Census: Americans Less Likely to Get Married, More Likely to Live Alone

For the majority of Americans, gone are the days of traditional conservative values like getting married young and starting families. A new report from the US Census Bureau shows that Americans are now less likely to be married and more likely to live alone, USA Facts reported.

Should couples decide to make that commitment, data shows that they are getting married later in life than in the past. Divorce rates are also at a high.

In 1949, 78.8 percent of all households had married couples. In 2021, that percentage dropped to 47.3 percent.

US Census Bureau data showed that both men and women are getting married later in life. In 1956, the average age of marriage for men was 22, while the average for women was 20. In 2019, the average age for men was over 30, and for women it was over 28.

As of 2021, 3 in 10 women have never been married. Since 1990, marriage rates for white, black, and hispanics have fallen roughly 7, 8, and 11 percentage points, USA Facts reports. For asian Americans, the rate has remained around 61 percent.

In 2019, 35 percent of men and 30 percent of women had never been married. In 1990, 30 percent of men and 23 percent of women had never been married.

By demographics, the shift is the highest amongst black and hispanic men and women. In 1990, 43 percent of black men and 37 percent of black women had never been married. In 2021, it was 52 percent for black men and 48 percent for black women. For Hispanic women, it increased from 27 percent to 38 percent; for Hispanic men it increased from 37 percent to 47 percent.

According to the US Census Bureau, in 1980, white men and women were most likely to get married, making up 80 percent of the population. But Asian Americans have since surpassed them.

Divorce rates have also increased among most demographic groups. In 1990, 6.8 percent of men were divorced; and for women it was 9.4 percent. In 2021, that figure grew to 8.4 percent of men and 11 percent of women.

Single-person households have also increased according to data recorded in 1960. The change went from 7 million to 37 million, the US Census Bureau reported.