Survey Shows Northeasterners Wait Longest to Marry; Utah Newlyweds Are Youngest
October 13, 2005
Washington, DC - A new analysis looking at links between marriage, fertility, and other socioeconomic characteristics released today by the U.S. Census Bureau shows couples close to the East and West coasts are waiting longer to tie the knot compared to couples in the Midwest, and to those in Utah, the state which boasts the youngest newlyweds.
The report, from a sample of over 3 million covering four years of American Community Survey data (2000 – 2003), provides the first-ever, state-by-state analysis of the median age at first marriage.
The estimated median age at first marriage (MAFM) in the United States was cited as 26.7 years old for men and 25.1 for women. That is approximately a year older than a decade ago for both men and women according to the Census Bureau.
The MAFM for men and women was highest in the Northeast, and the MAFM was lower than the national average in the Midwest, West and South.
The Bureau's analysis, for example, showed the estimated median age at first marriage in Utah was 21.9 for women and 23.9 for men. In Massachusetts it was 29.1 for men, 27.4 for women. For New York it was 28.9 for men and age 27 for women. In Iowa, the age was 25.9 for men and 24.5 for women. In California, it was 27.2 for men and 25.2 for women. (To view the complete state-by-state age listings Click Here.)
States in the Northeast had some of the highest levels of unmarried-couple households, notably Maine (7.3 percent of all households), New Hampshire (7.2 percent) and Vermont (7.1 percent).
States in the South, including Alabama (3.0 percent), Arkansas (3.6 percent) and Mississippi (3.8 percent), were among those with the lowest percentages of unmarried-partner households.
The American Community Survey is a new tool designed to produce current local data for communities on a wide range of issues. The Census Bureau says the survey is being mailed to about 250,000 (roughly 1-in-480) addresses a month, nationwide, and will provide current demographic, housing, social and economic information about America’s communities every year — information previously available only once every 10 years.
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