Married Minority? Census Shows Slowdown in Couples Tying the Knot
What does St. Louis say? The data reveals that married couples make up barely half of all American households.
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The segment of the married U.S. population is about 51 percent, a decline of about six percent since the last census in 2000.
In Missouri, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates about 54 percent of men and 50 percent of women are married.
A societal snapshot
As the Washington Post points out, the data reflects current conditions; meaning people who are unmarried today may not remain single over time.
"(The data) are a byproduct of a steady increase in the median age when people first marry, now at an all-time high of older than 26 for women and almost 29 for men," says the Washington Post.
According to an expert cited in The Huffington Post, the reason is twofold: "The fast-growing older population is more likely to be divorced or widowed later in life, and 20-somethings are putting off their nuptials for longer stretches."
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