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Americans are against marriage?
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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The share of American adults who are married is now the lowest it has ever been in U.S. history, according to a new report released by Pew Research.
Modern Americans are marrying less often or marrying later in life. The average age of marriage in the United States is now 26.5 for women and 28.7 for men.
In their study, researchers D'Vera Kohn, Jeffrey Passel, and Wendy Wang collected data from the U.S. Census.
The institution of marriage is gradually giving way to the following types of cohabitation:
- Civil marriage.
- Living alone.
- Single-parent families.
- Young people continue to stay with their parents longer (partly due to the current economic crisis).
In just one year (2010), the total number of weddings in America fell by 5%. The report's authors said the numbers could be linked to the current economic crisis.
Marriage decline not just for US
Most other developed countries have also seen marriage rates decline. Interestingly, the percentage of adults who are married has fallen at the same rate every year, regardless of whether it was during boom or bust periods.
In the US, steep declines in marriage have been seen among young adults - today only 20% of Americans aged 18 to 29 are married, compared to nearly three times that figure (59%) in 1960. The average adult who marries today does so six years later than they did fifty years ago.
Today, 72% of adults have been married one or more times, compared with 85% fifty years ago.
What is the current attitude towards marriage?
Today, nearly 40 percent of U.S. adults say marriage is becoming an archaic institution. However, the authors report that in 2010, about 61 percent of adults who have never been married would like to get married.
The decline in the tendency to marry has been slower among college-educated individuals than among those with less education. One reason for the late marriage may be the much higher percentage of adults who attend college and who delay marriage until they have completed their education.
Interestingly, the divorce rate has remained fairly stable over the past twenty years, while the marriage rate continues to decline.
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