American relationships have changed dramatically according to recent marriage statistics. Married couples led just 47.1% of US households in 2024, nearly matching the record low of 46.8% in 2022. The marriage rate hit a 50-year low in 2021, but unexpectedly rose to 31.2 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women in 2022.
Modern relationship patterns show major changes among different groups. Men now marry first at 30.2 years while women tie the knot at 28.6, much later than their parents did. Marriage rates vary significantly by race.
White men's marriage rates dropped from 62.8% in 1990 to 54.0% in 2024. Black men's rates decreased from 45.1% to 37.8% during this time. New relationship styles have become more common. Young adults living with unmarried partners jumped from 0.1% to 9.4% between 1968 and 2018.
This piece will break down America's marriage landscape today. We'll learn about who chooses marriage and who doesn't, explore emerging relationship patterns, and see what divorce numbers reveal about modern partnerships.
Marriage in 2025: Where Do We Stand?
The American marriage landscape has changed drastically, and the national marriage rate shows a historic decline. Marriage statistics show that the U.S. first marriage rate has dropped by a lot in the last half-century. The numbers fell from 76.5 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women ages 15 and older in 1970 to 31.3 per 1,000 in 2018.
Marriage rate in America today
Marriage rate in America stands at 14.9 marriages per 1,000 women (age 15 and older) as of 2021, compared to 16.3 a decade earlier. The national marriage rate hovers around 47.96%, though these numbers vary based on location.
Nevada leads the country with the highest marriage rate because of Las Vegas weddings. Texas sits at the bottom with just 4.9 people married per 1,000. Delaware, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Connecticut also show low marriage rates.
The overall downward trend shows a slight change – the share of married adults grew from 50% to 51% since 2019. Notwithstanding that, this increase might not mean more new marriages but fewer divorces. Divorce rates hit record lows with only 1.4% of married adults getting divorced in 2023.
How the US marriage rate compares to past decades
Marriage was much more common in America's past. The period after World War I, around 1920, saw about 12 marriages annually for every 1,000 people – almost double today's rate. Marriage rates showed fluctuation throughout the 20th century and peaked at 16.4 marriages per 1,000 people in 1946 right after World War II.
The numbers started declining in the 1970s and kept falling to today's historic lows. The U.S. traditionally maintained higher marriage rates than other wealthy nations, though most developed countries experienced similar declines over the last decades.
Percentage of Americans currently married
Married couples now head just 47.1% of households, nearly matching the all-time low of 46.8% in 2022. This marks a huge change from 1949 when married couples led 78.8% of households.
Marriage rates differ across racial and ethnic groups. Asian Americans lead with the highest marriage rates – 60.8% of Asian men and 62.2% of Asian women married as of 2024 remain stable compared to 1990 levels.
Black Americans show the lowest marriage rates, with 37.8% of Black men and 33.3% of Black women married in 2024. White Americans' marriage rates dropped from 62.8% to 54.0% for men and from 59.1% to 52.3% for women between 1990 and 2024.
Who Is Getting Married? A Look at Age, Race, and Region
Marriage patterns in America show remarkable changes in who gets married based on age, race, and location. These trends paint an interesting picture of how relationships have evolved in modern America.
Average age of first marriage in 2025
The Knot's 2025 Real Weddings Study reveals that Americans now get married at 32 years old on average. This number hasn't changed much since 2023, though it's up slightly from 31 in 2022. Americans wait much longer to tie the knot now compared to 1956, when men married at 22.5 and women at 20.1.
Your location plays a big role in when you might get married. People in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and West coast typically wait until 35, while Southerners say "I do" around 32. Utah stands out with the youngest newlyweds at 28, while couples in Delaware and DC walk down the aisle latest at 35.
Marriage rate by race and ethnicity
Asian Americans lead in marriage rates – 60.8% of men and 62.2% of women were married in 2024, similar to their 1990 numbers. Black Americans have lower rates, with 37.8% of men and 33.3% of women married in 2024.
White Americans have seen their marriage rates drop significantly. The numbers fell from 62.8% to 54.0% for men and from 59.1% to 52.3% for women between 1990 and 2024. Hispanic Americans experienced the biggest change – their rates dropped by 10.3 percentage points for men and 11.3 for women since 1990.
Geographic variation in marriage rate USA
Marriage rates look different across the country. The national rate bounced back to 31.2 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women in 2022 after hitting a 50-year low in 2021. Utah leads with 43 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women, while New Mexico has the lowest at 21.
Western states tend to have more marriages – six of twelve states rank in the top quarter. The Northeast tells a different story, with most states in the bottom quarter. Midwestern states fall somewhere in the middle, mostly in the second and third quarters.
The Rise of New Relationship Models
American families now embrace many alternatives to traditional marriage. Cohabitation before marriage has become standard practice. Recent data shows that 80% of couples who got married between 2020-2022 lived together first.
