The number of unpartnered adults — not married, living with a partner or in a committed romantic relationship — has declined for the first time in nearly 20 years. That’s good news for men’s wallets.
About 42% of adults were unpartnered in 2023, down from peaking at 44% in 2019, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data.
Meanwhile, the share of adults who were married inched up from 50% to 51% from 2019 to 2023 along with the share of adults cohabiting with an unmarried partner — up from 6% to 7%.
“Singledom has peaked,” Dr. Richard Fry, a labor economist who conducted the survey, told CBS News.
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But it’s not that more people are tying the knot.
Marriage rates have remained steady but divorce rates — which peaked at 2% in 2012 — dropped to a record low of 1.4% in 2023.
“In my practice over the last decade, I’ve noticed a gradual shift from the ‘romantic marriage’ to the ‘companionate marriage,’ meaning that people are increasingly choosing spouses at the outset who are more like best friends than passion partners,” Ian Kerner, a licensed marriage and family therapist, told CNN, explaining the dip in divorces.
But who’s still sitting at a table for one?
The likelihood of being unpartnered changes depending on race, education and nativity.
About 61% of black adults are unpartnered, compared with 45% of Hispanic adults, 38% of white adults and 35% of Asian adults.
Meanwhile, those who have at least a bachelor’s degree and were born in the U.S. are more likely to be unpartnered.
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Men younger than 40 stand more of a chance to be unpartnered than women in their age group. But once they hit the big 4-0, women are more likely to be unpartnered, with 51% of women 65 and older being single, compared with only 29% of men in the same age group.
nypost.com
About 42% of adults were unpartnered in 2023, down from peaking at 44% in 2019, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data.
Meanwhile, the share of adults who were married inched up from 50% to 51% from 2019 to 2023 along with the share of adults cohabiting with an unmarried partner — up from 6% to 7%.
“Singledom has peaked,” Dr. Richard Fry, a labor economist who conducted the survey, told CBS News.
Advertisement
But it’s not that more people are tying the knot.
Marriage rates have remained steady but divorce rates — which peaked at 2% in 2012 — dropped to a record low of 1.4% in 2023.
“In my practice over the last decade, I’ve noticed a gradual shift from the ‘romantic marriage’ to the ‘companionate marriage,’ meaning that people are increasingly choosing spouses at the outset who are more like best friends than passion partners,” Ian Kerner, a licensed marriage and family therapist, told CNN, explaining the dip in divorces.
But who’s still sitting at a table for one?
The likelihood of being unpartnered changes depending on race, education and nativity.
About 61% of black adults are unpartnered, compared with 45% of Hispanic adults, 38% of white adults and 35% of Asian adults.
Meanwhile, those who have at least a bachelor’s degree and were born in the U.S. are more likely to be unpartnered.
Advertisement
Men younger than 40 stand more of a chance to be unpartnered than women in their age group. But once they hit the big 4-0, women are more likely to be unpartnered, with 51% of women 65 and older being single, compared with only 29% of men in the same age group.
Number of unpartnered US adults declined for first time in nearly 20 years: ‘Singledom has peaked’
Is single season really over?
nypost.com