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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).
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."
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).