The number of Americans getting married is declining as more couples decide to forgo the formality of matrimony—and the decision might be a reduction in income.
Key Details
- In the last 50 years, the number of married U.S. adults has declined by around 60%, Axios reports.
- Though marriage can have advantages related to taxes and legal perks, social pressure around marriage has declined, along with formal benefits to marriage.
- Life events typically associated with marriage, such as cohabiting and having children, are increasingly common outside marriage.
- Marriage has long been considered one of the foundational steps into adulthood, but that view is fading as many put off marriage, hoping to pay off debts, finish their education, or establish a career before getting married.
Why it’s news
Though fewer Americans are getting married, the idea of marriage is still held in high regard in the U.S. High school seniors’ attitudes toward marriage have remained relatively unchanged over several decades.
A 2020 study from the University of Michigan found that 71% of seniors anticipate getting married eventually. The same study, conducted in 1976, found that 74% of seniors expected to get married. The study is still ongoing.
The declining marriage rate may not be as closely related to lack of desire as it is to couples or individuals putting off marriage until they have reached certain milestones. Since 1990, the number of women aged 40 to 59 getting married for the first time has increased by 75%.
Rather than being one of the first steps into adulthood, marriage is now seen as one of the final steps, as many look to complete educational goals or achieve certain levels in their career before settling down.
Backing up a bit
Married couples in the U.S. are more likely to have higher incomes and become homeowners than unmarried couples living together. Married couples consistently have better financial security than their cohabitating but unmarried counterparts.
Married couples ages 25 to 34 in the U.S. have an average combined net worth of $68,210 compared to unmarried couples who have a net worth of $17,372.
A growing number of Americans are choosing to cohabitate rather than marry. From 1990 to 2019, the number of married adults in the U.S. declined from 60% to under 50%. During the same time, the number of adults living with their partners rose 59%.