The Steady Decline of Married Households in the U.S. Since 1960

Falling Marriage Rates Reveal Economic Fault Lines.  (The New York Times, 2/6/2015)

Among the less well educated, the number of married households has fallen even more. A 2011 study by Pew found that although 64 percent of college-educated Americans were married, fewer than 48 percent of those with some college or less were married. In 1960, the report found, the two groups were about equally likely to be married.

This trend has opened up a yawning economic divide.  Studies have shown that married women and men tend to be much better off financially than those who are unmarried, and that those who have fewer assets and more debt early on are less likely to marry or have stable marriages than those who are more financially secure.

The percentages will continue to decline.

Millennials in adulthood.  (Pew Research, 3/7/2014)