Never before in U.S. history have so many adults been unmarried. There are now 109 million Americans, 18 and older, who are divorced, widowed or have always been single. That’s 45 percent of the adult population. Each year for the past decade, the U.S. Census Bureau has issued statistics about unmarried Americans to mark Unmarried and Single Americans Week, which is celebrated every September. Those statistics and others highlight the changes in what it means to be a single American.
One reason the ranks of never-married Americans are growing is that the age at which people first marry — among those who do tie the knot — has been increasing. In 2006, the average age of Americans getting married for the first time was 25.5 for women and 27.5 for men; by 2015, it was 27.1 for women and 29.2 for men.
Young adults are delaying marriage for many reasons, including a challenging job market, falling wages and growing debt. Others are forsaking it altogether. A report from the Pew Research Center estimates that by the time today’s young adults reach their mid-40s to mid-50s, 25 percent will have been single all their lives. Most will likely remain single.
Among 18- to 34-year-olds of all marital statuses, 2014 marked a turning point. A report from the Pew Research Center showed that for the first time more young adults were living in their parents’ home than in a place of their own with a spouse or unmarried partner. The large number of young adults who returned to live with their parents or who never left was widely attributed to the economy.
