- 48% of American households are composed of married couples.
- Married men fare better financially, making 10% – 50% more than their unmarried peers.
- Married men are healthier than men who were never married or whose marriages ended in divorce or widowhood.
- In 2011, only 52% of Americans were currently married.
- 20% of American adults (about 42 million people) have never been married, a record high.
- 61% of men and women who have never married say they would like to get married.
- Only 12% of Americans say they do not want to marry. 27% are uncertain.
- Almost 42 million adults in the U.S. have been married more than once. That’s up from 22 million in 1980 and 14 million in 1960.
- In 2013, 40% of marriages involved remarriage, increasing the number of families dealing with the challenges of being a blended family.
- The divorce rate has dropped since 1996.
- Americans are marrying older. In 2011, the median age for first marriages was 29 for men and 27 for women.
- 24% of never-married young adults ages 25 to 34 are living with a partner.
- According to Pew, 46% of adults believe society is better off if people make marriage and children a priority. 50% of adults believe society is just as well off if people have other priorities. Among those ages 18 – 29, 67% say society is just as well off if people have other priorities.
- A child growing up in a married family is 82% less likely to grow up in poverty.
- Since President Johnson launched the War on Poverty in the 1960s, the number of children born out of wedlock has increased from 6% to 41%.
- When compared to children from married families, children raised by a single-parent are (Heritage):
- More than twice as likely to be arrested for a juvenile crime
- Twice as likely to be treated for emotional and behavioral problems
- Roughly twice as likely to be suspended or expelled from school
- A third more likely to drop out before completing high school
- Children living in single-parent homes are 50% more likely to experience poverty as adults when compared to children from intact married homes. (Heritage)
