Looking for love? Here's where most unmarried adults live in the U.S.
Love is in the air — but not everyone is in a pair.
About 46% of U.S. adults aged 20 and older are unmarried, and some cities have even higher populations of singles, according to a CBS News Data Team analysis of U.S. Census data.
For those looking for love, certain areas offer more opportunity. Among U.S. counties with at least 250,000 unmarried residents in this age group, Baltimore, Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania;, Suffolk County, Massachusetts (home to Boston) and New York County (which includes Manhattan) have the highest rates of unmarried adults.
The lowest rates of unmarried adults in this age group are found in Collin and Denton counties in Texas; Fairfax County, Virginia; DuPage County, Illinois; and Bergen County, New Jersey — where marriage appears to be more common.
Search for your county here:
By age group
The majority of unmarried people are in their early twenties to thirties, with an increase among those in their mid-sixties too.
A Pew Research analysis of similar data found that for the first time in almost 20 years, the share of unpartnered adults in the U.S., married or unmarried, declined in 2023. And while there was not an increase in new marriages, there were slightly fewer divorces.
The Pew analysis also found that partnered adults tend to be slightly more financially secure. Some 64% of single adults said they were doing "at least okay" financially, compared with 77% of partnered adults.
By sex
Among unmarried men aged 20 and older, about 71% have never been married, higher than the 54% of women in the same category.
On the other hand, women were more likely to be divorced or widowed.
Higher rates of widowhood for women could be attributed to life expectancy. The average life expectancy for men in the U.S. is 74.8 years. For women, it's 80.2 years, according to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
What's the right time to get your kids off the family payroll?
America has a parenting problem. We're raising our kids to be dependent adults – financially coddled long past the point of reason. And it's not just hurting them. It's killing our retirement. As a parent of three children aged 23, 25 and 27, I get asked all the time about when the right time is to get your kids off the family payroll. When should you "kick" them out of the house? When should they get off the family mobile phone bill? When should they take over their own car insurance? Over the past 10 years, I've seen firsthand how Baby Boomer and Gen X parents sabotage their golden years trying to bankroll their grown children's lives. Enough is enough. If your kid is 25, has a college degree, and still expects you to Venmo them money for their You Tube TV bill, it's time for a family intervention – not another handout. Let's talk about why it's time to cut the cord and how to do it without wrecking your family dynamics – or your future. According to Pew Research, over 50% of Americans aged 18 to 29 are living at home with their parents. Have we become Italy? Let that sink in. More than half of young adults are still sleeping in their childhood bedrooms, many of them not paying rent, utilities or even their own Netflix subscriptions. Is this really because inflation has grown massively over the past five years? Instead, we've raised and coddled a generation of kids with participation trophies and safety nets so wide they don't know what it means to fall – and get back up. My career started with having $67 to my name in a Boston BayBank account and living in Section 8 housing in South Boston. It motivated me to work hard and become a big success. You could argue though, it's not entirely their fault. In 1980, the home to income ratio was 2 to 1 and now in 2025 it's 6 to 1. Wages simply have not kept up with the cost of real estate. College is more expensive, grocery prices have skyrocketed, and new and used car prices are at an all-time high. But there's a fine line between helping and enabling. And right now, too many parents are crossing it. The right time to get your kids off the family payroll? Between 22 and 25, no exceptions. By that age, they should be working, budgeting and learning how to manage money without your daily deposits. I'm not saying you shouldn't help them through school or during a job transition. But after graduation – or a reasonable gap year – it's time for them to face the real world. If they're still living at home, they need to contribute. Charge rent. Ask them to pay their share of groceries and utilities. Hold them accountable. Parents often ask me what's OK to cover after their kids turn 22. Here's the short list: Everything else – rent, car insurance, cell phone, credit cards, student loans, groceries, even gas – should be on them. Yes, it's hard. But that's life. And it's far better to teach financial responsibility now than watch them flounder at 35 because no one made them pay a bill. You only value what you earn, not what's given to you. Here's what nobody wants to say out loud: you can't retire on guilt. Every dollar you spend bailing out your adult children is a dollar you're not putting into your 401(k), IRA or savings. Over time, it adds up – big time and why many people now must work into their 70s. A recent Merrill Lynch study showed that parents spend an average of $500 per month supporting adult children. That's $6,000 a year. Over a decade, that's $60,000 – money that could grow your nest egg or pay off your mortgage. If you don't start protecting your own future, who's going to support you later? Your kid who doesn't know how to write a check? You don't need to be mean. You need to be clear. Happiness is about expectations met or unmet, so it's time to set expectations. Sit down with your kids and lay out a plan: Set a deadline: "In six months, you'll be covering your own car insurance and phone bill." Charge rent if they're living at home: Even a few hundred bucks builds responsibility. If you want to save it and give it to them when they leave, that could make perfect sense. Offer tools, not bailouts: Teach them to budget, apply for jobs and build credit. Share your retirement goals: Let them see the bigger picture – your financial health matters, too. Loving your kids doesn't mean supporting them forever. It means preparing them to stand on their own two feet. If you really want to help them, stop being their bank. Give them the skills and motivation to earn their own paycheck – and protect yours. Because in the end, your job isn't to raise kids. It's to raise adults.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Washington Post
