Here's a
sampling of some of the most recently available statistics on marriage
and
divorce in the United States of America:
·
There
were approximately 2,230,000 marriages in 2005 -- down from
2,279,000
the previous year, despite a total population increase of 2.9 million
over the
same period.
·
The divorce
rate
in 2005 (per 1,000 people) was 3.6 -- the lowest rate since 1970,
and
down
from
4.2
in
2000 and from 4.7 in 1990.
(The peak was at 5.3 in 1981, according to the Associated
Press.)
·
The marriage
rate
in 2005 (per 1,000) was 7.5, down from 7.8 the previous year.
·
In 2004,
the state with the highest reported divorce rate was Nevada,
at
6.4
(per
1,000).
Arkansas
was a close second, with a divorce rate of
6.3,
followed by Wyoming at 5.3. The District of Columbia had the lowest
reported
divorce
rate, at 1.7, followed by Massachusetts at 2.2 and
Pennsylvania at 2.5. (Figures were not complete for California,
Georgia,
Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, or Oklahoma.)
·
8.1% of
coupled households consist of unmarried heterosexual partners,
according
to The State of Our Unions 2005, a report issued by the
National
Marriage Project at Rutgers University. The same study said that only
63% of
American children grow up with both biological parents -- the lowest
figure
in the Western world.
·
As of
2003, 43.7% of custodial mothers and 56.2% of custodial
fathers were
either separated or divorced. And in 2002, 7.8 million
Americans paid
about $40 billion in child and/or spousal support (84% of the
payers
were male).
·
Americans
tend to get married more between June and October than during
the rest
of the year. In 2005, August had the most marriages at
about
235,000
or
a
rate
of 9.3 per 1,000 people. The previous year, July was
the
highest month at 246,000, or a rate of 9.9; this doubled the lowest
month
in 2004, January.
Other
Marriage
and
Divorce
Facts
(2002)
Percentage
of population that is married:
59% (down
from 62% in 1990, 72% in 1970)
Percentage
of population that has never married:
24%
Percentage
of population that is divorced:
10% (up
from 8% in 1990, 6% in 1980)
Percentage
of population that is widowed:
7%
Median
age at first marriage:
Males:
26.9
Females:
25.3
Median
age at first divorce:
Males:
30.5
Females:
29
Median
age at second marriage:
Males: 34
Females:
32
Median
age at second divorce:
Males:
39.3
Females:
37
Median
duration of first marriages that end in divorce:
Males:
7.8 years
Females:
7.9 years
Median
duration of second marriages that end in divorce:
Males:
7.3 years
Females:
6.8 years
Median
number of years people wait to remarry after their first divorce:
Males:
3.3 years
Females:
3.1 years
Percentage
of married people who reach their 5th, 10th, and 15th
anniversaries:
5th: 82%
10th: 65%
15th: 52%
Percentage
of married people who reach their 25th, 35th, and 50th
anniversaries:
25th: 33%
35th: 20%
50th: 5%
Percentage
of people who have ever been married by the age of 25:
Males:
32%
Females:
50%
Percentage
of people who have ever been married by the age of 35:
Males:
77%
Females:
84%
Percentage
of people who have ever been married by the age of 45:
Males:
87%
Females:
90%
Percentage
of people who have ever been married by the age of 55:
Both
males and females: 95%
Number of
unmarried couples living together:
5.5
million
Percentage
of unmarried couples living together that are male-female unions:89%
Children/Single
parents:
(2000
except
where
noted)
Percentage
of households which are family households:
68.8%
Percentage
of households with their own children under 18:
33%
Percentage
of married householders with kids:
24%
Percentage
of all households run by single moms:
9.2%
Percentage
of all households run by single dads:
1.9%
Number of
single parents:
Males:
2.04 million
Females:
9.68 million
Percentage
of children under 18 years of age living with both parents (2002): 69%
Percentage
of children under 18 years of age living with mother only (2002): 23%
Percentage
of children under 18 years of age living with father only (2002):
5%
Percentage
of children under 18 years of age living with neither parent
4%
(2002):
Total
single fathers maintaining their own household:
1.786
million
Total
single fathers living in the home of a relative:
240,000
Total
single fathers who are divorced:
913,000
Total
single fathers never married:
693,000
Total
single fathers raising one child:
1,300,000
Total
single fathers raising four or more children:
55,000
Total
single mothers maintaining their own household:
7.571
million
Total
single mothers living in the home of a relative:
1.633
million
Total
single mothers who are divorced:
3.392
million
Total
single mothers never married:
4.181
million
Total
single mothers raising one child:
5.239
million
Total
single mothers raising four or more children:
475,000
Fatherless
homes account for 63% of youth suicides, 90% of homeless/runaway
children,
85%
of
children
with
behavior problems, 71% of high school
dropouts, 85%
of youths in prison, well over 50% of teen
mothers.
Miscellaneous:
Married
women earning at least $5,000 a year more than their husbands:
8.408
million (14.9% of all married women)
Unmarried
women earning at least $5,000 a year more than their partners:
821,000
(21.5% of unmarried couples)
Married
men earning at least $5,000 a year more than their wives:
33.228
million (58.8% of all married men)
Unmarried
men earning at least $5,000 a year more than their partners:
2.099
million (54.9% of unmarried couples)
Married
couples in which only the husband is employed:
12.642
million (22.4%)
Married
couples in which only the wife is employed:
3.855 million
(6.8%)
Married
couples in which both partners are employed:
30.212
million (53.5%)
Unmarried
couples in which only the male is employed:
695,000
(18.2%)
Unmarried
couples in which only the female is employed:
410,000
(10.7%)
Unmarried
couples in which both partners are employed:
2.484
million (65%)
(Sources:
U.S. Census
Bureau, National
Center for Health Statistics, Americans for Divorce Reform,
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention,
Institute for Equality in Marriage, American Association for Single
People,
Ameristat, Public Agenda)
Material
taken from Divorcemag.com