A recent analysis by the Pew Research Center reveals a significant increase in the percentage of 40-year-olds in the United States who have never been married. As of 2021, this figure stood at 25%, a notable rise from 20% in 2010, based on Census Bureau data. This trend reflects a shifting attitude towards marriage among Americans, particularly among those born from the 1960s onwards, who are increasingly opting to delay or completely forgo tying the knot.
This data marks a milestone in a decades-long pattern of changing marriage patterns in the country. While some unmarried 40-year-olds are in cohabiting relationships, the majority are not. In 2022, only 22% of never-married adults aged 40 to 44 were living with a romantic partner.
The analysis also highlighted variations in the percentage of 40-year-olds who had never married based on different demographic characteristics:
- Gender: A higher proportion of men than women had never been married.
- Race and ethnicity: Black individuals in their 40s were more likely to have never married compared to Hispanic, White, and Asian counterparts.
- Education level: Those without a four-year college degree were more likely to have never married compared to those with at least a bachelor’s degree. One-third of individuals with a high school diploma or less had never married, compared to 26% of those with some college education, and 18% of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Despite the increase in the share of 40-year-olds who have completed at least a bachelor’s degree (39% in 2021 compared to 18% in 1980), the overall trend of delaying or forgoing marriage has not been reversed, even among the more highly educated individuals.
It is important to note that not marrying by age 40 does not necessarily imply that one will never marry. Historical data indicates that approximately one-in-four 40-year-olds who had not married by 2001 had done so by age 60. If this pattern persists, a similar proportion of today’s never-married 40-year-olds may still marry in the coming decades.
By Impact Lab