America’s marriage landscape is shifting in unexpected ways, creating a puzzle that defies simple explanations. While divorce rates have actually dropped to their lowest point since the early 1970s, fewer people are getting married in the first place. This creates a strange situation where marriages are more stable than ever, yet marriage itself is becoming less common.
Marriages last longer than ever before, yet fewer Americans are choosing to marry at all—a contradiction reshaping modern relationships.
The numbers tell a compelling story. Only 14.2 out of every 1,000 married women got divorced in 2024, down dramatically from the peak of 22.6 in 1980. That’s a 37% drop. Meanwhile, one in four Americans reaches age 40 without ever getting married. Among high school seniors today, fewer than half are dating, compared to 85% in the 1980s. Teens are spending more time alone and less time with friends, which naturally means fewer romantic relationships too.
Education creates a striking divide in marriage patterns. College graduates marry at steady rates and divorce less often. Non-college educated women, however, face a shrinking pool of potential partners as higher-earning men without degrees increasingly marry college-educated women. This mismatch has contributed to rising single-parent households among women without college degrees. Those with a bachelor’s degree or higher face a divorce rate of just 27%, while individuals without a high school diploma see rates climb to 45%.
The age at which people marry matters considerably. Waiting until between 28 and 32 reduces divorce risk markedly. Second marriages struggle more than first ones, ending in divorce 60% of the time. Curiously, gray divorce is rising, with adults over 50 now accounting for 36% of all divorces. Even premarital counseling helps, reducing divorce risk by 30%.
Political views shape how Americans interpret these trends. While 60% of conservatives view declining marriage rates negatively, only 17% of liberals share that concern. Similarly, 76% of conservatives believe society benefits when long-term couples marry, compared to just 31% of liberals. Research shows that marriage is positively associated with greater community involvement across a range of civic activities.
The smartphone generation faces unique challenges. Over-parenting and digital distractions have reduced physical-world socializing, making romantic connections harder to form. Young men report wanting fatherhood at higher rates than young women want motherhood, creating another mismatch. The attraction to marriage itself has weakened compared to staying single, fundamentally reshaping how Americans approach lifelong partnerships. Bear markets also show that long-term recoveries often follow steep declines, offering a reminder that social trends can reverse over time and present buying opportunities for those who plan ahead.
