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60 percent of college graduates born from 1980 to 1984 were married at age 33

June 30, 2020

Fifty percent of Americans born from 1980 to 1984 were married at age 33. Another 17 percent were cohabiting (unmarried and living with a partner), and 33 percent were single (not married and not living with a partner).

Partner status at age 33 of people born in 1980–84 by educational attainment and gender
Characteristic Cohabiting Married Single

Total

17.2% 49.7% 33.0%

Less than a high school diploma

28.0 32.1 39.9

High school graduates, no college

21.9 42.1 36.0

Some college or associate degree

16.7 48.6 34.8

Bachelor's degree and higher

12.5 59.7 27.8

Men

17.7 46.3 35.9

Less than a high school diploma

26.9 31.5 41.6

High school graduates, no college

23.0 38.3 38.8

Some college or associate degree

17.1 45.0 37.9

Bachelor's degree and higher

11.7 58.7 29.6

Women

16.7 53.3 30.1

Less than a high school diploma

29.2 32.8 38.0

High school graduates, no college

20.4 47.7 31.9

Some college or associate degree

16.2 52.2 31.6

Bachelor's degree and higher

13.2 60.5 26.3

Women were significantly more likely than men to be married at age 33 and less likely to be single. By their 33rd birthday, 53 percent of women were married, 30 percent were single, and 17 percent were cohabiting. By comparison, 46 percent of men were married at age 33, while 36 percent were single and 18 percent were cohabiting. Women were also more likely than men to be married at each level of educational attainment.

At age 33, people with higher levels of education were more likely to be married and less likely to be cohabiting than those with lower levels of education. At the time of their 33rd birthday, 32 percent of high school dropouts, 42 percent of high school graduates with no college, 49 percent of people with some college or an associate degree, and 60 percent of college graduates were married. Twenty-eight percent of those with less than a high school diploma were cohabiting, compared with only 13 percent of those with a bachelor's degree and higher.

These data are from the National Longitudinal Surveys. For more information, see "Labor Market Activity, Education, and Partner Status among Americans at Age 33: Results from a Longitudinal Survey."

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, 60 percent of college graduates born from 1980 to 1984 were married at age 33 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/60-percent-of-college-graduates-born-from-1980-to-1984-were-married-at-age-33.htm (visited November 14, 2024).

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