By The National Marriage Project

1. T H E S O C I A L H E A LT H O F M A R R I A G E I N A M E R I C A
U P DAT E S O F S O C I A L I N D I CAT O R S :
TA B L E S A N D G R A P H S
T H E N A T I O N A L M A R R I A G E P R O J E C T

2. The National Marriage Project
T he National Marriage Project is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian and interdisci-
plinary initiative located at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. The
project is financially supported by the university in cooperation with private
foundations.
The Project’s mission is to provide research and analysis on the state of marriage in America and
to educate the public on the social, economic and cultural conditions affecting marital success and
wellbeing. The National Marriage Project has five goals: (1) annually publish The State of Our
Unions, an index of the health of marriage and marital relationships in America; (2) investigate and
report on younger adults’ attitudes toward marriage; (3) examine the popular media’s portrait of
marriage; (4) serve as a clearinghouse resource of research and expertise on marriage; and (5)
bring together marriage and family experts to develop strategies for revitalizing marriage.
Leadership
The project is co-directed by two nationally prominent family experts. David Popenoe, Ph.D., a pro-
fessor of sociology emeritus and former social and behavioral sciences dean at Rutgers, is the author
of Life Without Father, Disturbing the Nest, War Over the Family and many other scholarly and pop-
ular publications on marriage and family. Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, Ph.D., an author and social
critic, writes extensively on issues of marriage, family and child wellbeing. She is the author of Why
There Are No Good Men Left, The Divorce Culture, and the widely acclaimed Atlantic Monthly arti-
cle “Dan Quayle Was Right.”
Special thanks are extended to Theresa Kirby for collecting the data and preparing the tables in
this report.
Design: Bruce Hanson / EGADS, Hightstown, NJ
© Copyright 2009 by the National Marriage Project. All rights reserved.
For more information:
The National Marriage Project
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
54 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Lucy Stone Hall B217
Piscataway, NJ 08854-8045
(732) 445-7922
marriage@rci.rutgers.edu
http://marriage.rutgers.edu
February 2009

3. Contents
Figure 1. Number of Marriages per 1,000 Unmarried Women Age 15 and Older, by Year, United
States
Figure 2. Percentage of All Persons Age 15 and Older Who Were Married, by Sex and Race,
1960-2007 United States
Figure 3. Percentage of Persons Age 35 through 44 Who Were Married by Sex, 1960-2007,
United States
Figure 4. Percentage of Married Persons Age 18 and Older Who Said Their Marriages Were
“Very Happy,” by Period, United States
Figure 5. Number of Divorces per 1,000 Married Women Age 15 and Older, by Year, United
States
Figure 6. Percentage of All Persons Age 15 and Older Who Were Divorced b, by Sex and Race,
1960-2007 United States
Figure 7. Number of Cohabiting, Unmarried, Adult Couples of the Opposite Sex, by Year, United
States
Figure 8. Fertility Rates, 1960-2006, Number of Births per 1,000 Women Age 15 through 44,
United States
Figure 9. Percentage of Households with a Child or Children Under Age 18, 1960-2007, United
States
Figure 10. Percentage of Children Under Age 18 Living with A Single Parent, by Year and Race,
United States
Figure 11. Percentage of Children Under Age 18 Living with Two Married Parents, by Year and
Race, United States
Figure 12. Percentage of Live Births that Were to Unmarried Women, by Year, United States
Figure 13. Number of Cohabiting, Unmarried, Adult Couples of the Opposite Sex Living with One
Child or More, by Year,
Figure 14. Percentage of High School Seniors Who Said Having A Good Marriage and Family
Life Is “Extremely Important,” by Period, United States
Figure 15. Percentage of High School Seniors, Who Said It Is Very Likely They Will Stay Married
to the Same Person for Life, by Period, United States
Figure 16. Percentage of High School Seniors Who Said They Agreed or Mostly Agreed That
Most People Will Have Fuller and Happier Lives If They Choose Legal Marriage Rather Than
Staying Single or Just Living With Someone, by Period, United States
Figure 17. Percentage of High School Seniors Who Said Having a Child Without Being Married Is
Experimenting with a Worthwhile Lifestyle or Not Affecting Anyone Else, by Period, United
States
Figure 18. Percentage of High School Seniors Who Agreed or Mostly Agreed with the Statement:
“It Is Usually a Good Idea for a Couple to Live Together Before Getting Married in Order to
Find Out Whether They Really Get Along,” by Period, United States