This marks a huge change from 1970 when only 11% of couples lived together before marriage. Most Americans (70%) now support living together without any plans to marry.
More college graduates accept living together before marriage, which has helped close the education gap. People who live together before getting married are usually around 27 years old, just a year older than those who don't.
Single parenting numbers keep growing in America. The US tops global statistics with 23% of kids living with one parent – three times more than the world average.
The numbers tell different stories across racial groups: 20% for Whites, 29% for Hispanics, and 50% for Blacks. This trend has created new family types like blended homes, chosen single parenthood, and grandparents raising grandchildren.
The 2015 Obergefell ruling made same-sex marriage legal nationwide. Since then, married same-sex households jumped from 425,357 to 774,553 by 2023. These marriages make up 1.3% of all US marriages.
The ruling helped change minds too – two-thirds of LGBTQ adults say America now accepts same-sex relationships more. Legal rights and benefits motivated 64% of these couples to marry.
Divorce in 2025: What the Numbers Reveal
Many people believe that "50% of marriages end in divorce." This common belief is wrong. The truth shows divorce rates steadily dropping since their peak in the 1980s.
The US records about 2.3-2.5 divorces and annulments per 1,000 people. The numbers tell an interesting story – 674,000 divorces happened in 2022, which is a big deal as it means that it's lower than the 955,000 recorded in 2002.
Current divorce statistics in the US
The real picture of divorce in America looks different from what media shows. New data reveals fewer women are getting divorced. The rate dropped from 9.8 divorces per 1,000 women in 2012 to 7.1 per 1,000 in 2022. Yes, it is worth noting that 2020 saw the lowest number of divorces in recent years, right when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Percentage of marriages that end in divorce
The numbers show that 43% of first marriages eventually break up. The risk gets higher with each subsequent marriage. Second marriages face a 60% divorce rate, while third marriages reach 73%. Based on current patterns, experts believe about 40% of today's first-time marriages will eventually end.
Trends in divorce by age and cohort
"Gray divorce" stands out as a remarkable trend. While overall divorce rates fall, people over 50 are divorcing twice as much as they did in 1990. Women aged 65 and older show an even more dramatic change. Their divorce rate jumped from 1.4 per 1,000 in 1990 to 5.6 in 2021. Young Americans, however, show much lower divorce rates.
Conclusion
American relationships have gone through remarkable changes, as marriage statistics show. Married couples now lead only 47.1% of US households, and these numbers stayed close to record lows through 2024-2025. Some demographics saw small increases in marriage rates, but the overall downward trend continues.
Modern Americans take their time to tie the knot. Men now marry at 30.2 years on average, while women wait until 28.6 – a big difference from what their parents did. These patterns look different among various racial groups.
Asian Americans lead in marriage rates, while Black Americans have the lowest numbers. This shows how culture, money, and social factors affect relationship choices differently.
Location matters more than you might expect. Western states see more marriages than those in the Northeast. People's views on relationships have also evolved. Living together before marriage has become normal – 80% of newlyweds did it first. This marks a huge change from past generations.
Divorce tells an interesting tale too. In stark comparison to this common belief, divorce rates keep dropping since their 1980s peak. People often say half of all marriages fail, but today only 43% of first marriages end in divorce. While divorce rates doubled for people over 50 since 1990, younger couples stay together longer than their parents did.
These numbers show how Americans view commitment differently now. Marriage remains important but not essential to adult life. This transformation reflects new gender roles, economic reality, and personal values that will keep altering the map of relationships ahead.
FAQs
Q1. What percentage of marriages are likely to end in divorce in 2025?
Based on current trends, approximately 43% of first marriages are projected to end in divorce. The divorce rate has been steadily declining since its peak in the 1980s, with about 40% of today's first marriages expected to eventually dissolve.
Q2. What is the average age for first marriage in 2025?
The average age for first marriage in the United States has reached 32 years old. This represents a significant increase from previous decades, reflecting a trend of Americans delaying marriage compared to earlier generations.
Q3. How common is cohabitation before marriage in 2025?
Cohabitation before marriage has become the norm, with about 80% of recent marriages (2020-2022) being preceded by couples living together. This represents a dramatic shift from 1970 when only 11% of marriages were preceded by cohabitation.
Q4. What percentage of US households are headed by married couples in 2025?
In 2025, approximately 47% of US households are headed by married couples. This represents a significant decline from previous decades, such as 1949 when 78.8% of households were headed by married couples.
Q5. How do marriage rates vary across different racial and ethnic groups?
Marriage rates show considerable variation across racial and ethnic groups. Asian Americans maintain the highest marriage rates at around 60%, while Black Americans have the lowest rates at about 35%. White Americans fall in between, with marriage rates around 53%.
