A record-high share of 40-year-olds in the U.S. have never been married

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A record-high share of 40-year-olds in the U.S. have never been married

As of 2021, 25% of 40-year-olds in the United States had never been married, a significant increase from 20% in 2010.
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As of 2021, 25% of 40-year-olds in the United States had never been married. This was a significant increase from 20% in 2010, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data.

A line chart showing the share of 40-year-olds who have never been married from 1900 to 2021 by decade. The highest level is 2021, when 25% were never married. The prior high point was 1910, when 16% of 40-year-olds had never married. The share never married declines through the 20th century and reaches its lowest point in 1980, when 6% of 40-year-olds had never been married.
Marriage has long been a central institution in the lives of Americans. In 1980, just 6% of 40-year-olds had never been married. But people born from the 1960s onward have been increasingly delaying marriage, and a growing share are forgoing it altogether.

The 2021 data marks a new milestone in that decadeslong trend.

While many unmarried 40-year-olds are living with a romantic partner, most are not. In 2022, 22% of never-married adults ages 40 to 44 were cohabiting.

The share of 40-year-olds in 2021 who had never married varied by the following demographic characteristics:

  • Gender: A higher share of men than women had never married.
  • Race and ethnicity: Black 40-year-olds were much more likely to have never married than Hispanic, White and Asian 40-year-olds.
A bar chart showing the likelihood of 40-year-olds never being married by gender, race and ethnicity, and education. The never-married rates are based on 2021 data. Men were more likely to have never been married than women. Black 40-year-olds were much more likely to have never married than 40-year-olds of other racial and ethnic identity. 40-year-olds who have completed at least a bachelor’s degree are less likely to have never married than their peers who completed less education.
 
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