4. 85 FIGURE 1
80 76.5 Number of Marriages per 1,000
75 Unmarried Women Age 15 and
70 a
73.5 b Older, by Year, United States
66.9
Number
65
60 61.4
55 56.2
50 54.5
50.8
45 46.5 39.2
40 40.7
1960
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2007
a We have used the number of marriages per 1,000 unmarried women age 15 and older, rather than the Crude
Marriage Rate of marriages per 1,000 population to help avoid the problem of compositional changes in the
population, that is, changes which stem merely from there being more or less people in the marriageable ages.
Even this more refined measure is somewhat susceptible to compositional changes.
b Per 1,000 unmarried women age 14 and older
Source: U.S. Department of the Census, Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2001, Page 87, Table 117; and
Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1986, Page 79, Table 124; and Births, Marriages, Divorces, and Deaths:
Provisional Data for 2007, National Vital Statistics Report 56:21, July 14, 2008, Table 2.
(http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr55/nvsr56_21.pdf) and Current Population Surveys March 2007 data.
The CPS, March Supplement, is based on a sample of the U.S. population, rather than an actual count such as
those available from the decennial census. See sampling and weighting notes at
http://www.bls.census.gov:80/cps/ads/2002/ssampwgt.htm
FIGURE 2
Percentage of All Persons Age 15 and Older Who Were Married,
a
by Sex and Race, 1960-2007, United States
MALES FEMALES
Year Total Blacks Whites Total Blacks Whites
1960 69.3 60.9 70.2 65.9 59.8 66.6
1970 66.7 56.9 68.0 61.9 54.1 62.8
1980 63.2 48.8 65.0 58.9 44.6 60.7
1990 60.7 45.1 62.8 56.9 40.2 59.1
2000 57.9 42.8 60.0 54.7 36.2 57.4
2007b 54.7 38.5 56.9 51.2 30.0 54.3
a Includes races other than Black and White.
b In 2003, the U.S. Census Bureau expanded its racial categories to permit respondents to identify
themselves as belonging to more than one race. This means that racial data computations beginning in 2004
may not be strictly comparable to those of prior years.
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P20-506; America's Families and
Living Arrangements (www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/cps2007/tabA1-all.pdf).

5. 90 88.0 89.3
MALES
85 87.4 86.9 84.2
FEMALES
80 81.4
Percentage
75 74.1
FIGURE 3 71.6
Percentage of Persons Age 35 71.5
73.0
70
through 44 Who Were Married, 69.1
69.0
by Sex, 1960-2007, United States
65
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2007
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1961, Page 34, Table 27;
Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1971, Page 32, Table 38; Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1981,
Page 38, Table 49; and U.S. Bureau of the Census, General Population Characteristics, 1990, Page 45, Table
34; and Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2001, Page 48, Table 51; Internet tables
(http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/cps2007/tabA1-all.pdf) Figure for 2007 was obtained
using data from the Current Population Surveys rather than data from the census. The CPS, March
Supplement, is based on a sample of the U.S. population, rather than an actual count such as those available
from the decennial census. See sampling and weighting notes at
http://www.bls.census.gov:80/cps/ads/2002/ssampwgt.htm
75 FIGURE 4
Percentage of Married Persons Age 18 and
Older Who Said Their Marriages Were “Very
69.6
70 Happy,” by Period, United States
68.3
66.4
Percentage
MEN
64.9
65 66.6 63.2
62.9
64.2
62.9
61.0
60 61.7 59.5
WOMEN 59.6 59.7
55
1973- 1977- 1982- 1987- 1993- 1998- 2004-
1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2002 2006
Source: The General Social Survey, conducted by the National Opinion Research Center of the University of Chicago.
The number of respondents for each sex for each period is about 2,000 except for 2004-06 with about 1,500.

