Marriage Rate is Lowest it's Been in a Century at 31 Percent

With some statistics suggesting that close to 40 percent of marriages end in divorce, new research shows that fewer women are getting married. And for those that are, they're taking a longer amount of time to say "I do."

According to "Marriage: More than a Century of Change," the U.S. marriage rate is 31.1, the lowest it's been in over a century. In fact, this equals roughly 31 marriages per 1,000 married women, according to a press release. (Gee, think back to the 1920s when the marriage rate was around 92.3 percent. Wow, things have changed!)

The 70s began the 'getting marrried decline' from 60 percent to where it is today. "Marriage is no longer compulsory," said Dr. Susan Brown, via the release, the co-director of the NCFMR. "It's just one of an array of options. Increasingly, many couples choose to cohabit and still others prefer to remain single."  

At 27, this is now the average age most women are tying the knot. "The age at first marriage for women and men is at a historic highpoint and has been increasing at a steady pace," states Dr. Wendy Manning, co-director of the Center, via the release.

Though marriage rate has drastically declined over the years for all ethnic and racial groups, the greatest decline is seen among African Americans. Researchers also found that women were more likely to marry if they were college educated. The greatest declines seen in marriage were among those without a high school diploma.

Researchers used data from the National Vital Statistics "100 Years of Marriage and Divorce Statistics United States 1867-1967," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health Statistics, and the U.S. Census Bureau.