marriage age: men 31.2, women 29.4
- South lowest: men 28.9, women 27.0
- 28% of never-married adults 40-44 cite career focus as reason
- 22% of 30-49 never-married say too picky
- 38% of never-married under 30 want to marry someday
Age at Marriage Interpretation
It seems modern love has traded the impulsive altar sprint for a cautious marathon, carefully navigating careers, finances, and personal fulfillment along the way.
Divorce Rates and Trends
- In 2021, U.S. divorce rate was 2.5 per 1,000 population, down from 3.6 in 2010
- Number of divorces in 2021 was 689,308, a 14% decline from 2019's 746,000
- Divorce rate peaked at 5.3 per 1,000 in 1981
- From 2008-2021, U.S. divorce rates fell 25%
- Nevada highest divorce rate 4.2 per 1,000 in 2022
- Massachusetts lowest at 0.9 divorces per 1,000 in 2021
- 45% of first marriages end in divorce within 20 years
- Divorce rate for second marriages is 60%, third 73%
- In 1960, divorce rate was 2.2 per 1,000, rising to 5.2 by 1979
- Refined divorce rate per 1,000 married women 15+ was 15.1 in 2021
- Divorces per 1,000 women 15-44 dropped from 22.6 in 1980 to 11.3 in 2021
- Arkansas highest divorce rate 3.4 per 1,000 in 2021
- California reported 69,000 divorces in 2021, most numerically
- Black divorce rate 30.8 per 1,000 married women 15+ in 2018, highest
- Asian rate lowest at 7.3 per 1,000 married women in 2018
- 2020 saw divorce filings drop 11% due to COVID lockdowns
- Women initiate 69% of divorces in heterosexual marriages
- Median duration of marriages ending in divorce is 8 years
- Northeast divorce rate 1.8 per 1,000 in 2021, lowest regionally
- South highest regional divorce rate 2.8 per 1,000 in 2021
- Divorces for ages 45-54 peaked at 25 per 1,000 married in 2008
- Gray divorce (50+) rate doubled from 1990-2010 to 10 per 1,000
- 2022 divorce rate 2.4 per 1,000, slight decline from 2021
- No-fault divorce laws correlated with 10-20% divorce spike in 1970s-80s
- Online divorces rose 20% post-2020 via virtual courts
- 25% of divorced couples reconcile within 5 years
- Military divorce rate 3.1 per 1,000 in 2021 vs civilian 2.5
- Same-sex divorce rate 1.1% annually vs 2% opposite-sex
- In 2021, median age at divorce for women was 45.1 years
- For men, median divorce age 47.3 in 2021
Divorce Rates and Trends Interpretation
Despite the lingering odds being grim enough to make a Vegas bookie blush, Americans are divorcing at historically lower rates, suggesting we're either getting better at picking partners, better at tolerating them, or have simply given up and opted for mutual, quiet desperation.
Marriage Rates and Trends
- In 2022, the U.S. marriage rate was 6.2 per 1,000 total population, up from 6.1 in 2021
- The number of marriages in the U.S. in 2021 totaled 2,077,000, a 12% increase from 2020's 1,850,000
- From 2012 to 2021, U.S. marriage rates declined by 22%, from 6.8 to 5.3 per 1,000 before rebounding slightly
- In 1900, the U.S. marriage rate was 9.3 per 1,000, peaking at 16.4 in 1946 post-WWII
- Nevada had the highest marriage rate in 2022 at 25.9 per 1,000, driven by Las Vegas weddings
- Hawaii had the lowest marriage rate in 2021 at 10.9 per 1,000 population
- U.S. marriages dropped 49% from 1970's 10.6 per 1,000 to 5.1 in 2020 due to COVID-19
- In 2019, 50% of U.S. adults aged 18+ were married, down from 72% in 1960
- The refined marriage rate (per 1,000 unmarried women 15+) was 31.3 in 2021
- Marriages per 1,000 women aged 15-44 fell from 76.5 in 1970 to 26.3 in 2021
- U.S. marriage rate for ages 25-54 was 17.8 per 1,000 in 2018
- From 2000-2019, annual U.S. marriages averaged 2.2 million
- Post-COVID rebound saw 2.4 million marriages in 2022
- Marriage rate among college graduates is 65% higher than non-grads
- In 2020, only 4.8 marriages per 1,000 due to pandemic shutdowns, lowest since 1900
- Utah's marriage rate was 19.8 per 1,000 in 2022, second highest nationally
- Massachusetts had a marriage rate of 4.0 per 1,000 in 2021, among the lowest
- Marriage rates for Black Americans were 14.7 per 1,000 in 2018, lowest by race
- Asian Americans had 22.1 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women 15+ in 2019
- From 1990-2020, U.S. marriage rates halved from 9.8 to 5.1 per 1,000
- New Jersey's marriage rate was 3.9 per 1,000 in 2022, lowest nationally
- In 1950s, peak decade averaged 10.5 marriages per 1,000 annually
- 2023 provisional data shows marriage rate at 6.5 per 1,000
- Marriage rate for men aged 25-34 was 28.5 per 1,000 in 2019
- Women aged 35-44 had 18.2 marriages per 1,000 unmarried in 2021
- Rural areas had 7.2 marriage rate vs 5.8 urban in 2018
- Midwest region marriage rate 6.8 per 1,000 in 2021, highest regionally
- Northeast lowest at 4.5 marriages per 1,000 in 2021
- Hispanic marriage rate 18.4 per 1,000 unmarried women 15+ in 2019
- White non-Hispanic rate 27.2 per 1,000 unmarried women in 2019
Marriage Rates and Trends Interpretation
While it appears the institution of marriage has been trading at a bear market for decades, the recent post-pandemic rally—spearheaded by Vegas elopements and heartland vows—suggests love isn't going public anytime soon, though it's definitely become a more exclusive offering.