6. 25 FIGURE 5
23 Number of Divorces per 1,000 22.6
Married Women Age 15 21.7
20.9
21 and Older, by Year,
Number per 1,000
United States 20.3
19 19.8 17.5
18.8
17
16.4
15 14.9
13
11 9.2 10.6
9
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2007
We have used the number of divorces per 1,000 married women age 15 and older, rather than the Crude Divorce
Rate of divorces per 1,000 population to help avoid the problem of compositional changes in the population. Even
this more refined measure is somewhat susceptible to compositional changes.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2001, Page 87, Table 117; National Vital Statistics Reports, August
22, 2001; California Current Population Survey Report: 2000, Table 3, March 2001; Births, Marriages, Divorces, and
Deaths: Provisional Data for 2007, National Vital Statistics Report 56:21, July 14, 2008, Table 2.
(http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr55/nvsr56_21.pdf) and calculations by the National Marriage Project for
the U.S. less California, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana and Minnesota using the Current Population Surveys,
2007.
FIGURE 6
Percentage of All Persons Age 15 and Older Who Were Divorced,b
by Sex and Race, 1960-2007, United States
MALES FEMALES
Year Total Blacks Whites Total Blacks Whites
1960 1.8 2.0 1.8 2.6 4.3 2.5
1970 2.2 3.1 2.1 3.5 4.4 3.4
1980 4.8 6.3 4.7 6.6 8.7 6.4
1990 6.8 8.1 6.8 8.9 11.2 8.6
2000 8.3 9.5 8.4 10.2 11.8 10.2
2007a 8.6 8.9 8.6 11.0 12.1 11.0
a In 2003, the U.S. Census Bureau expanded its racial categories to permit respondents to identify
themselves as belonging to more than one race. This means that racial data computations beginning in 2004
may not be strictly comparable to those of prior years.
b “Divorced” indicates family status at the time of survey. Divorced respondants who later marry are counted
as “married.”
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P20-537; America’s Families and
Living Arrangements (www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/cps2007/tabA1-all.pdf).

7. 6.5
6.0 FIGURE 7 6.445
Number of Cohabiting, Unmarried,
5.5
Adult Couples of the Opposite Sex,
5.0
by Year, United States
4.5
4.0
Number in Millions
3.822*
3.5
3.0
2.856
2.5
2.0
1.589
1.5
1.0
.439
0.5 .523
0.0
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2007
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P20-537; America’s Families and Living
Arrangements: March 2000; and U.S. Bureau of the Census, Population Division, Current Population Survey,
2007 Annual Social and Economic Supplement (http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/
hh-fam/cps2007.html).
*Prior to 1996, the U.S. Census estimated unmarried-couple households based on two unmarried adults of the
opposite sex living in the same household. After 1996, respondents could identify themselves as unmarried
partners.
FIGURE 8
Total Fertility Rate a
Fertility Rates, 1960-2006, Number of Births per 1,000
1960 3.654
Women Age 15 through 44, United States
1970 2.480
120 118.0 1980 1.840
1990 2.081
110
2000 2.056
100 2006 2.101
Number
90
87.9
80 70.9
68.5
70 68.4
65.9
60
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2006
a The number of births that an average woman would have if, at each year of age, she experienced the birth
rates occurring in the specified year. A total fertility rate of 2,110 represents "replacement level" fertility under
current mortality conditions (assuming no net migration).
Source: National Vital Statistics Report, 1993, Pages 1, 2, 10 and 11; National Vital Statistics Report, 2001,
49:1; and U.S. Bureau of the Census, Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1999, Pages 75, 76 and 78,
Tables 91, 93 and 96. Martin, J., et al. Births: Final Data for 2006, National Vital Statistics Report, 57:7, Jan. 7,
2009, p. 29, Table 1, and p. 33, Table 4.

