Minnesota nears slipping below 50 percent married rate

Minnesota is only months away from a historic turning point that it has been sliding toward for decades: the moment when fewer than half of the state’s adults are married.

The gradual erosion has less to do with a rejection of marriage than with economics, changing lifestyles and an aging population.

“Ninety percent of Americans marry by age 45,” said state demographer Susan Brower. “It’s nothing to do with the institution of marriage. It’s an age thing, including the growth in seniors, who are likelier to be widowed.”

http://www.startribune.com/state-nears-slipping-below-50-percent-married/360241371/