Marriage Statistics

Marriage is something I’ve dreamed about since I was seventeen and had my first steady boyfriend. I would mentally choose my bridesmaids, the cut of my wedding dress, the flavor of the wedding cake. I would write and rewrite my vows, knowing these are some of the most important words I will ever say. I’d  imagine my dad walking me down the aisle and our father daughter dance. I don’t know if this will ever happen. I know I’ve met the person I would like to marry. I also know  its a long way down the aisle. 

Marriage Statistics (these are mostly from AI)

• Men marry at a median age of 30.2 and women marry at a median age of 28.4 in 2023. 

• Marriages have actually increased since the pandemic. So for anyone shitting on marriage, saying it’s a dying social norm, it’s actually increasing. I think the pandemic may have scared some people into marriage or made them question their own mortality or that of their loved ones.

• Divorce rates have been declining since 2022. 

• Marrying later is associated with later divorce rates which makes sense because if you rush into marriage when you are young you are probably going to regret it. I wonder what the divorce rate of high school sweethearts is.

• Most couples date for two years or more. I don’t sell my stock in whirlwind romances. I think that’s called infatuation. To have a happy marriage you have to really know your partner in all situations and that won’t happen if you’ve only known your partner for several  months. I’m not saying you’ll divorce. I’m just saying it’s not something I would do. I made a promise to myself when I was very little (9?) that I would not marry someone unless I knew them for five years.

• According to the Census Bureau (once again quoting AI) as of 2023 the average length of a marriage is 20 years. I feel like thats not really encouraging. I’m not signing up for a 20 year relationship. I’m signing up for a lifetime partner, lover, husband.

• The number of couples cohabitating has increased. Well, duh. Sometimes it feels like everybody lives together before they get married. My partner and I are working on it but financial problems are working against us. We live in an affluent area and since I don’t work yet we can’t afford an apartment. He also can’t afford one on his own. I dream of the day we can have a house of our own spacious enough for all the fur babies we want. That day is far off. But like my wedding, it’s nice to dream.