Marriage in the U.S. has long been on the decline. Today, fewer than 50 percent of American adults are married, while approximately 10 percent of Americans are divorced and 2 percent are separated according to data published on FindTheData. Over the past two decades (between 1990 and 2009), the rate of marriage has dropped 15 percent.
While the rate of marriage is on the decline, the rate of divorce has somewhat stabilized across the U.S. -- with 9.6 percent of men and 12.1 percent of women over the age of 15 divorced.
Population segments with the highest percent currently married
1.Males 55-64 (72.4 percent married)
2.Males 65+ (71.4 percent married)
3.Males 45-54 (66.8 percent married)
4.Females 35-44 (64.3 percent married)
5.Females 45-54 (64.1 percent married)
Population segments with the highest percent divorced
1.Females 55-64 (19.2 percent divorced)
2.Females 45-54 (18.4 percent divorced)
3.Males 45-54 (15.6 percent divorced)
4.Males 55-64 (15.2 percent divorced)
5.Females 35-44 (14.2 percent divorced)
The age in which people are getting married is also increasing. For men, the median age of first time marriage in 2009 was 28.4, compared to 25.5 in 1988 and 22.5 in 1970. For women, the corresponding numbers are 26.5 in 2009, 23.7 in 1988 and 20.6 in 1970.
While these trends are true nationally, the figures vary from state-to-state. The top three states with the highest rates of marriage are Nevada, Hawaii and Arkansas, according to the Center for Disease Control's most recent data. The states with the lowest rate of marriage (and high rates of single men and women) are Mississippi, New Jersey and Delaware.
Major cities (1+ million population) with the lowest percentage of married men
1.Philadelphia, PA (33.8 percent adult males married)
2.Chicago, IL (38.2 percent adult males married)
3.Los Angeles, CA (41.8 percent adult males married)
4.Dallas, TX (42.9 percent adult males married)
5.New York, NY (43.7 percent adult males married)
6.San Diego, CA (44.4 percent adult males married)
7.Houston, TX (45.2 percent adult males married)
States with the lowest percentage of married men:
1.District of Columbia (28.2 percent adult males married)
2.Rhode Island (45.2 percent adult males married)
3.Louisiana (47.2 percent adult males married)
4.New York (47.6 percent adult males married)
5.Nevada (47.6 percent adult males married)
6.California (48.2 percent adult males married)
7.Mississippi (48.3 percent adult males married)
Major cities (1+ million population) with the lowest percentage of married women:
1.Philadelphia, PA (27.9 percent adult women married)
2.Chicago, IL (33.8 percent adult women married)
3.New York, NY (36.6 percent adult women married)
4.Los Angeles, CA (38.9 percent adult women married)
5.Dallas, TX (39.7 percent adult women married)
6.Houston, TX (41.8 percent adult women married)
7.San Antonio, TX (43.2 percent adult women married)
States with the lowest percentage of married women:
1.District of Columbia (22.8 percent adult women married)
2.Rhode Island (41.8 percent adult women married)
3.Louisiana (42.6 percent adult women married)
4.New York (42.8 percent adult women married)
5.Mississippi (43.8 percent adult women married)
6.Massachusetts (44.1 percent adult women married)
7.New Mexico (45 percent adult women married)