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United States Department of Labor
College graduates more likely than those with less education to be married at age 27
March 28, 2014
Among young adults who were born in the early 1980s, 34 percent were married at age 27, while 20 percent were unmarried and living with a partner (cohabiting) and 47 percent were single. On average, young adults with more education were more likely to be married and less likely to be cohabiting.
| Characteristic | Single | Married | Cohabiting |
|---|---|---|---|
Men | 52.4 | 29.2 | 18.4 |
Less than a high school diploma | 47.5 | 28.0 | 24.5 |
High school graduates, no college | 51.0 | 26.8 | 22.2 |
Some college or associate degree | 52.3 | 29.7 | 17.9 |
Bachelor's degree and higher | 56.2 | 31.8 | 12.0 |
Women | 41.4 | 38.0 | 20.6 |
Less than a high school diploma | 42.3 | 26.6 | 31.1 |
High school graduates, no college | 39.1 | 36.8 | 24.1 |
Some college or associate degree | 42.2 | 38.6 | 19.3 |
Bachelor's degree and higher | 41.9 | 40.8 | 17.2 |
At 27 years of age, 28 percent of high school dropouts were cohabiting and 27 percent were married. By comparison, 15 percent of college graduates were cohabiting and 37 percent were married.
At every level of educational attainment, men were more likely than women to be single at age 27. Men were less likely than women to be married at age 27, except among those without a high school diploma; men and women without a diploma were equally likely to be married. There was less of a difference between men and women in the percentage who were cohabiting at age 27.
These data are from the National Longitudinal Surveys program. To learn more, see “America’s Young Adults at 27: Labor Market Activity, Education, and Household Composition: Results from a Longitudinal Survey” (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL‑14‑0491.
SUGGESTED CITATION
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, College graduates more likely than those with less education to be married at age 27 on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2014/ted_20140328.htm (visited August 07, 2020).
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