There are more unmarried households in the United States than married ones. In fact, only 48 percent of U.S. households were married households in 2010, which is a 4 percent drop from 2009. This is partially because of an aging population of single people and a trend for younger people to wait longer before marriage, but it also reflects a significant increase in the amount of cohabitation households, which account for about 37 percent of households in the U.S.
More facts about marriage and households:
- Almost 40 percent of Americans said during the 2010 census that marriage is obsolete, and the median age for marriages has increased to about 28 years for men and 26 years for women.
- The number of opposite-sex cohabitation households jumped 13 percent from 2009-2010.
- The states that have the highest percentage of married couples include Iowa, Idaho and Utah, and the states with lower marriage rates include Alaska, Rhode Island and New York.