8. 50 48.8 FIGURE 9
Percentage of Households with a
45.5
45 Child or Children Under Age 18,
1960-2007, United States
Percentage
40
38.4
35
34.6 33.0
31.7
30
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2007
Source: Calculated from data in U.S. Bureau of the Census, Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1964,
Tables 36 and 54; Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1980, Tables 62 and 67; Statistical Abstract of the
United States, 1985, Tables 54 and 63; Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1994, Table 67; Statistical
Abstract of the United States, 2004-05, Table 56; and America’s Families and Households, 2007, Tables F1 and
H1 (www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fman/cps2007.html).
60 FIGURE 10
Percentage of Children Under Age 18
50 Living With a Single Parent,
by Year and Race, BLACKS
40 United States
27 26
25
Percentage
30
20
TOTALa
20
12
9 WHITES
10
0
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2007 *
a Total includes Blacks, Whites and all other racial and ethnic groupings. Over these decades an additional 3 to
4 percent of children, not indicated in the above figure, were classified as living with no parent.
b In 2003, the U.S. Census Bureau expanded its racial categories to permit respondents to identify themselves
as belonging to more than one race. This means that racial data computations beginning in 2004 may not be
strictly comparable to those of prior years.
* Prior to 2007, the U.S. Census counted children living with two cohabiting parents as children in single
parent households. See “Improvements to Data Collection about Families in CPS 2007,”
(www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam.html).
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P20-537; and U.S. Bureau of the
Census, Population Division, Current Population Survey, 2007 Annual Social and Economic Supplement
(http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/cps2007).

9. 100
90 WHITES
88
80 85
77
70 TOTAL a
Percentage
73
69 68
60
50 BLACKS
40 FIGURE 11
Percentage of Children
30 Under Age 18 Living with Two Married Parents, c
by Year and Race, United States
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2007 b
a Total includes Blacks, Whites and all other racial and ethnic groupings.
b In 2003, the U.S. Census Bureau expanded its racial categories to permit respondents to identify
themselves as belonging to more than one race. This means that racial data computations beginning in 2004
may not be strictly comparable to those of prior years.
c "Married Parents" may be step or natural parents of children in the household.
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P20-537; America’s Families and Living
Arrangements, March 2000; and U.S. Bureau of the Census, Population Division, Current Population Survey,
2007 Annual Social and Economic Supplement (http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/
cps2007).
80 FIGURE 12
Percentage of Live Births that
70 Were to Unmarried Women, by BLACKS
60 Year and Race, United States
50
Percentage
38.5
40 33.2
28.0
30 22.0
TOTAL a 18.4
20 10.7
14.2
7.7 WHITES
10 5.3
0
1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 2000 2006
Total includes Whites, Blacks and all other racial and ethnic groupings.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1995, Page 77, Table 94; Statistical Abstract of the United
States, 1999, Page 79, Table 99; Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2000, Page 69, Table 85; and
Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2001, Page 63, Table 76; National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 50, 5.
Martin, J., et al. Births: Preliminary Data for 2006, National Vital Statistics Report, 57:7, Jan. 7, 2009, p. 54,
Table 18.

