Where We Live: Changing Marriage Rates

Today, just 51% of adults over 18 are married, dropping from 72% in 1960. It’s a record low.

Instead, more people are living in alternate arrangements, including cohabitation, single-person households and as single parents.

The numbers come from a Pew Research Center analysis of census data - and we’ll be trying to figure out what it means on today’s Where We Live.

Although marriage rates have declined about 5% during this economic recession, the study shows longer-term trends started before our current economic conditions.

The most dramatic decline in marital rates is seen in young adults. Today, just 20% of adults age 18 to 29 are married, compared with 59% in 1960. So, are young adults abandoning marriage or just delaying it?

In addition, the marriage rate has declined far less for adults with college educations than among those less educated.

Have you delayed marriage? Or are you bucking the trends?

***Special thanks to Betsy Kaplan***