The number of Americans above the age of 40 who have never been married is at an all-time high, according to new research conducted by the Pew Research Center. The percentage of those above 40 without having been married is now 25 percent, compared to 20 percent in 2010.
The trend has been recognizable since the end of the twentieth century. In 1980, the number of unmarried over 40s was just six percent; in 1990, it was 11 percent; and in 2000, that number was around 15 percent.
There is a large disparity between college graduates and non-graduates; those without a four-year degree were more likely not to have been married at 33 percent, whereas only 18 percent of graduates remained unmarried. The amount also fluctuates among ethnicities. A total of 46 percent of blacks were unmarried above 40, compared to only 17 percent of Asians, whites were 20 percent, Hispanics 27 percent.
However, one-in-four of the over 40s who were unmarried in 2001 ended up marrying by the age of 60, demonstrating the trend of younger generations delaying traditional aspirations until much later in life.
Pew Research Poll: % of unmarried 40-year-olds
1980: 6%
2021: 25% (all time high)https://t.co/JwKXFabgo8 pic.twitter.com/utguN0ojcE— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) June 28, 2023
