U.S. Marriage Rates Reach an All-Time Low

Marriage rates in the United States reached an all-time low in 2018, according to a recent report from the National Center for Health Statistics. Looking at marriage rates from going back to 1867, the earliest year on record, the report found that marriage rates dropped to 6%, or 6.5 new marriages per 1,000 people in 2018. The Wall Street Journal points out that instead of marriage, many couples are choosing cohabitation.

This trend is expected to continue. The report noted that a record number of youth and young adults are projected to completely forgo marriage. Curtin also predicts that COVID-19 could negatively affect marriage rates, pointing out that many couples who put off marriage cite economic concerns as a driving factor for their decision.

https://www.mfc.org/familybeacon/us-marriage-rates-reach-an-all-time-low