Marriage by Demographics
- 64% of U.S. adults married or living with partner, 36% single in 2021
- 52% of adults 25+ married in 2021, highest for ages 45-54 at 65%
- College grads 65% married vs 50% high school only
- Black adults 32% married vs 53% whites in 2021
- Hispanics 47% married, Asians 60% highest
- Women more likely single: 30% vs 27% men 25+
- Urban 48% married vs 56% rural adults
- Midwest 54% married, highest region, Northeast 48% lowest
- Never-married Black women 40+ : 40%, highest by group
- Income >$100k: 62% married vs 38% <$30k
- Evangelical Protestants 67% married vs 45% unaffiliated
- Immigrants 55% married vs 50% U.S.-born
- LGBTQ+ adults 19% married, mostly same-sex since 2015
- Gen Z 18-29: 14% married, Millennials 37%
- Baby Boomers 55% married, Silent Gen 58%
- Disabled adults 42% married vs 55% non-disabled
- Veterans 60% married vs 50% civilians
- Republicans 57% married vs 47% Democrats
- Southern states average 52% married adults
- 28% interracial marriages in 2021, up from 3% 1967
- Asian-white intermarriages 29%, highest rate
- Same-sex married couples: 1.2 million, 59% female couples
- Single mothers 15% of adults, married parents 62% of families with kids
- High-income metro areas 55% married, rural low-income 45%
- Catholics 54% married, similar to average
- Jews 60% married, high interfaith 58%
- 35% of married couples dual-earners both college grads
- Foreign-born Hispanics 52% married vs U.S.-born 42%
- Military spouses 90% married within service
- 48% of adults 30-49 married with kids under 18
- Never-married by politics: conservatives 20%, liberals 35% 40+
Marriage by Demographics Interpretation
The American marital landscape is a complex and often contradictory tapestry where love, demographics, and life circumstances conspire to reveal that you're most likely to be married if you're a college-educated, middle-aged, white, evangelical, Republican veteran living comfortably in the rural Midwest, and least likely if you're a young, liberal, disabled, urban, Black woman with a low income and no religious affiliation.
Remarriage and Serial Marriage
- 17% of adults 50+ ever remarried in 2021
- 40% of marriages are remarriages for at least one partner
- Second marriages comprise 29% of all U.S. marriages
- 16% of married adults are in remarriages
- Men remarry faster: 64% within 5 years of divorce vs 52% women
- 67% of previously married men remarry vs 52% women, lifetime
- Blended families: 16% of children live with stepparent
- Serial marriages (3+): 13% of ever-married adults
- Remarriage rate per 1,000 widowed/divorced men 15+: 120 in 2018
- For women, 90 per 1,000 previously married
- Age 55-64 highest remarriage rate 28 per 1,000
- Cohabitation before remarriage: 60% of remarried couples
- Divorced with kids remarry at 50% rate vs 70% childless
- White remarriage rate 110 per 1,000 previously married vs Black 70
- Hispanic 95 per 1,000
- 25% of remarriages involve age gap >10 years
- Widow(er)s remarry at 20% rate vs divorced 65%
- Online dating drives 20% of remarriages post-2010
- Stepfamilies 15% of households with children
- Men 65+ remarry at 15 per 1,000, highest elderly rate
- Women 65+ only 8 per 1,000
- 30% of serial monogamists (3+ spouses) divorced within 5 years each
- Remarried couples divorce 1.5x faster than first marriages
- 42% of remarried have children from prior unions
- Cross-racial remarriages 10% of all remarriages, up from 5% 1990
- Education homogamy lower in remarriages: 40% same level vs 60% first
- Rural remarriage rate 110 per 1,000 vs urban 95
- Northeast lowest remarriage 85 per 1,000 previously married
- South highest 115 per 1,000
- Post-divorce cohabitation leads to remarriage 50% of time
- 12% of adults married 3+ times
- Remarriage age average 38 for men, 35 women
- 55% of married by education: college grads higher remarriage
Remarriage and Serial Marriage Interpretation
Despite the sobering odds, America's romantic landscape is a resilient patchwork of second chances, stubborn optimism, and statistically questionable decisions, proving that when it comes to love, we're all a little bit data-driven and a whole lot hopeful.
Sources & References
- Reference 1CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 2PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 3IFSTUDIESifstudies.orgVisit source
- Reference 4CENSUScensus.govVisit source
- Reference 5BGSUbgsu.eduVisit source
- Reference 6WONDERwonder.cdc.govVisit source
- Reference 7JOURNALSjournals.sagepub.comVisit source
- Reference 8AEAWEBaeaweb.orgVisit source
- Reference 9VAva.govVisit source