10. 3.0
2.8 FIGURE 13
2.6 2.505
Number of Cohabiting, Unmarried,
2.4
2.2
Adult Couples of the Opposite Sex
2.0 Living with One Child or More Under
Number in Millions
1.8 Age 15, by Year, United States
1.6
1.4 1.563 *
1.2
1.0
0.8 .891
0.6 .431
0.4
.197 .196
0.2
0.0
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2007
* Prior to 1996, the U.S. Census estimated unmarried-couple households based on two unmarried adults of
the opposite sex living in the same household. After 1996, respondents could identify themselves as
unmarried partners. The Census also identified households with children under 15 until 1996 when they began
identifying children under 18.
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P20-537; America’s Families and Living
Arrangements, March, 2000, and and U.S. Bureau of the Census, Population Division, Current Population
Survey, 2007 Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Table H3 and
(http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/cps2007).
85
81.9 82.1 82.1
83.2
80.2 GIRLS
81.3
80
FIGURE 14
Percentage of High School Seniors Who Said Having
Percentage
75 a Good Marriage and Family Life is “Extremely
BOYS
Important,” by Period,
United States 72.9
70 72.0 70.7
69.4 69.7
69.0
65
’76-’80 ’81-’85 ’86-’90 ’91-’95 ’96-’00 ’01-’06
Number of respondents for each sex for each period is about 6,000.
Source: Monitoring the Future surveys conducted by the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan.

11. 80 FIGURE 15
Percentage of High School Seniors Who Expected to Marr y, or Were
75 Married, Who Said It Is "Very Likely" They Will Stay Mar ried to the
Same Person for Life, by Period, United States
70
68.0
Percentage
68.0 64.6
65 62.7
63.5
62.5
60 BOYS
GIRLS 57.1
55.7
57.3 56.4 57.8
55
53.7
50
’76-’80 ’81-’85 ’86-’90 ’91-’95 ’96-’00 ’01-’06
Number of respondents for each sex for each period is about 6,000. From 1976-1980 to 1986-1990, the
trend is significantly downward for both girls and boys (p < .01 on a two-tailed test), but after 1986-1990, the
trend is significantly upward for boys (p < .01 on a two-tailed test).
Source: Monitoring the Future surveys conducted by the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan.
55 FIGURE 16
Percentage of High School Seniors Who Said They Agreed or Mostly
50 Agreed That Most People Will Have Fuller and Happier Lives If They
Choose Legal Marriage Rather Than Staying Single or Just Living
45 With Someone, by Period, United States
Percentage
38.9 38.4 39.4
40 BOYS 37.9 38.1
36.5
37.9
35 35.7
31.1 31.6
30 30.9
GIRLS
28.5
25
’76-’80 ’81-’85 ’86-’90 ’91-’95 ’96-’00 ’01-’06
Number of respondents for each sex for each period is about 6,000. The trend for girls is statistically
significant (p <.01 on a two-tailed test).
Source: Monitoring the Future surveys conducted by the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan.

12. FIGURE 17
65 Percentage of High School Seniors Who Said Having a Child Without
Being Married is Experimenting with a Worthwhile Lifestyle
60 55.9
or Not Affecting Anyone Else, by Period, United States
55.8
55 53.3
54.3
50 47.8
Percentage
49.1 49.1
43.2
45 BOYS 46.6
40 41.2 40.3
35 GIRLS
30 33.3
’76-’80 ’81-’85 ’86-’90 ’91-’95 ’96-’00 ’01-’04
Number of respondents for each sex for each period is about 6,000 except for 2001-2004, for which it is
about 4,500. The trend for both boys and girls is statistically significant (p <.01 on a two-tailed test).
Source: Monitoring the Future surveys conducted by the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan.
80 FIGURE 18
Percentage of High School Seniors Who “Agreed” or “Mostly Agreed”
75 With the Statement That “It Is Usually a Good Idea for a Couple to
70 Live Together Before Getting Married in Order to
65 Find Out Whether They Really Get Along,” 65.7
by Period, United States 64.5
60
60.5 59.1
55
Percentage
57.8 57.6
50 BOYS 51.3
GIRLS
44.9
45 47.4
45.2
40
35 36.5
30 32.3
’76-’80 ’81-’85 ’86-’90 ’91-’95 ’96-’00 ’01-’06
Number of respondents for each sex for each period is about 6,000. The overall trend is significantly upward
for both girls and boys (p < .01 on a two-tailed test).
Source: Monitoring the Future surveys conducted by the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan.