Marriage by the Numbers

Family Profile No. 14, 2019
Authors: Wendy D. Manning & Krista K. Payne

Summer is the season for weddings in the United States. It is a time for celebrating and bringing together family and friends. Here are some marriage facts to help newlyweds understand more about their new marital status.
Number of Marriages
  • In 2017, there were 2,236,496 marriages in the U.S.1
Number of Married Couples
  • There were over 63.7 million married couples in the U.S. in 2018.2
Share of the Adult Population Who Are Married
  • About one-half of the U.S. adult population is currently married.2
Median Age at 1st Marriage
  • The median at first marriage is approaching 30 years for men and 28 years for women.3
Share of Marriages That Are Remarriages
  • Among women who married in 2017, 27% were entering a remarriage.4
Recent Family Profiles on Marriage
  • FP-19-27
    • Marriage to Divorce Ratio in the U.S.: Demographic Variation, 2018
  • FP-19-24
    • Marriage to Divorce Ratio in the U.S.: Geographic Variation, 2018
  • FP-19-22
    • Marriage Rate in the U.S.: Geographic Variation, 2018
  • FP-19-17
    • The Retreat from Remarriage, 1950-2017
  • FP-19-16
    • Family Formation Experiences: Women’s Median Ages at First Marriage and First Birth, 1979 & 2016
  • FP-19-15
    • Family Formation Experiences: Shares of Women Who Married and Had a Birth, 1979 & 2016
  • High School Seniors’ Ideal Time for Marriage, 2017
  •  High School Seniors’ Expectations to Marry, 2017
  • High School Seniors’ Attitudes Toward Cohabitation as a Testing Ground for Marriage, 2017
  • First Marriage vs. Remarriage in the U.S., 2017
  • Median Age at First Marriage: Geographic Variation, 2017
  • Median Age at First Marriage, 2017
  • Age Variation in the First Marriage Rate, 1990 & 2017
  • Marriage-to-Divorce Ratio in the U.S.: Geographic Variation, 2017
  • Marriage Rate in the U.S.: Geographic Variation, 2017

Suggested Citation:
Manning, W. D. & Payne, K. K. (2019). Marriage by the numbers. Family Profiles, FP-19-14. Bowling Green, OH: National Center for Family & Marriage Research. https://doi.org/10.25035/ncfmr/fp-19-14.

  1. CDC/NCHS National Vital Statistics System
  2. IPUMS-CPS, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org
  3. U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, March and Annual Social and Economic Supplements, link
  4. Schweizer, 2019 FP-19-08
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This project is supported with assistance from Bowling Green State University. From 2007 to 2013, support was also provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s) and should not be construed as representing the opinions or policy of any agency of the state or federal government.

National Center for Family and Marriage Research

Updated: 11/10/2025 04:22PM