India is preparing to launch its delayed census, including controversial questions about caste
NEW DELHI — India will start counting its vast population in a mammoth exercise starting next year. The first census in 16 years will be conducted digitally and include controversial questions about caste for the first time since independence. The Home Ministry announced plans to conduct a two-stage count ending March 1, 2027 in a statement Wednesday night. India's last official census in 2011 counted 1.21 billion people. The country's population is now estimated to be well over 1.4 billion, making it the world's most populous country , according to the U.N.'s Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The once-in-a-decade population survey was originally due in 2021 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and logistical hurdles. Here's a look at what goes into India's census and why it matters. The official count of the country's people is used to allocate many of India's welfare programs and other policies. It could also pave the way for redrawing the political landscape of India as seats are added to the lower house of Parliament and state legislatures to represent a larger population. Under the 2023 Women's Reservation Bill, a third of those seats will be set aside for women. The Indian census is said to be the largest peacetime mobilization in the world. Almost 2.7 million people were hired to implement the 2011 census, visiting more than 240 million households. The Home Ministry said the new census will be carried out in two phases and conclude by March 1, 2027. The government will spell out the details and schedule of the exercise later this month. They'll collect information about houses and their occupants, such as sex, age, marital status, religion, mother tongue, language, literacy and economic activity — as well as caste. The next census will be the first to consider the caste status of most Indians. Caste is an ancient system of social hierarchy in India and is critical to Indian life and politics. There are hundreds of caste groups based on occupation and economic status across India, particularly among Hindus, but the country has limited, or outdated data on how many people belong to them. Since independent India's first census in 1951, it counted only Dalits and Adivasis, members of marginalized groups known as scheduled castes and tribes. But India also has quotas that reserve government jobs, college admissions and elected offices for a swathe of lower and intermediate castes that are recognized as Other Backward Classes. India's current policy caps quotas at 50%, with 27% reserved for OBCs. A count of these groups will likely lead to calls to raise the quotas. Successive Indian governments have resisted updating caste data, arguing that it could lead to social unrest. The announcement on the census comes months ahead of a crucial election in India's poorest state of Bihar, where caste is a key issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party runs a coalition government in Bihar.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Associated Press
India is preparing to launch its delayed census, including controversial questions about caste
NEW DELHI (AP) — India will start counting its vast population in a mammoth exercise starting next year. The first census in 16 years will be conducted digitally and include controversial questions about caste for the first time since independence. The Home Ministry announced plans to conduct a two-stage count ending March 1, 2027 in a statement Wednesday night. India's last official census in 2011 counted 1.21 billion people. The country's population is now estimated to be well over 1.4 billion, making it the world's most populous country, according to the U.N.'s Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The once-in-a-decade population survey was originally due in 2021 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and logistical hurdles. Here's a look at what goes into India's census and why it matters. The census shapes welfare policies and representation The official count of the country's people is used to allocate many of India's welfare programs and other policies. It could also pave the way for redrawing the political landscape of India as seats are added to the lower house of Parliament and state legislatures to represent a larger population. Under the 2023 Women's Reservation Bill, a third of those seats will be set aside for women. A massive count The Indian census is said to be the largest peacetime mobilization in the world. Almost 2.7 million people were hired to implement the 2011 census, visiting more than 240 million households. The Home Ministry said the new census will be carried out in two phases and conclude by March 1, 2027. The government will spell out the details and schedule of the exercise later this month. They'll collect information about houses and their occupants, such as sex, age, marital status, religion, mother tongue, language, literacy and economic activity — as well as caste. New questions about caste are controversial The next census will be the first to consider the caste status of most Indians. Caste is an ancient system of social hierarchy in India and is critical to Indian life and politics. There are hundreds of caste groups based on occupation and economic status across India, particularly among Hindus, but the country has limited, or outdated data on how many people belong to them. Since independent India's first census in 1951, it counted only Dalits and Adivasis, members of marginalized groups known as scheduled castes and tribes. But India also has quotas that reserve government jobs, college admissions and elected offices for a swathe of lower and intermediate castes that are recognized as Other Backward Classes. India's current policy caps quotas at 50%, with 27% reserved for OBCs. A count of these groups will likely lead to calls to raise the quotas. Successive Indian governments have resisted updating caste data, arguing that it could lead to social unrest. The announcement on the census comes months ahead of a crucial election in India's poorest state of Bihar, where caste is a key issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party runs a coalition government in Bihar.
